Google Stadia is a free cloud gaming service operated by the tech giant Google. It is a gaming service for everyone who loves to play games in their daily life. Google formally announced the gaming platform Stadia in March 2019 at the Game Developers Conference. When the conference finished, everyone was excited and thrilled by knowing the fact that without proper hardware and software support, everyone can play high-end games on their laptop, desktop, and smartphone. If everything goes according to the Google plan, then gamers will go through an excellent experience of playing games. Stadia was launched on 19 November 2019 in approximately fourteen countries: US, UK, Finland, France, Norway, etc.
What is Google Stadia?
Google Stadia is all about gaming. Google somehow managed to stream video games to 4K resolution at 60 frames per second with the facility of HDR. The company has many data centers across the globe through which Stadia is possible. The service is possible through a cloud gaming service, and it doesn’t require high-quality hardware. The only necessary thing is Google chrome and high speed and stable internet connection. Google is also partnered with youtube so that a player can also stream their games, and someone can watch them. Stadia to work properly, Google has built many data centers so that the gaming experience can be enhanced and everything can be done.
The company has full belief in its integration and understands that this service is far better and is in a good position for cloud gaming. Unlike other old services like OnLive, PlayStation Now, gaikai, etc. These services were only for those people who were near the data center geographically. Stadia supports the streaming of games in HDR at 60 frames per second with 4K resolution. Even Google is thinking to enhance the feature and take it to 120 frames per second with 8K resolution.
Facility For Players
All the players can play and also stream the game on youtube. At any stage, the game can be paused or closed. Downloading the game is not a hectic issue; there is no download needed. Playing the game is almost free. Only the charge of the game is asked, and if you want to access the library of the game, then it would be chargeable.
A player playing at 1080 resolution with 60 fps is free, but if the player decided to change the mode and jump to 4K or HDR, then it would be chargeable. As Google has mentioned that Stadia can be played with any console, but for game lovers, Google developed a particular gaming handset to play Stadia games. The basic service for Stadia is of two types a free Base Level & Monthly subscription pro level. Internet service with an adequate internet connection is needed to play without a lag. For 720p(60fps) a user needs 10MBit/s similarly for 1080 HDR videos(60fps) a user needs 20MBit/s.
When Is Google Stadia Available?
According to the commitment done by Google, Stadia was released on 19 November 2019. And if you are ordering it, then you may get Chromecast Ultra, a Stadia controller, a Buddy Pass, and three months of Stadia Pro, or the Premiere Edition, which doesn’t include the Buddy Pass. A wider release is coming soon next year, but the stable version is not coming till 2020.
Is Google Stadia Totally Free?
Yes, the base version is free for everyone. Thus there is a loss in the free version; also, you may be getting a free version, but there are not many features in it.
The company is now going to offer a base version that has a 1080p display with 60fps service in combination with stereo sound. The base player will not have access to Stadia’s free game releases. In the Stadia Pro, you may obtain all the features like HDR support, etc.
How Much For Pro & Premiere Edition cost?
If you are going for the pro version of Stadia, then it may cost around $10 per month. Through which you can obtain 4K HDR image quality with 5.1 surround sound and complete access to Stadia’s free game library. For this period, no discount is available for long-term subscriptions. The premier edition to Google Stadia is for $130 and only available for pre-order. It includes a Chromecast Ultra, a Stadia controller, three months of Stadia Pro, and Destiny 2: The Collection.
How Much For Games, Controller, and Console?
There is not a massive list of games available on Stadia for now. The only game that you can play for now is Destiny 2: The Collection, Final Fantasy XV, Grid 2019, Trials Rising, Attack on Titan: Final Battle 2, etc. There are a total of 22 games that are currently available on Stadia. Even there are some games that you need to buy on Google Stadia. Approx rate of a game is $60 for PC and console. The controller is for about $70. There is no charge for the console, as there is no physical console available for the user. The only thing that is needed is your computer or smartphone.
So say goodbye to the entire hardware that has been used for playing games in the old days. Now you need your display screen and a console, and the whole hardware is of google. Even mobile support is also available for users. For the modern period, Pixel 3, Pixel 3XL, Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL, and Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL is the official smartphone for Stadia. Soon there will be an introduction to new smartphones.
Which Desktop Can Handle Windows Or Mac?
Both the operating system can handle the stable version of Google Stadia. A user needs to ensure that the operating system should be genuine and updated timely for better performance. Windows and Mac both are supported by Google Chrome, so there would not be any difficulty in playing games.
How Much Minimum Bandwidth Is Needed For Smooth Run?
Google has told in his press conference that a stable bandwidth connection is the only one and most prominent aspect to run Stadia. Some of the necessary bandwidth connection recommendations are mentioned below:
- 720p gameplay = 10Mbps
- 1080p at 60fps = 20Mbps
- HDR and surround sound = 20Mbps
- 4K = 35Mbps
List Of Games Available For Google Stadia
This is a list of games that will be available for Stadia on the day of its launch:
- Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
- Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle
- Destiny 2: The Collection
- Farming Simulator 19
- Final Fantasy XV
- Football Manager 2020
- GRID
- GYLT
- Just Dance 2020
- Kine
- Metro Exodus
- Mortal Kombat 11
- NBA 2K20
- Rage 2
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Thumper
- Tomb Raider
- Trials Rising
- Rise of the Tomb Raider
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider
- Samurai Shodown
- Wolfenstein: Youngblood
First Hand Review On Google Stadia
As the gaming streaming service is just launched this month, it is pretty hard to tell how does it work. But for the first impression, the service is good in its terms. There are a few glitches and lags while playing games. Probably the reason is unknown, but there must be some issue from the developer’s end or the connection issue. Whenever a frame drop or lag occurs, the game stops, and when it resumes, the game goes forward in time for around 15-20 seconds. This is just annoying because playing constantly is good, but a render error and game halt is just unacceptable from Google. I hope Google will look into this glitch and correct or fix this rendering issue.
But all in all the service is quite impressive and excellent. At its early stage, the programs look fantastic and incredible. Let’s hope that Google will soon implement new add-ons to Stadia.
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