What is Google Stadia?
Google recently announced that its game streaming platform is now free for anyone with a Gmail address, but what exactly is Google Stadia and how can you access it on your devices. This article should give you a deeper insight into what Google Stadia is and how you can access it.
Google Stadia is Google’s cloud gaming service that enables gamers to stream playable games on TVs, PCs, and mobile devices. This service makes it possible to stream games to lightweight hardware devices. This is one of the advantages Google’s service offers, which is to enable gamers with less powerful hardware to play demanding games without having to spend tons on powerful gaming PCs.
Another advantage of Stadia is not having to download patches or platform updates that console users experience, which means less waiting time to play the games you love due to large updates (So if you hate those large updates Modern Warfare constantly gets like me, you’ll love Stadia)
How much will it cost me?
From April 8th Google announced Stadia would be free (for anyone with a Gmail account) and anyone that signs up would get 2 free months of Stadia Pro which comes with nine free games including GRID and Destiny 2: The Collection to name a few.
Previously, to access Stadia you would have to have purchased the Google Stadia Premiere Edition, a bundle that includes a Chromecast Ultra, a wireless Stadia Controller, and three months of Stadia Pro.
After the two-month trial period, Stadia Pro will cost $9.99 (£8.99) a month, which is pretty good considering you don’t have to purchase a gaming console and all its devices.
How do I access it?
All you need to access Stadia is a stable internet connection and a google account. Simply visit Google Stadia’s site and sign up.
Please note at the time of writing this, Stadia is only available in 14 countries and the store contains around 38 games available to purchase. However, Google announced they are tracking more than 120 games coming to Stadia in 2020, with 10 of these being exclusive to Stadia.
What happens if I decide to cancel my subscription?
If you decide to cancel your Stadia Pro subscription, you’ll revert back to Stadia Base, so you will still be able to play the games you had purchased. However, by canceling you would lose access to the free games and content previously offered by Stadia Pro (Basically the same as if you were to cancel your PlayStation Plus or Xbox Live subscription).
Stadia offers a 15-day window for anyone not happy with the Premiere Edition Bundle to return it but you would lose the three-month Stadia Pro trial and any freebies that come along with the bundle.
What if a game publisher “cancels”?
We have all seen content disappear from subscription services such as Netflix or Amazon Prime, yes I’m still salty from Netflix removing Life (the movie) from its line-up. In a case such as this Google strongly intends to keep games available to play if you spent money on them, but as we’ve seen this is not always the case.
What’s next?
Stadia’s team announced its plans for the first three months of 2020. Among those plans showed family sharing and YouTube streaming in the works, which suggests these features should be coming out soon.
