With Google Stadia launching in a few hours, all signs point to go for the search giant's first foray into console gaming. With Stadia, Google believes that it is offering gamers the future of gaming: One based on the cloud, with any game playable on any device while still offering the same, graphical fidelity found in current consoles.
First announced earlier this year, Stadia is a game streaming platform developed by Google. Although not the first company to do so (notable predecessors are OnLive and Gaikai, both acquired by Sony and further developed into PlayStation Now), Google is the first company to offer game streaming to multiple platforms, leveraging its multiple servers across the world and its specialization in streaming. The company aims to integrate Stadia with YouTube, allowing those watching YouTube clips to instantly jump onto Stadia and play the games they were just watching.
Initially, Stadia was launching with 12 games on launch, but a blog post on Nov. 18 pushed this number up to 22. The day one titles are:
Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Attack on Titan: Final Battle 2
Destiny 2: The Collection
Farming Simulator 2019
Final Fantasy XV
Football Manager 2020
Grid 2019
Gylt
Just Dance 2020
Kine
Metro Exodus
Mortal Kombat 11
NBA 2K20
Rage 2
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Red Dead Redemption 2
Samurai Showdown
Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition
Thumper
Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition
Trials Rising
Wolfenstein: Youngblood
The service is also expecting to add Borderlands 3, Dragon Ball: Xenoverse 2, Darksider Genesis, and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Breakpoint before the year ends. In 2020, expect to see more flagship titles such as Doom: Eternal, WatchDogs: Legion, Gods & Monsters, and Cyberpunk 2077 in the service as well.
Stadia's Packages
Stadia's first available package is the Founder's Edition, which was first available for preorder earlier in the year. For $130, those who preorders the Founder's Edition will have a limited-edition Night Blue Stadia Controller, a Chomecast Ultra, three months of Stadia Pro for the buyer, and a friend. It also gives buyers an exclusive Founder's badge right next to their account name.
For those who missed out on the Founder's Edition, Google is offering a similar Premiere Edition right now. While it doesn't have the three-month Stadia Pro gift for a friend, the limited-edition color, and the Founder's Badge, it still comes with everything else. The Premiere Edition also costs $130, which is near the price of a stand-alone Stadia controller ($69) and a Chromecast Ultra (also $69) combined.
Still a paid environment
While Stadia renders everything in the clouds, users still have to buy games on Google's website to play them. Google also offers a paid subscription service, Stadia Pro, for $9.99 a month. The paid service gives users the highest streaming quality available (4K at 60FPS with HDR as opposed to 1080p 60FPS on the free tier), access to free games per month (on the launch, Destiny 2 and Samurai Showdown) and exclusive discounts on the Stadia Store.
For those who just want to use Stadia without buying a Founder's or Premiere Edition package, they'll have to wait until next year when the free tier launches. Those on the free tier can play on any Chrome browser on any PC or Laptop or any Pixel phone. The service will also support Xbox One and PlayStation 4 controllers. For those who want to play on their TVs, they'll have to buy a Stadia Controller to do so.
