Earlier this year, Google announced Stadia, a totally new game streaming service. With the service about to be launched next month, we now have essential details that will help us answer the following questions: How much will Stadia cost? What games can you play with it? And when can you get your hands on one.
What Is Google Stadia?
Stadia is a cloud gaming platform that lets you play your favorite games over WiFi. Unlike other gaming platforms, Stadia doesn’t come with a console. All you get is a controller and a Chromecast Ultra. That means you can play your favorite games on a laptop, a desktop computer, your TV, and even on a Pixel phone.
To complete the gaming experience, Google has come up with its very own controller. It connects directly to Google’s gaming data centers and promises precise controls. To connect the wireless controller to your TV, just plug in the Chromecast Ultra that you get with your initial purchase.
You may have read that Stadia is “the Netflix of games,” but this isn’t really true. Yes, you will need to pay a monthly fee for the premier service. But, unlike Netflix, this fee only gives you access to certain games. The premier edition of Stadia will offer free games, but, for the most part, you still need to buy the games that you want to play.
One of the best parts of Stadia is that it will match a game’s resolution to your network’s speed. If you have a 35 Mbps (megabits per second) connection, you can play games at up to 4K HDR and 60 FPS (frames per second). Google recommends that you have a reliable WiFi connection of at least 10 Mbps to play games at 720p.
Google has provided a speed test that will let you know if you can run Stadia and what your resolution would be. However, since Stadia is purely online, that means you can’t play any games offline.
Stadia Price
Stadia Pro costs $9.99 per month. This comes with up to 4K resolution, a frame rate of 60 fps, and 5.1 surround sound. You will also get free games and exclusive discounts.
Sometime next year, Google will release Stadia Base. This will be a free service, but you won’t get as many perks. With Stadia Base, you will only get a maximum resolution of 1080p. You won’t have access to free games or exclusive discounts, either. If you want to cancel Stadia Pro, but you’ve already purchased games, you can still play them without paying the $9.99 monthly fee on the Base plan.
For now, you can pre-order the Premiere Edition of Stadia, which is priced at $129. This includes the Stadia Controller, Chromecast Ultra, and three months of Stadia Pro. However, you will have to shell out for the Premier Edition if you want to experience Stadia upon launch.
Google Stadia Release Date
Pre-orders are now open for the Stadia Premier Edition. The platform will officially launch on November 19. There is no definite date available yet for the Stadia Base plan release.
Stadia will have games from major publishers, such as Ubisoft, Warner Bros, Bethesda, Rockstar, and Sega. Right now, the selection is conservative compared to the hundreds of choices offered by competing cloud gaming platforms. But there is no doubt that the list will increase as adoption becomes wider across more devices.
So far, there are two Stadia exclusive games: Coatsink’s “Get Packed” and “Gylt” by Tequila Works. Capcom and Electronic Arts will also have games on Stadia, but we don’t know which ones yet. Some yet-to-be-released games include Doom Eternal by Bethesda, CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077, Gods & Monsters by Ubisoft, and Marvel’s Avengers.
For a full list of games that are available on Stadia, check out Google’s website here.
We see some very popular games from this growing list that will entice many gaming-enthusiasts. Will you be an early adapter? Will you wait until Stadia Base is offered next year? Or will you stick to smartphone games that don’t need WiFi?