I know, you are probably thinking that happened when Google bought Android so many years ago. Oh, you thought they created Android, no they bought it back in 2005, but have driven its direction since. They also have their unrelated Google Chromebook platform to keep running. Now they are adding another service, Stadia, to their stable of platforms – this time very much focused on gaming and not much else.

They did this with Android

Well, somewhat. Android is an operating system that is a spinoff of Linux and primarily designed for touch screen devices (your cell phone, tablet, etc). Sure, you can play games on Android, there are plenty of them. I cover a bunch on my YouTube channel devoted to mobile and portable gaming. Stadia is not Android though it is cloud gaming.

For those that have not been gaming very long, you probably do not recognize the name “OnLive”. This was a service available many years ago that offered “cloud gaming” to people that had good Internet connections but not so great computers (or wished to play on an HDTV rather than a computer monitor). Cloud gaming is simply streaming the game over the Internet – you are using a computer dedicated to allowing you to play that game. The only cost out of your pocket with most cloud gaming options is the hardware to handle the stream (usually a set top box of sorts) and a monthly subscription to a service.

Okay, so what

The beauty of Stadia is that it has Google behind it. As we saw with Google Plus, even if it is not working out, Google is not likely to drop it immediately. Another positive about Google’s streaming service is you technically already have the hardware to run it.

While there are previous few details about exactly how you will be able to run Stadia games it is clear Google intends that to be “everywhere”. According to Business Insider, Google CEO Sundar Pichai stated anything that can run the Chrome browser can run Stadia games. He goes on to elaborate that to include televisions, laptops, smart phones, etc.

Any other platforms?

Considering televisions are there probably means most smart tv’s will receive an upgrade to support Stadia gaming. Don’t get too excited though, odds are this will be handled like how Android mobile device updates are – by the manufacturer. That translates into “the older the hardware, the less likely you will see that update.”

According to Android Authority, the Stadia platform will give users access to a PC powered by:

A custom AMD 2.7GHz x86 processor
16GB RAM
Up to 484GB/s transfer speed
A GPU with 10.7 teraflops of power

The devil is in the details

There are newer options such as sharing a portion of your gameplay on YouTube and other niceties included. One interesting addition to this idea is “State Share” which allows you to literally share a playable portion of whatever game with others. Rather than just a video you can let anyone that you give access to the State Share to play it themselves.

Taking State Share a little step beyond normal sharing, you can stream your game to YouTube and open sharing a portion of the content with your viewers. That is a neat feature but as Android Authority states, very little is known about this idea – such as what games would support it and to what extent.

Okay, I want one, now what?

You can secure the “Founders Edition” right now which includes a Chromecast Ultra, a Stadia controller, and three months of Stadia Pro, plus a three month code to gift to a friend (or contest winner) and finally, a “Founder’s Stadia Name”. All for $129.

Stadia will offer two subscription models. Free and paid. Paid is $9.99 a month and includes up to 4K resolution, 5.1 surround sound, free games added regularly (though no mention if these will be handled like Sony and Microsoft handle theirs – rotating each month), and Stadia Pro exclusive discounts on select game purchases. The free subscription model limits users to 1080p resolution, stereo sound, no access to regularly released free games, and no discount on select game purchases.

Let’s not get physical, not physical…

Yes, you will have the ability to purchase games on Stadia. Think of it like purchasing games on the Epic Store or Steam – there is no physical version available to you, but you can play the full game. If you are not a fan of digital gaming, then you are reading the wrong article.

All this power comes at a price though. 4K, 60 frames per second, gameplay will cost you a lot in data transfer. According to ArsTechnica, you are looking at about 1 terabyte of data per 65 hours of gaming. For a lot of us, that is well beyond our data cap with our Internet Service Provider (ISP). I know, a lot of people don’t have them which is great for you, the problem is, there are a lot of people that do have them, and they are much lower than a few terabytes.

If you are interested in securing a Stadia unit for yourself then hit the official store page. Stadia will launch in November 2019.

Carl Williams

It is time gaming journalism takes its rightful place as proper sources and not fanboys giving free advertising. If you wish to support writers like Carl please use the links below. https://www.paypal.me/WCW https://www.patreon.com/CarlWilliams