Paying players have long been able to use Google's Stadia streaming service for video games. Free access now goes live. It's in there.
Berlin (dpa / tmn) - The Stadia game streaming service from Google is entering the next phase and activating free access. The offer, simply called Stadia, gives players with a Google account access to games that run on computers in Google's data centers. From there, the image is only streamed as a video signal to a computer, smart TV or compatible mobile devices.
38 titles are initially for sale
The basic offer initially offers free access to the platform. The games must be purchased individually from the store. Technically, the free basic offer differs from the paid Stadia Pro (9.99 euros / month) due to the lower resolution (Full HD instead of 4K HDR) and the lack of access to free pro-inclusive games. According to Google, 38 games are currently for sale, and the catalog should grow to more than 120 titles by the end of the year.
At stadia.google.com, new customers have two months of free access to Stadia Pro and the games it contains, at the start of the basic offer. Pro customers will not be charged for the next two months either.
Stadia games also run on Android smartphones
A computer with a chrome browser and any USB controller or keyboard and mouse is sufficient to use Stadia. If you want to use the service with a television, you need Google's Chromecast Ultra streaming device (79 euros) and the Stadia controller (69 euros). Both devices are available in conjunction with a pro access that is free for three months at a price of 129 euros in the Google Store.
Stadia games also run on many Android smartphones. In addition to Google's pixel smartphones 2 to 4, all Samsung Galaxy S8 to S20 models are compatible, as are the Razer Phones 1 and 2 and the Asus ROG Phones 1 and 2.
Google Stadia website