Alex Birlo on June 9, 2019
Just recently Google announced their long-awaited streaming console “Google Stadia” and dropped a lot of information regarding the games that will be available on it, how it works and what are the release plans, so let us dive right in!
The game you play itself will be on the Google datacenter and not on your PC or console. So it will be streamed to your device of choice. Google plans to launch Stadia later this year, it will be available on PC, TV, laptops, tablet and on Pixel smartphones.
They claim that with an internet speed of just around 35 Mbps they can deliver – to the user – their top performance, which means the game can be streamed in 4k, HDR Video, 60 fps and the quality of 5.1 Surround sound. But even with lower internet speed, you can get good quality. So, for example, 10 Mbps will enable you to play the game at 720p, 60 fps and Stereo sound.
You will need either their Stadia joystick or any supported one. For HD TVs you will need to have a Chrome Cast Ultra. While for PC and tablets you only open a chrome browser window.
Google laid out several options to purchase and use their newest console.
First, we have “Stadia Pro” – a premium subscription for their services for 9.99 USD per month. It will provide you with regular additions of games to your library for being a member (like Xbox Gold or PS plus) and access to their best streaming quality.
For those who want to be the very first, there is the “Stadia founders” edition for 129 USD – it comes with a Chrome Cast Ultra, a limited edition stadia controller and a 3 months “Stadia Pro” subscription, which includes a 3 months “Buddy Pass” to gift to a friend.
As an added bonus to those getting the founders edition will be the “Complete Destiny 2 Experience” which will include the base game, Curse of Osiris, Warmind, Forsaken, the forsaken annual pass, the next expansion – which they teased at the Stadia presentation – “Shadowkeep” and its annual pass. They also announced you will be able to transfer your character from any console you were playing Destiny 2 before to the Stadia account.
“Stadia Base” is also an option. It works without a subscription – you buy games and use stadia to play them, but no updatable library as in the subscription variants. So basically – if you wish – you can simply use the Stadia to stream a game when you want, just buy it through their store.
Stadia will be released in waves, to various countries around the world. In the beginning, it will be available only in the 14 countries listed below:
Belgium
Finland
Canada
Denmark
France
Germany
Ireland
Italy
Netherlands
Norway
Spain
Sweden
United Kingdom
USA
And they will work on expanding Stadia to additional countries in 2020.
They only showed a handful of games from the actual line up that will be available at launch later this year. Among those games you can expect: Baldur’s Gate 3, Ghost Recon Breakpoint, Gylt, Get packed, Tom Clancy’s the Division 2, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Borderlands 3, Mortal Kombat 11, Rage 2, Final Fantasy 15 and a lot more.
All in all, it is an exciting prospect for the future of gaming and if Google will be able to pull this off, it will be a great and comfortable place to play.
