(not trying to criticize, just curious about the differences)
For me it is the game I most want to play in this fashion, Elder Scrolls Online, isn't available on Geforce Now, but is on Stadia. I kind of remember it was in the category of games that were launch/beta titles for Geforce Now, but withdrew from the service shortly there after.
Not sure what is going on there with IP rights and whatever, but I don't really care since Google/Stadia worked it out.
>You can play your existing purchased library
Sort of. I notice that Assassin's Creed Valhalla and Immortal Fenix Rising are available via Geforce Now if you bought them via Epic or Uplay, but not Steam. Earlier AC games are fine, so this is probably a "latest release held back if you bought on Steam" thing.
But the thing is, I don't want to pull out a chart of who supports what and deal with this BS. Stadia routes around this problem since their store sells games while Geforce Now doesn't and instead sells you cloud access to another storefront, and that storefront can withhold rights.
I totally get that, any particular game might have its own plans for cloud or mobile or whatever - for example another favorite of mine, Slay the Spire, in the process of rolling out mobile versions, does not appear in the blessed Geforce Now list. No doubt because Megacrit doesn't want to undercut future sales. So I can't stream StS to my phone because they want to sell me another copy.
Nevertheless it's a game in my library, one of many, that Geforce Now doesn't let me play. Saying Geforce Now lets you "play your existing purchased library" is not fully accurate.
edited to remove extraneous info
You can buy games and just play them, 1080p60 on hardware you never have to pay for.
Or pay Pro and get 4K, HDR, 5.1 surround sound. Which actually works great.
Stadia has a ton of hate from the gaming community it seems though, articles came out the first few months bashing it but I've had at worst visual hiccups on a wireless mesh network...
Honestly, this worries me the most. There doesn’t seem to be a way to transfer the licenses out of stadia, which means, even though you “bought the game“, you’re still at googles mercy for your continued enjoyment of the game. What if they decide that the hardware costs are too much for Google, and you now have to pay a monthly fee? What if they decide that stadia is not the success they hoped for and close it down (which Google is not known for doing at all…). Unless there are clear migrations paths away from stadia, I’d stay away from it because Google have shown that they are not afraid to change/EOL any of their products with no regards to their existing customers (just look at their lifetime free photos service, etc)
Now, why do I buy games on Stadia if I agree with your point about not owning the game? Well, portability is sometimes nice. I can throw a Chromecast in my bag and play a game anywhere. It's a supplement to how I game, but I don't think it will ever be the primary way.
You wouldn't catch me trying to play multiplayer on it though, and obviously playing locally on a high performance machine would be better.
Main difference vs stadia is I had to own the game, though there were some free ones.