Stadia / Altair Twin

High Tech

Another failure in the wonderful world of “Tech” – Stadia has definitely closed.

Maybe you remember that I talked about it, when at the time – close – the great battle between the very big tech behemoths around video games was supposed to be played out: Steam, Epic, Stadia – three platforms to gather as many video game players as possible – on computer for the most part – with a foot in Sony anyway.
Stadia, Google’s baby, had put in a lot of money – it was the youngest of the three – but the one that came with the most skills, we thought.

The war was on.
From my perspective, a ridiculous war with millions of dollars and no thought. But a real beautiful war, seen from their place, terrible, breathtaking, atrocious – and above all incomprehensible.
How? how come the purchase of huge licenses was not enough? maybe other licenses were needed? more expensive ones? more popular ones? more and more expensive ones, et allez, chaaargez !

What happened?
The answer is almost biblical: nothing. Nothing happened at all.
Why? Because all these big tech people, whether from Stadia or Meta (it’s hard to have an a-name, ladies and gentlemen, you have to deserve an -a-name, what do you think?), sorry – so these people are literally stuck in their big pink candy jar and they don’t come out.

I’m telling you this from experience – I’ve met some people from Google, before the Covid episode.
Oh yes – clones of the same – people cut off from their audience.
If it’s about Google, it’s okay – if it’s about video games, and therefore entertainment, then it’s not okay at all – neither for Meta nor for Stadia.

So Stadia got the audience it deserved: a few geeks with good finances.
The others? they never came
Why? Because Stadia required expensive equipment.
Like Meta
For a rather mediocre return on investment.
For uninteresting game experiences – no creativity, no fun, they almost did Meta’s signature : the “empty boxes you fill yourself” trick.

I’m interested, because I too, the penniless gamer, had thought of extending Altair as a platformer like Steam – but in 3D.
However, as a penniless gamer, I know very well that it won’t be the technological craziness that will make me fall for a more fun platform than Steam.
It will be the content.
3D doesn’t mean virtual reality – it’s a possible extension – without specific processing – I’ve already talked about it, it’s pointless.
If I want Altair Twin to work, then it will not be through this ultra-technological means but through the content of the platform.
Without content, without add-ons – well, it will die, and you can put as much money as you want into it, if you have any to lose.

You have to offer meeting places for players – you have to offer portals to the games that Altair will work with (I know I know it’s hard to do, ah – no – it’s expensive – less than Stadia) – you have to offer challenges, animations, participating places, mod rooms, links to the AA App, links to Altair’s stages – festivals and of course, of course – for those who have the virtual reality equipment or those who rent it in cafes – the various experiences that Altair will offer in the field.

And then, if no gamer has to buy hardware in advance, if he finds a place to show off his hard-earned trophies in his various games, if he can play small games with strangers, if he can experiment with mods, if he can take the portal to such and such a game with people he just had fun with, then, I tell you, Altair Twin will have become something major in the world of video games.

Otherwise, it’s not even worth it, Steam does a very good job of being a boring portal to all computer games.

That’s why I was very pleased with myself when I heard the end of Stadia: I had found it all a rare stupidity – and I was right! A little compliments to myself, it can’t hurt!

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