In the same way that most social platforms have been incorporating stories, now it is technology companies that are copying themselves in a proposal as particular as streaming games. After all the options we already know about, the last one to join the party is Facebook . The company presents its streaming gaming platform , but it does so in a very decaffeinated way.
Facebook vs. Stadia, xCloud, GeForce Now and Luna
Facebook has just announced through its blog that they are getting into the gaming business via streaming, but they do so with great caution and little intention of presenting a real battle to services such as Microsoft’s xCloud, Google Stadia, GeForce Now or even Luna from Amazon.
The new service, integrated into Facebook Gaming , for now will only be in beta and for users in the United States. The rest of users interested in trying it -if there is one- will have to wait for it to expand to other countries. However, for now it is not very flashy because it only has five titles and it is not that any of them will surprise you.
The five games that can be played right now on this new Facebook streaming game service are:
- Asphalt 9: Legends
- Mobile Legends: Adventure
- PGA Tour Golf Shootout
- Solitaire: Arthur’s Tale
- Dirt Bike Unchained
Does any catch your attention? We dare to say no and it is logical, because none offers anything new or attractive compared to the proposals of other services. What’s more, they are all portals of Android games that you can now run on any Android terminal without any problems due to performance issues.
The only difference is that here you can also play on computers. Of course, again iOS and iPadOS users are left out. Safari does not seem to allow Facebook that the service works as they want (here it is important to remember the problems caused to Facebook by the new security measures of iOS and iPadOS) and the rules of the App Store do not make it clear that it was possible to launch a own application.
However, leaving Apple devices out, Facebook’s proposal is very unappealing and they know it themselves. In the publication itself they already indicate all this:
- They won’t make (exaggerated) promises they can’t keep
- They are not looking to replace any console or gaming hardware
- Will little by little growing
- It will be integrated with Facebook Gaming
- Nothing to play on iOS for now
At least that honesty is appreciated , because they have not come to sell the motorcycle with promises that, as they say, are exaggerated in many cases and then are not fulfilled. Even so, we will see if it is worth them to gain experience for when the streaming game really takes hold a little more and represents an important business in terms of income. At the moment it does not raise passions.
xCloud has set the bar very high
After learning about Facebook’s new proposal and having been able to test what other current solutions offer, it is clear that Microsoft has set the bar very high with xCloud . Much more than Google Stadia and a little above Nvidia’s GeForce, one of the most interesting alternatives for technology and integration with Steam, although there are also things where it needs to improve a lot.
Right now we are all clear that streaming gambling is going to be very important for the video game sector in a matter of a few years, but if we had to bet on one, most would do it for xCloud. The catalog that Microsoft has assembled and recent news such as the purchase of Bethesda give it a lot of advantage.
Still, let’s not rule out what may happen in a matter of a few months. Because for investment there will be no problem if Faebook wants to tighten and if they integrate the use of the Oculus Quest they could offer something different from the rest. We will see what happens.
