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Google's gaming initiative allows, in theory, any computer, regardless of age or power, to run high-end, high-budget games, provided they have a connection Internet strong enough. There was every reason to be skeptical about Google's claims, but after trying it myself, I can say that it works primarily. And if it works especially now, who can say that it could not work completely in the not too distant future?
If you read about it for the first time, the Project Stream key is in its name. Instead of restoring a game on your computer, which requires a huge amount of graphics power and processing, Google runs somewhere on a farm and you broadcast it more or less instantly on your own computer.
True, this is not the first service of its kind – GeForce now and PlayStation Now Do almost the same thing – but Project Stream is one of the most ambitious, under the testing of a brand new extremely demanding game: Assassin's Creed Odyssey.
Project Stream is currently running a open test for a limited number of users, in which they can play Assassin's Creed Odyssey, for free, in its entirety, until January 2019. The only absolute requirement for the streaming of the game is an Internet download speed of at least 15 Mbps, slightly less than for a 4K video in streaming.
I have tried Project Stream on my gaming platform and, unsurprisingly, everything went very well. But it was not really interesting for me; my desktop has a powerful Wi-Fi card and can run Assassin's Creed Odyssey without having to stream it continuously. Instead, I decided to test the "Google feed on almost all machines".
The boat of Theseus
Since we are talking about Assassin's Creed Odyssey, let's talk about the philosophical problem called "Theseus Ship". Theseus sailed to Knossos on a mighty ship to kill the Minotaur. The Greeks decided to immortalize the ship in the exhibitor. But over time, the sails have deteriorated, rotten wood, rusty metal, etc., the guards having replaced each piece. At what point is the repaired ship no longer the vessel of origin of Theseus?
That's my laptop, a Lenovo G550, in a nutshell. I bought it in 2010, after my aunts (correctly) pointed out that it was time to retire my old laptop, which was loading websites about as fast as Antikythera Mechanism.
In fact, I was playing a modern blockbuster game on a laptop that usually has trouble opening Microsoft Word.
For a moment, it worked well. And then, it worked less well. And then, it started to become as slow as the machine it replaced. But I can not get rid of it for now, partly because I'm saving money for something else; in part because I've replaced every piece to the room and I'm determined to get my money's worth with each $ 6 power cable and each $ 40 battery pack.
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In other words: in my wildest dreams, there is no way I am able to play the minesweeper on this old clunker, let alone Assassin's Creed Odyssey. If I tried to install the game from Steam, the computer would probably self-destruct in protest.
Project performance
But I played it, and there is even video evidence. The installation process was extremely simple: I visited the Project Stream website under Chrome, I logged in to my Google Account and to my Ubisoft account, I plugged in my Xbox controller and launched the game. That was it. From there, all I had to do was select "New Game", as I had done on my PS4, and dive into the Animus to explore ancient Greece.
The only thing that was wrong with me was the required download speed of 15 Mbps. Having an old computer, it's also having an old Wi-Fi card. I've tried both on my professional network and on my home network, but I could not get the G550 running on Project Stream wireless, for love or for money. Even plugged into an Ethernet cable (recommended by Google), my broadcast quality was not consistent. Sometimes I got resolutions of about 720p, while at other times everything seemed blurry and indistinct.
The fights were also a little behind, with critical delays of a split second between my orders and Kassandra's execution. If I had practiced end-of-game assassinations instead of first-level combat tutorials, I would have been spotted and killed before you could say "αίρω".
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And yet, despite everything, I was playing a modern blockbuster game on a laptop that usually has trouble opening Microsoft Word. Since the limiting factor seemed to be the speed of my Internet rather than the specifications of my computer, I could even theoretically invest in a USB Ethernet or wireless adapter and enjoy a much more loyal experience of Assassin & # 39; Creed.
a long way to go
To be fair, while Project Stream impressed me with its sheer audacity and basic features, I do not think I want to play the whole game that way. The shift was noticeable, as was the jerky performance of the game and its low-resolution appearance.
Even on my gaming platform, the game seemed to reach a maximum resolution of 720p with limited textures. After playing all the game and finding out how wonderful it can be, this is not the best way to experience Assassin's Creed Odyssey.
And yet, Project Stream is still in its infancy – and I tested it on a particularly malnourished machine. The idea is not to be able to play flawless games on equipment purchased during the Peloponnesian War; It's bringing AAA games to the average consumer who does not want to spend $ 1,000 on a gaming platform. According to first impressions, I think Project Stream might be able to do that. The focus of the visual experience can always come later.
Credit: Ubisoft
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