Roger Fingas
Google on Thursday revealed key details of its upcoming Stadia service, which will let people stream A-list games to the Mac without having to own a high-end console or PC.
The service will launch in November in 14 different regions, among them Canada, the U.S., and the U.K., Google said. People wanting in at that point will have to pay $129 U.S. for a Founder's Edition kit, including a Wi-Fi-connected Stadia controller, a Chromecast Ultra, and three months of Stadia Pro plus a "Buddy Pass." Beyond that point Pro access will cost $9.99 per month, plus the cost of individual games not included with the subscription. Some games will be cheaper under Pro than they would be on markets like Steam or the Mac App Store.
The only announced bundle title is "Destiny 2," though others are planned, and some should be announced at next week's E3 expo in Los Angeles. Other confirmed Stadia games — bundled or otherwise — will include the likes of "Doom Eternal," "Thumper," "Baldur's Gate 3," "Borderlands 3," and "Mortal Kombat 11."
"Grand Theft Auto" and "Red Dead Redemption" developer Rockstar Games is confirmed as working on Stadia projects, but has yet to make them public.
Stadia Pro guarantees streams up to 4K at 60fps, with HDR and 5.1-channel surround, so long as the gamers have a 35-megabit connection. Google is working on a free version of Stadia with lower bandwidth requirements, but that will launch sometime in 2020 with quality capped at 1080p resolution and stereo sound.
Although a Chromecast Ultra will be required for TVs, gamers will also be able to play on Pixel 3 phones and any desktop or laptop with Google's Chrome browser.
Stadia relies on streamlined Google data center connections instead of local processors or storage. The downside to this is that Stadia games can only ever work online, even purchased ones.
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24 Comments
Did anyone find it odd that Apple included Playstation and Xbox controller support?
What irks me is, Apple Arcade games seem to not take full advantage of Apple processors. Most of them look like games for iPhone 6.
Apple is most likely caught between the balance of quality graphics and supporting the most players possible.
Stadia can be a big competitor since it won't hold back but in 2 years we'll see the same graphical processing in Apples A14 chips BUT Apple won't wanna leave behind owners of old devices.
This is good news. More competition. I personally care about Arcade more.
These are the already confirmed titles. Note that there will also be a free version launched next year with lower streaming quality and likely a very limited game set altho no details yet beyond "it's coming".
In case it isn't clear to anyone, the monthly subscription fee does NOT cover the games, unlike Apple Arcade. These still need to be purchased at retail pricing. And obviously nothing can be played offline.