Cyberpunk 2077 has proven to be a difficult game to play on consoles due to the technical limitations of the port, but a new comparison reaffirms that Google's Stadia service is a great way to experience CD Projekt Red's latest. Google is well aware that Cyberpunk is a potential marquee title for their underdog gaming platform, as they gave away hardware to those who were willing to buy the game from them. Combined with a continued push of free games with Stadia Pro and a recent Stadia controller giveaway in late 2020, Google obviously wants to give gamers everywhere no excuses when it comes to trying out their service.
For some, Stadia might be the only sensible way to play through Cyberpunk 2077. The game is still delisted from PlayStation's digital storefront due to the lack of quality of the PS4 release, and Microsoft is also accepting refunds for the Xbox release with no questions asked. The PC version is the only one without game-breaking issues, but it is still suffering from a smattering of bugs even after a number of vital patches from the developers. The Stadia version falls on the PC side of things, and the new comparison shows that it has even less in common with the console ports than first assumed.
The fine folks at Digital Foundry have put the Stadia version of Cyberpunk 2077 to the test against the Xbox Series X in their latest video, and the results are surprising. While neither version can maintain the same 60 FPS and above that's expected of higher-end PCs, Stadia more than keeps up with Xbox Series X, and even surpasses that version in some ways. This may be thanks to the fact that Stadia is not running a modified PC version but is in fact operating with a bespoke port built from the ground up for the streaming service.
CD Project Red hired porting house QLOC to create the Stadia version, and the results are a game that runs as smoothly as the ideal console releases in almost all areas. As with all Stadia titles, testing for minute technical details are harder than with console and PC games due to the streaming nature of the output, but Digital Foundry took it upon themselves to manually count frames and present results that speak for themselves. While some details in the background may shift in and out depending on the situation, Stadia's Cyberpunk is perfectly playable from any web browser for players who can't wait for a hardware upgrade.
The saga of Cyberpunk 2077 inching its way towards full compatibility with all its launch platforms is far from over, but it's nice to see Google's streaming service providing a best-case scenario that lives up to the corporation's promises. While many of Stadia's features are still missing in action in most games, the core technology works in providing an accessible option for gamers lacking the latest in technology. Time will tell if CD Projekt Red's open-world opus can provide a launching pad for further Stadia success, but at least it works for now.
Source: Digital Foundry/YouTube