Google Stadia: Everything we know so far
Google's game streaming service debuts on November 19. Here are all the details
When is Google Stadia available?
The Stadia Founder’s Edition was first available for pre-order and has since sold out, and it will ship on November 19. Ordering the Founder’s Edition, which includes a 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, is the only way to play Stadia at its November 19. However, delays could stop you from actually getting access to the service for as much as two weeks after that date.A wider release is coming later down the line, but Stadia Base won’t be available until 2020.
How much does Stadia Pro cost?
If you want 4K HDR image quality, 5.1 surround sound, or access to Stadia’s free game library, you’ll need to pay for Stadia Pro. That is currently listed at $10 per month, with no discount for long-term subscriptions currently offered.Are Google Stadia games free?
No, except for games included with Stadia Pro. Destiny 2: The Collection is the only game currently included with Stadia Pro.
Destiny 2 Google Stadia launch cross saves Xbox One PS4 PC E3 2019
You’ll have to buy most games to play them on Stadia, just as you would with Steam or digital games on your game console. As reported by Eurogamer, the head of Stadia, Phil Harrison, told U.K. media that Stadia games will be the same price as games sold on consoles.
In other words, most new games will be $60, the same as PC and console.
Will Stadia work on the Mac?
A Mac can run the full desktop version of Chrome, so it can handle Stadia without issue.
Will Google Stadia have Fortnite?
Not currently. Epic hasn’t announced plans to bring Fortnite to Stadia.
What games can you play?
The following games are confirmed for Stadia.
- Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2
- Doom Eternal
- Doom
- Rage 2
- The Elder Scrolls Online
- Wolfenstein: Youngblood
- Destiny 2
- Cyberpunk 2077
- KINE
- Get Packed
- GRID
- Windjammers 2
- Metro Exodus
- Thumper
- Farming Simulator 19
- Baldur’s Gate 3
- Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid
- Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle
- Destroy All Humans!
- Orcs Must Die 3*
- Football Manager
- Samurai Shodown
- Final Fantasy XV
- Tomb Raider Definitive Edition
- Rise of the Tomb Raider
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider
- Marvel’s Avengers
- Superhot
- NBA 2K
- Borderlands 3
- GYLT*
- Mortal Kombat 11
- Darksiders Genesis
- Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
- Just Dance
- Ghost Recon Breakpoint
- The Division 2
- Trials Rising
- The Crew 2
- Watch Dogs Legion
Games followed with an asterisk are currently Stadia exclusives.
The following games will be available for Google Stadia on November 19.
- 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
Borderlands 3
Darksiders Genesis
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2
How does Google Stadia work?
Stadia is a cloud gaming service. The games you play run on Google’s cloud servers, but you still see the game on your local screen and play with a gamepad (or keyboard and mouse). It’s a lot like a YouTube video, except it’s interactive.
This means you can play games on a wider range of devices. A phone can play Destiny 2, for example, because the phone’s hardware isn’t playing the game. It’s just streaming the video feed of the game running on a remote server.
Google Stadia no beta test before launch cloud gaming stream
However, it introduces possible latency and bandwidth issues. In our tests of Google Project Stream, the predecessor to Stadia, we found latency was low enough that it didn’t feel noticeable. Buffering was more of an issue. Image quality dropped at times, even on a connection that exceeded the recommended minimums.
Again, think of it like YouTube. You can watch YouTube videos at 4K or even 8K resolution. However, you’ll see video compression artifacts if bandwidth is restricted. Even an excellent connection can’t guarantee flawless performance.
Should I buy Google Stadia?
Not yet.
Cloud gaming isn’t a new idea, but it’s still immature next to old-fashioned game consoles. No one knows how well Stadia will work when it launches in November. Will it have the games you want? Will games feel smooth and responsive? Can its image quality compete with a PS4 Pro or Xbox One X?
Additionally, some of its most unique features won’t be coming until 2020. These include State Share, which allows you to take the saved game of a streamer or personality and begin playing it on your own account. You will also not be able to use the Crowd Play feature, which lets viewers jump into a YouTube streamer’s game right from the video window and begin playing with them.
The answers to these questions remain unknown, but Digital Trends will be among the first to tackle them when Stadia arrives in November. We already have our Founder’s Edition on pre-order.
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