STREAM OF THE CROP
Google Stadia – Price, games list and everything else we know ahead of today’s launch
GOOGLE is launching its very own gaming system today – and it's doing away with discs and downloads for good.
Google Stadia instead streams games to your TV, phone or computer remotely, allowing you to play wherever you have a web connection.
8
What is Google Stadia?
Google Stadia is a brand new gaming platform that could replace your home console.
It lets you play big-budget PS4 and Xbox One titles like the latest Football Manager or Assassins Creed on your TV, phone, laptop, and more.
It does this by running the games themselves on computers that sit in Google's data centres around the world.
Footage is then streamed to your gadget's screen, allowing you to play games without the need for a disc or download.
8
According to Google: "Stadia lets you instantly enjoy games in up to 4K on your TV without a console.
"You can also play across laptops, desktops, Pixel 3 and Pixel 3a".
How does Google Stadia work and what do I need to play it?
To play Google Stadia on your telly, all you need is a Google Chromecast Ultra device and Google Stadia controller.
Simply plug the Chromecast into your TV and away you go.
On a PC or mobile, you need the controller and the Google Chrome web browser.
Google has restricted mobile usage to its Pixel smartphone range for now, meaning you need a Pixel 3 or later to play.
8
8
8
8
The Stadia controller directly connects to the remote computer running your game rather than to whatever device you're streaming on.
Google says this reduces streaming's main problem - latency.
Latency is the time lag between you pressing a button on the controller or keyboard and seeing the corresponding action on the screen in front of you.
If this isn't near-instantaneous, games become unplayable very quickly indeed, like watching telly with the sound slightly out of sync with the video.
Early demos have been promising, with testers reporting no noticeable lag whatsoever.
You need a 10 megabytes per second (Mbps) broadband connection to play games in 720p HD quality with stereo sound.
That jumps to 35Mbps if you want to play them in 4K with 5.1 surround sound.
8
Games list – what titles will be out on launch
Stadia is launching with at least 12 games. More will become available in the months after launch.
You can see the full list below:
- Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
- Attack on Titan: Final Battle 2
- Destiny 2: The Collection (available with Stadia Pro)
- 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
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Rise of the Tomb Raider
- Samurai Shodown (available in Stadia Pro)
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition
- Thumper
- Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition
- Trials Rising
- Wolfenstein: Youngblood
Google Stadia launches games in seconds, whatever device you're on
Price and release date – how much will Google Stadia cost
The Stadia is launching in several stages.
An initial "Founder's Edition" arrives on doorsteps in 14 countries including the US, UK and Canada from November 19.
It costs £119, and includes a Stadia controller, a Chromecast Ultra streaming dongle and a three-month subscription to what Google is calling "Stadia Pro".
Normally costing £8.99 a month, Stadia Pro gets you access to free games released regularly – starting with Destiny 2: The Collection.
It's not essential though: Anyone with Stadia can buy games on their own – without the need for a subscription.
A free, "Base" subscription model will launch in 2020 for people who'd prefer to purchase games individually.
8
Who else is banking on cloud streaming?
While it's at the front of the pack for now, Google is far from the only company working on game streaming platforms.
Microsoft's Project xCloud works on very similar principles but using a version of the Xbox One in data centre racks.
Amazon is also reported to be working on something very similar.
Google, Amazon and Microsoft between them provide the lion's share of cloud computing resources across the world.
That means anyone, including Sony or Nintendo, looking to offer a competing service at the moment would realistically have to piggyback on their hardware.
Video game streaming – how does it work?
We explain it all...
- When you watch a movie, the images you see are already prepared
- That's why very unsophisticated computers inside your TV, DVD player, or computer can playback film footage
- But video games render the visuals in real-time, because a game never knows what you'll do next
- That means you need much more computing heft to produce game visuals, compared to a standard movie
- So if you want amazing 4K PC-style graphics, you'll need to fork out for an expensive computer
- Alternatively, you could use game streaming technology
- The idea is that a company like Google, Microsoft or Sony would handle the generation of the visuals on powerful computers at its own HQ
- Then it would send what's effectively a video of that game to your smartphone
- You tap and play, and those commands get sent back to Microsoft or Sony, which then inputs them into the game, and sends you the visuals again
- Because modern internet connections are so fast, this all happens in milliseconds
- The resulting effect is 4K PC-style graphics on a smartphone – which is only possible because it's not the phone itself rendering the graphics
- It also means that you could potentially be playing an Xbox or PlayStation game on your console, and then leave the house and carry on playing using your iPhone
- This sort of technology could eventually kill off gaming consoles for good, because all you'd need is a TV with game-streaming tech built in, and a controller to play with
- But game streaming hasn't had any great successes thus far
- Sony bought a game-streaming called OnLive, but shut it down in 2015
- And Nvidia has its own game-streaming service, but laggy performance has prevented it from becoming a mainstream choice
- The next major service expected to launch is Google Stadia, which many are hopeful will be a success
TOP STORIES IN GAMING
In other news, a number of new games for the upcoming Xbox console, the Xbox Two, were announced earlier this month.
Sony recently confirmed the PS5 is coming before Christmas 2020.
And, a recent "price leak" suggested the PS5 could cost £250 more than its predecessor.
Are you planning on grabbing a Google Stadia? Let us know in the comments!
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online Tech & Science team? Email us at [email protected]
Topics