Despite a lackluster launch by Google Stadia, the cloud gaming market was worth $170 million in 2019, with an expected increase to around $4.8 billion by 2023. Now everyone is gaming more, and a recent survey suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic may be helping cloud gaming grow exponentially to meet that estimation. (see the full graphic below.)
Piplsay polled 24,000 gamers to find that being stuck in lockdown caused 52% to look at cloud gaming and game streaming options more seriously. As a result, 44% of respondents are currently subscribed to a service, while an additional 23% may be getting on board soon.
Among the current services available to the general public, PlayStation Now appears to be the favorite with 36% currently signed up. Xbox Game Pass, at 32%, is not far behind. The survey also found that 10% of respondents were signed up with Stadia, and an additional 5% with Nvidia's GeForce Now.
Other services that made the list include Jump, Vortex, Shadow , Playkey, and Parsec. The Jump service was previously shut down at the beginning of 2020. Shadow has earned PCMag's Editors' Choice; it provides you with access to a remote high-end Windows 10 PC.
When it comes to adoption, the biggest roadblock remains price, with 30% of respondents saying cost has discouraged them the most. Shadow uses an expensive subscription model and requires you to buy your own games. Stadia has upfront costs to gain access to the service, includes an expensive Pro tier, and still makes you buy many of your own games.
But price will remain a roadblock for only so long. The inexpensive introductory pricing of Amazon Luna could change things for many gamers who are still on the fence. Game Pass using streaming technology will also end the need to invest in expensive hardware, such as an Xbox console or high-powered PC.
The issue of performance over the internet, though, is something that individual gamers will still have to deal with on their own. For now, you can measure your internet speed and check it against a service's requirements. If you find it lacking, you can boost your Wi-Fi signal. You may also need to find a new ISP that can handle the demands of gaming.