I don't want to say we called it but... Stadia goes... POOF in January 2023!

Did we call it or... did we call it?

Google sent out this email on the 29th of September... about the Stadia service shutting down on January 18, 2023. I wanted to hold off as we prepared for Hurricane Ian (yikes). Anyway, here's the actual email from Google if you didn't receive it.

Dear Stadia player,

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On September 29, 2022, we announced that the Stadia service will be shut down on January 18, 2023. We’re getting in touch with important information on what this means for you as a Stadia player.

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Availability

Stadia will remain available for gameplay until the service is shut down on January 18, 2023. During this period, you will have access to your game library, including Pro games if you had an active Pro subscription as of September 29, 2022. Be aware that publisher support for games may vary, and it’s possible that your gameplay experience may be affected during the shut-down period.

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Refunds

Google is offering a refund to Stadia users for Stadia hardware purchases (Stadia Controller, Stadia Founder’s Edition, Stadia Premiere Edition, or Play and Watch with Google TV Package) made on the Google Store, and game purchases and add-on purchases made on the Stadia Store. The refund process will take some time, but we expect to have the majority of refunds processed by January 18, 2023. We expect to be able to automatically issue refunds for a substantial portion of transactions as a credit to the form of payment used to make the purchase. For purchases that we are not able to automatically refund, you will receive an email with details on how to obtain your refund.

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Transactions and subscription fees

All commerce functionality (the ability to buy games, new subscriptions, add-ons or in-game purchases) on Stadia has now been disabled. Users who held an active Stadia Pro subscription as of September 29, 2022 will not be charged for access to their Pro library or other subscription entitlements during the shut-down period. Historical Stadia Pro subscription fees will not be eligible for refund.

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Your Stadia account and data

You will be able to export your Stadia data, such as profile information, game stats, social data, save files and captures from Google Takeout until the Stadia service shuts down on January 18, 2023, after which point your Stadia data will be permanently deleted. You can also delete Stadia from your Google account at any time or delete your Google account entirely. Please note that deleting your Google account will result in deletion of all data and content in that account, including emails, photos, and files, and may increase the amount of time it takes to receive a refund of your Stadia purchases. Google may however retain certain data, including transaction data, for up to three years following the shut-down of the service for the purposes of processing refunds and providing customer support.

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More information is available in the Help Center, which will be updated as new information becomes available.

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The Stadia team

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We don't celebrate when people are being laid off for something they had no control over, but... the people on top should have had a bit more foresight on how to approach this. I don't know, maybe Google Play could've had a cloud option so they could sneak it in there without as many expectations, but... there weren't must-play exclusives. Whatever you could play on Stadia, you could play anywhere else, and those other options... came with more options. Even "Get Packed" was similar to "Moving Out". Gylt was ok, but... no.

I think Amazon Luna is the closest in competition to Stadia, but... Amazon has first-party games (i.e. Lost Ark & New World to show for their serious game dev efforts) and took a soft approach for some time with free games, offering free in-game exclusives, etc. Amazon could have made sure that Lost Ark was released first on Luna... but with so many people having a Prime account, it's shrugged off. Google doesn't have an Amazon Prime equivalent.

Twitch is an Amazon platform also (not to say Youtube isn't bigger) but... Amazon utilizes the platform for Luna and those Prime perks also benefit you there. Not to mention, you can stream your Amazon Luna gameplay on Twitch straight from the cloud.

Amazon Luna is included with Prime, just like Prime Music, Prime Video, and so on. Even if they're the basic options to give you a taste of what you could enjoy with a premium plan... you get perks out the wazoo! The games on Amazon Luna at the base level rotate periodically, and you're able to play them from anywhere you have an internet connection. They should have an ultimate plan so that you don't have to decide between retro, family, or their core gaming subscription options only, but... it is what is for now with room for improvement. They should keep exclusives in mind for Luna though if they want to become more competitive.

I mention all the extras because Stadia couldn't touch Amazon Luna... so it definitely didn't have a chance against other platforms like Steam, Xbox, Playstation, and Nintendo.

If you have a Fire TV, a Fire TV Stick (4K Max), the upcoming Fire TV Cube (4K Ultra HD), Fire Tablet, or even your standard mobile device or PC... you can enjoy Amazon Luna. So even if they appear as if they're similar, there are differences. Will Google get out of gaming for good? Well... they still have Google Play, but maybe Stadia was just too ambitious at the moment (plus let's not forget that Nintendo is stepping into the cloud gaming arena too).

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Amazon Luna Controller... Reviewed!

 

The Luna controller arrived in time for Amazon Prime Day, but I wanted to follow up with an actual review of this controller that totally gives off... Saints Row vibes. Is it good... or does Amazon need to stick to being a great place to shop online? Let's jump in and find out... after an unboxing!

