Google Stadia 4K game streaming quality is laughable

Google Stadia made huge promises for a game streaming service. 4K resolution, 60 frames per second, HDR, all streamed to your Chromecast, computer, or phone. The company made plenty of comparisons to consoles and “stunning graphics” and a lot more. Lofty claims for no local hardware.

However, it seems those claims are a load of hot air (at least for now). After all the launch issues the device has had, like missing features, missing codes for those who have their controllers, and a whole lot more, a lot of people who finally have it all working are disappointed by the visual fidelity of the service.

Oh my lord, Red Dead Redemption 2 on PC looks so bad on Stadia.

It’s absolutely no contest compared to the Xbox One X and it only uses 44% of the pixel count. Apparently Stadia is 80% faster than XB1X and yet it only runs at 1440p and 30FPS. pic.twitter.com/l2BkRnzaMX

— Pixelbuster (@Nitomatta) November 18, 2019

As seen in this tweet and many many more, Stadia’s quality is far inferior to the Xbox One X, which can actually play content at 4K60. Stadia’s resolution is far lower, rendering distance is lower, and everything is just blurry and ugly. We hear that disabling HDR helps with quality, but it’s still pretty embarrassing after all the claims made. Especially when 4K requires a pro subscription on top of buying full-price games.

This is likely to be improved in the future, but it’s yet another reason to stay away from the service until it’s more mature and polished. Of course, this goes for almost any new service or product, as first adopters often get hit with issues. Such is life on the cutting edge.