Google has just posted a quick set of patch notes to the Stadia community that showcases a few newly added features for its 1.45 version update.
Unfortunately, those features don’t include wireless Stadia controller support for phones or playing on PC. You will still have to plug your devices into the Stadia controller if you want to use it.
That is of course unless you play through the Chromecast Ultra. Which has supported a wireless connection to the Stadia controller since the service launched back in November of 2019.
What the update does include though is still useful and is bound to make the experience with Stadia as a whole a better one overall. At least, probably for most players.
New features in today’s Stadia update include 5.1 surround sound for the web
One of the new features being rolled out today includes 5.1 surround sound for the web.
So now when you’re playing your Stadia games through Chrome, thanks to the update the new surround sound feature will make your gaming experience more immersive.
Games will sound more rich, and this will probably only be amplified if you’ve got a pair of headphones on. This should automatically be enabled, so if you’re playing games on the web then you won’t have to do anything. Just launch the game and you’re good.
Stadia on the web now includes an on-screen keyboard
One thing that Stadia on the web was lacking was an on-screen keyboard. But no more. Today’s update includes this feature so you can easily type things up in areas where it calls for it.
This is only available when you play games using a gamepad though. Since there’s no need to have an on-screen keyboard if you’re playing games using a keyboard and mouse.
Lastly, you can also now see information on your connection if you’re playing Stadia games on your phone. This might be a small update that only includes a few features. But any update for the platform is a good one as long as the features will be useful.
That being said Stadia is still lacking many of the features that users seem to be eagerly awaiting. Such as the above-mentioned wireless support for the Stadia controller when playing games on phones or on the web.
Family Sharing, and party support when playing from the Stadia app are two additional features that the services needs. Hopefully these are features which get added soon. Because users want them, and they would make for a vast improvement to using Stadia to play games.