Philips is one of the many brands that make Android TV units, and one of its latest TVs offers a ‘Gaming Mode‘ that works with Stadia.
You can’t play Stadia on the TV through Android TV, as that’s still not a supported platform for the cloud gaming service. What Gaming Mode does do for Stadia is help reduce the latency.
And because latency is no friend of gaming on any platform let alone one that works in the cloud, the least amount of it possible is something you want. Philips thinks its Gaming Mode-powered TV will help.
Also worth keeping in mind is that Philips isn’t targeting this specifically at Google Stadia. Rather, it’s meant for all gaming consoles and platforms that can be hooked into the TV.
The Philips Android TV with Stadia-compatible Gaming Mode is only on a few TVs
Though this is a cool feature to have, it’s not on every single new TV Philips will be releasing this year.
It’s actually only on a few TVs. Specifically those in the 5905 series. The good news is that it’s available on models in that series which come in multiple sizes.
This includes the smallest model which is 43-inches, the biggest model which is 75-inches, and any sizes in between.
Gaming Mode reduces latency by up to 50-percent
Philips says that the reduced latency while Gaming Mode is active can reach as high as 50-percent. That’s compared to the reduced latency of the company’s 2019 TV models.
Now Stadia will still have its own latency to deal with. The reduced latency that Philips is promising is on its hardware end. Which is why it works with Stadia as well as gaming consoles like the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One X.
Still, less latency is less latency. You may not notice that much of a difference when playing. But then again maybe you will. And for some users it could make a huge difference in their experience.
Philips hasn’t stated when the TVs will be available yet. Nor has it mentioned how much the TVs will cost. If you’re a Stadia user though, and are in the market for a new TV, you may want to consider one of these new Philips models.
Chances are it won’t be long before the company makes them available. The real question is whether or not they will be very affordable compared to other options out there.