Google has officially announced its own streaming gaming platform called Stadia and there’s now an official site dedicated to informing potential users about its perks and other details. The platform will become available later in 2019, with no specific date specified but there is a sign-up for more details on the somewhat hard-to-find site. For now, there isn’t a huge amount of information to be had about the platform aside from what was revealed during the platform’s launch at GDC 2019.
Google Stadia is a multiplatform game streaming service that’s built on Chrome, Linux, and Vulkan with server hardware co-developed with AMD underlying things. Triple-A titles will be made available via the service and will be launchable there or via linked gameplay videos on YouTube.
That all kicks off with gameplay instances driven at an impressive 10.7 teraflops, the service will also continue to improve over time, Google says. What’s more, there will be no downloading, updating, or other annoyances associated with its service. Gamers can, instead, look forward to instant gameplay with 4K resolution, HDR enabled, and at an industry-standard 60 frames-per-second from the very start.
The platform will become available later in 2019, with no specific date specified but there is a sign-up for more details on the somewhat hard-to-find site.
Games by Google?
Another aspect of Stadia revealed at GDC 2019 is that Google isn’t talking about streaming mobile or web games either — even if these games will effectively be streamed over the web via Chrome in Chrome OS, smartphones, Chromecast, and browsers. Support will be ready out-of-the-nonexistent-box thanks to game engines like Unreal Engine and Unity. Google has even launched its own game studio to enable wider development from the start, headed by none other than veteran game producer Jade Raymond.
The primary drawback to Google’s intent to provide triple-A titles to any gamer, from anywhere will come down to another important point shown in smaller print on the new Stadia website. While users will feasibly be able to subscribe to the service and then move from platform to platform almost seamlessly, a strong internet connection will be required.
Without a solid connection, there’s no guarantee the game experience will be anywhere near as good as it has the potential to be. That’s in part because of the streaming rate and latency required to move so much visual data but could be pronounced for users who buy into the company’s new smart controller. The controller will connect directly to game servers to allow smoother, faster inputs and a slow connection will become obvious relatively quickly on that front as a result.
Getting signed up for more info
There should be plenty of time for Google to work out any potential kinks in its games offering ahead of the official start of services with Stadia. The company also plans to jump-start the service with at least two of the best games that will be available — Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed: Oddysey and Bethesda’s Doom Eternal. That’s setting aside any titles it may already have in the works or those resulting from new partnerships formed with Google following the announcement.
In the meantime, signing up for more details as they arrive, via the official Stadia page, will undoubtedly lead to many more exciting details over the next several months.