Quality + Comfort: The quality in this controller is there, it doesn't feel like it's going to fall apart from a bump or a drop. Also, the package is... sturdy enough to secure the controller during delivery.

The digital buttons are clicky, but... not as clicky as an Xbox controller. That's not to say they're better than the LB + RB on the Xbox controller... but they feel good and made me lean in that direction until I thought about those times that I needed to rapidly click LB or RB.

The trigger buttons are comparable, but the LT + RT on the Luna controller are slightly lower and feel like they give a bit more resistance so you can gauge your squeeze.

As far as the analog sticks go, no complaints there... and I actually really like these, definitely quality. One thing I'm not crazy about is the buttons on the Luna Controller. I'm not saying they aren't usable, I'm just thinking about how those will feel after a while of using them without being as easy to press (compared to the Xbox buttons). It's not that the buttons stick or something, they work... but there's a lighter button press to use the Xbox controller.

Design: The Luna Controller is... similar to the quality of standard console controllers you're familiar with and has the same layout as the Xbox controller. There are some things that I noticed are a bit better than the Xbox controller. The underbelly of the hand grips has a texture that you can feel a lot more than the Xbox controller's subtle texture. 

Believe it or not, the Xbox controller has a textured underbelly on the hand grips, but you can't feel it as much. The best way to tell is to drag your nail below the B button down to the bottom in the front, and then flip the controller and do the same to the back. Do you feel a difference?

Take a look at the underbelly of the Luna Controller hand grips, it looks like braille (not sure if it is or not) but that's how much you can see it on the back of the controller. You can even see it in the image below.

Another thing that I was able to see off the bat in terms of difference is the grip around the analog stick. You can feel the grip on these... and they feel good and give a quality touch to the controller.

As far as the LB + RB button & LT + RT triggers, they may look like your standard set... but the design is smooth and rounded where the fingers would go on them. There isn't an edge on the LB + RB and a very minimal edge on the LT + RT triggers, it's set up well and you may not even realize it if you don't look at this sort of stuff. A bad controller build presents obvious problems, but good designs may go unnoticed, that's why this review exists (in part).

The D-pad works, and I notice the little bump around it that allowed me to slide my thumb from the surface of the body to the d-pad whether it was intentional or not (though not as smooth as the Xbox controller). There's also a 3.5mm line in/out for your headset, and a USB-C Port to connect to your PC.

One thing this design is missing is the ability to connect a battery pack, so you will have to get the AA's poppin whether they're the basics (that come with the controller) or the rechargeable ones (which deliver a lot more value).

**Amazon, I would've paid a little more for an option that came with rechargeable batteries and a little battery charger. I'd rather reduce, reuse, and recycle... but maybe they'll consider it in the future (even if it's just swapping standards for rechargeable ones).

Another thing I'm not crazy about when it comes to this controller are the X, Y, A, and B buttons. They work, but for long gameplay sessions... they should be a bit easier to press.

Functionality: I wanted to save this before we jumped into pricing because there are pluses about this controller that make it worth buying (at least for some).
 
The Luna Controller has Alexa, which allows you to jump straight to a game on an Alexa-enabled device. You can connect to a device via Bluetooth (which isn't much of a wow, but... it's a nice option), and the same applies to USB-C, but... there's something else. You can connect this controller to Wifi.

This stood out to me, because... why would you need to connect a controller to Wifi, but... the technology allows the most responsive feedback from the Luna Controller when cloud gaming (according to Amazon). Does it work? I'll let you be the judge of that.

Price: Pricewise, the Amazon Luna Controller lands at the standard price of $69.99. I don't really have any complaints about this, and I know that you can play certain games free (which are rotated out after a period of time), but... I think Amazon should throw in a month free of the full experience.

Quality + Comfort 4

Design 5

Functionality 5

Price 5

4.75 out of 5 Cool Points

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Amazon Prime Day and The Porch Pirates!

Amazon Prime Day is almost here... and you have to beware of the sticky fingers out there. Package theft is at an all-time high according to SafeHome with nearly 46% of Americans surveyed being primarily concerned about packages being stolen. It sucks, especially if you had to wait a while.

To be specific:

48% Avoid buying expensive items online due to fear of them being stolen

47% Filed a police report

81% Got a refund for their stolen package

Recently someone actually stole two items from in front of my place (this week), and it shouldn't have to be that way but some people think they can just... take whatever they want. They really stole the items like it was nothing, so I need to force myself to move forward with a camera installation and monitoring service.

SafeHome also recommends installing security cameras, adding a smart doorbell, and using alternative dropoff locations. There are pickup locations, but my area doesn't have close pickup lockers. (Sigh)

Of course... in addition to security, Amazon Prime Day has other deals out there that are worth your attention. Blu would say "Browse and see what you need", but I'm promoting your wants!