After months of speculation, Google finally unveiled the pricing, launch timing and initial games lineup of its Stadia game streaming service.
During this announcement, Google reiterated that 4K/60fps/HDR streaming would require a connection of at least 35Mbps, while 1080p/60fps needs at least 20Mbps and 720p/60fps requires just 10Mbps.
While these aren’t significantly high requirements in and of themselves, they do carry some steep costs for people who don’t have unlimited internet.
Based on calculations made by PC Gamer, these bitrate requirements work out to around “15.75GB per hour of 4K streaming, 9GB per hour of 1080p, or 4.5GB per hour at 720p.”
For context, PC Gamer noted that even with a 1TB data plan, this would only allow for 65 hours of 4K streaming per month. On the same 1TB plan, a user would get 113 hours of streaming per month at 1080p/60fps. Of course, this is assuming that monthly internet usage is limited exclusively to Stadia streaming.
It’s worth noting that PC Gamer said these data usage figures are actually a bit lower than it initially predicted. Having said that, this is still a good way to put usage into context for people who have monthly data caps.
In Canada, the big telecoms can charge hefty prices for unlimited internet. According to consumer advocacy group Open Media, independent carriers like Teksavvy are the best choice for more affordable internet with no usage caps.
In any case, Stadia will launch sometime this November in Canada. At the time of release, Google will only offer the $169 CAD Founder’s Edition, which includes a three-month 4K Stadia subscription, a limited edition controller and a Chromecast Ultra.
More Canadian-specific information on Stadia can be found here.
Source: PC Gamer
