Google Stadia: What You Need to Know

Google unveiled the official details for Google Stadia days ago. Stadia is the search giant’s first attempt into the gaming industry. Using its servers, gamers can now stream games directly to the television or monitor, hence eliminating the need to own high-end gaming computers or consoles.

After Google’s announcement, questions from gamers came out and about. While some asked about the internet speed requirements, others questioned the price and other specifications. In an effort to give answers to some questions, we have put up this handy guide about the latest Google gaming platform: Google Stadia.

What Is Google Stadia?

Google Stadia is Google’s game streaming service that allows you to play modern games on any screen you own. Google’s servers will take care and handle all the processing power required to stream games, and then they will beam them to you via the cloud.

To use Stadia, you need not download or install anything. As long as your device can open or run Google Chrome, then it can definitely support Google Stadia.

Once Stadia is officially launched, it is expected to play on televisions via using Chromecast Ultra, tablets, laptops, smartphones, desktop computers.

Google Stadia Release Date

As per Google, you can access Google Stadia by November 2019. Unfortunately, they did not provide an exact date yet.

It will be made available in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. In 2020, it will be out in the markets of other territories.

How Much Will It Cost?

Depending on the country you’re in, the price points may vary. But to be able to play it, you will have to get the Stadia Founder’s Edition for $129 or £119.

The Founder’s Edition bundle already comes with a Chromecast Ultra for playing Stadia games on TV, a three-month Stadia Pro subscription, a limited-edition Night Blue Stadia controller, and a buddy pass that allows you to give three months of Stadia Pro subscription to a friend.

Google Stadia Controller

A dedicated Stadia controller is not required to use Google Stadia because it is designed to support a multitude of controllers, as well as a keyboard and mouse setup.

But if you wish to make the most of your Stadia experience, you can purchase a Stadia controller for only $69. You can choose from different colors, such as Just Black, Wasabi, Clearly White, and Night Blue.

In case you are curious, here are the full specs of the Google Stadia Controller:

• WiFi support
• Bluetooth
• Headset jack
• USB-C port
• Google Assistant
• Capture button
• Internal rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery

Google Stadia’s Game Lineup

The growing list of Google Stadia games looks impressive, considering that you need not use the Stadia console or a powerful PC to play them.

Here’s an overview of Google Stadia’s Game Lineup:

• Doom Eternal
• Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2
• Destiny 2
• Baldur’s Gate 3
• Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid
• GRID
• Thumper
• Metro Exodus
• Samurai Showdown
• Get Packed
• Football Manager 2020
• The Elder Scrolls Online
• The Division 2
• The Crew 2
• Trials Rising
• NBA 2K
• Ghost Recon Breakpoint
• Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
• Borderlands 3
• Mortal Kombat 11
• Rage 2
• Farming Simulator 19
• Final Fantasy 15
• Tomb Raider Trilogy
• Gylt
• Just Dance 2020
• Darksiders Genesis

With all these games, you probably are excited to try Stadia first hand. But will your internet connection allow you?

Is Your Internet Good Enough for Google Stadia?

The minimum internet connection requirement for Google Stadia is 10Mbps. This might not be a problem for most people in the United States as the internet connection in most states is fast. But if for some reason you don’t have that fast internet speed, you might not be able to play any Stadia games.

It’s Not Just About Internet Speed

Though the internet connection speed is a straightforward factor, there are two aspects of your internet connection that you have to look into as well: consistency and data caps.

Consistency

If you do a quick speed test right now, it is possible that you get a value of more than 35Mbps. But the question is, will that speed be consistent if you do a series of speed tests in a row? Depending on your internet connection speed and how your home network is set up, it is likely that you get dips in speed every now and then. And if you get repeated dips over time, you might have problems with using Google Stadia. Until Google Stadia is released, we won’t know how it will handle data speed fluctuations.

Then again, Google explained that if your speed drops to a certain point, your game’s resolution will just automatically adjust and compensate. How smooth it will be is something we can’t tell.

Data Caps

Another thing to take into account is data caps. Most ISPs in the United States apply data caps on in-home internet connections. This only means that gaming at a 4K resolution for a couple of hours per week may push you over the limit.

To give you a better idea of how fast data usage could be consumed, experts conducted a test. It was then found that steaming a 4K-resolution video consumes about 6.5 to 11.5 GB of data in just an hour. Assuming that steaming games consumes more data than video, 20 hours of Google Stadia usage could quickly push you close to your data cap.

All this said, Stadia players might have to play games at lower resolutions to avoid reaching data caps limit.

Prepare for Google Stadia

Google Stadia is yet to come. All we can do now is wait. While waiting, you probably might want to prepare your computers and smartphones.

Make sure your computer is performing at its best by downloading a reliable PC Repair tool. On the other hand, speed up your Android device and free up valuable memory space by installing an Android cleaning app. With all these preparations, you can avoid issues from arising by the time you start using Stadia.

Are you excited to try Google Stadia? What games do you look forward to playing? Comment on them below.