Google Stadia FAQ

“Cloud gaming” is the new technology in vogue in the video game. Like Netflix videos and Spotify songs, games are not stored in CDs but hosted on remote servers and accessible to any screen connected to the Internet. 
Cloud gaming also saves load times because the computing power is deported to the cloud. Only the sound and the image reach the screens of the players. On the other hand, cloud gaming requires a very high speed Internet connection to offer a satisfactory gaming experience without slowing down or latency.

Playable games instantly on any screen connected to the Internet without having to invest in a physical console. Google Stadia is a little gamer dream. According to the presentation made Tuesday, Stadia can play titles with excellent graphics performance simply by clicking on a link from a PC, tablet, Smartphone or TV.
“The game starts on the screen in less than five seconds,” promises Google, which also highlights the continuity of the experience. It is thus possible to watch a game on YouTube, click on a “Play” button, launch the game on a Smartphone screen, and switch to a tablet connected to a compatible controller and then switches to its TV via the HDMI key Google Chromecast. Google also relies on compatibility between its different services. In full, it will be possible to seek Google Assistant via the Stadia controller unveiled yesterday to seek help without having to put the party on hold. In the same way, video graphers can easily invite spectators to participate in parties with them. It will also be possible to share backups and game sequences to offer contacts to replay certain highlights.

Google Stadia still has a lot to prove. The main unknown is the depth of his catalog. On Tuesday, Google just announced a few partner studios (Ubisoft, Id Software, Q-Games, Tequila Works) and demonstrate some titles on the platform, such as  Assassin’s Creed  and  Doom Eternal .  Google’s ability to offer exclusives will be a critical factor in the success of the project. Tuesday’s conference is expected to federate the developers around the project. 

Google Stadia wants to bring together the entire video game community (gamer, game developers and you tubers videographers) within the same ecosystem. The launch of the platform is naturally accompanied by that of a creative studio directed by Jade Raymond , a figure of industry debauched at Ubisoft studio where she has produced the bestseller  Assassin ‘s Creed .

The platform is based on Google’s cloud computing infrastructure around the world. She should be able to run games with 4K resolution and 60 frames per second. Google has ensured that in the future, Stadia’s streaming will reach 8K and 120 frames per second. But the company did not specify what was the minimum configuration required for a satisfactory experience. When testing the platform this fall, Google said it needed to have a bandwidth of at least 25 megabits per second to enjoy. According to Phil Harrison, one of the project directors interviewed after the conference will require  a bandwidth of at least 30 megabits per second. Some industry professionals have already worried about the risk of cloud gaming creating  territorial inequality between players  with the best Internet devices and those living in white areas without broadband connections.

The price of Stadia is the other major unknown. Google has not indicated whether it wants to monetize the service by charging a subscription or advertising. It will probably be offered with a monthly fee whose amount is currently unknown . The cost of the service will be unveiled this summer, promised Google. For comparison, Sony PlayStation Now, which allows you to play more than 600 titles of PS2, PS3 and PS4 streaming, is offered at 15 euros per month or 99 euros per year. According to Emmanuel Freund, co-founder and President of the French startup Blade , which already offers Shadow, a video game streaming service, “it’s hard to appreciate Stadia’s interest in future users without price., no catalog and no availability date. The conference tonight was more like a seduction operation of developers than launching a product, “he said in a statement.

Concretely, Stadia is a video game platform that will allow anyone to play on any type of screen, anywhere via Google Chrome. No game to download, everything happens in the cloud thanks to cloud-gaming.

Concretely, Stadia is a video game platform that will allow anyone to play on any type of screen, anywhere via Google Chrome. No game to download, everything happens in the cloud thanks to cloud-gaming.

If you know the PlayStation Now service, the Google platform is not far from it. We remain on the idea of ​​Cloud Gaming, except that we can access it from a desktop computer, a laptop, a smartphone or a tablet.

No, Stadia will not be a gaming console but a gaming platform only. No specific machine to own so to use it. On the other hand, we know that a controller dedicated to the service will be put on sale.

A screen to access Google Chrome, whatever it is, and what to control the game.

urrently, the price of google Stadia is $15 per month for 500 games. Especially since we do not know yet whether to buy its games or if it will be a subscription to pay to enjoy a large catalog of titles.

Google announced that only 5 seconds would be needed to launch a game via its platform.

From its launch, Google’s gaming platform will allow you to play in 4K and 60 FPS. It will be the same for the diffusion on YouTube: the streaming will be allowed in 4K and 60 images per second also.

Yes ! Phil Harisson said that at launch, Stadia will be content to run games in 4K and 60 FPS, but in the future more or less distant, the goal will be to offer players an experience in 8K and 120 FPS, or almost unheard of for now.

Stadia will be available later in the year in different parts of the globe, starting with North America and Europe, without further details as to whether all the countries of the continent will be concerned.

For now, Google has announced that it should at least a speed of 30 mbps to enjoy the games available via Stadia in 4K and 60 FPS. We imagine that it will take between 15 and 20 mbps to play in 1080p still in 60 frames per second, but these are only estimates. It will be necessary to wait for the service to be deployed, or at least tested under real conditions, in order to specify these data.

All computers will be compatible with Stadia as it is only necessary to be connected to the internet in order to use the game platform.

If no exhaustive list has been given for the moment, we imagine that it will still have a fairly recent smartphone to run the service on a smartphone at launch. Remember that everything happens via internet connection (or mobile), so it will require a device capable of ensuring fairly high speeds. For the moment in terms of mobile network, we still talk about the use of 5G, which means that the fleet of smartphones currently deployed on the market should not be able to be used with Stadia.

Many things, provided you have the proper connection. Indeed, we will no longer be limited by the use of an aging console, or a hardware outdated PC to play the latest productions in vogue. Imagine launching The Division 2 or Anthem in 4K 60 FPS without having to suffer from an update to download, a console spitting its lungs to try to turn the game correctly or even having to get up for the first time. turn on / change disc. This is the promise of Stadia, launch any game, from (almost) any device with a screen and access to Google Chrome.

It’s hard to really answer this question by being clear and concise, since at the moment Stadia’s prowess should drastically open the field of possibilities. We can however tell you that the tools available to developers will allow accessibility as we have never seen before, which would allow them to offer players titles even more easily while leaving them free from technical constraints who would restrain them.

The good news is that yes, Stadia will allow multiplayer. And icing on the cake, the cross-platform will also be there. We do not know yet if the local multiplayer will be possible, but we can easily imagine that the American giant will offer the feature via its platform.

Currently, Google does not offer anything concretely. The sacred trio of the video game is not directly competitive. Moreover, the latter, although each offering its catalog of online games (although in the case of Nintendo it is only NES games), are still very busy to be present in the console market. It will take a little longer to know if the above-named manufacturers can be threatened by Google.

Google Project Stream was none other than the code name of Stadia, a kind of prelude to Google’s platform

If the controller will offer some features of its own, it will obviously be possible to take advantage of Google’s gaming platform using its keyboard and mouse.

Once again, Google has not provided any information on this subject, but we can expect that it will be sold between 50 and 70 €, the average current price for an official controller on the side of at Sony, Xbox and Nintendo.

In the form, Google’s controller is not very particular: 4 buttons A, BX and Y on the left, a right directional cross, two symmetrical joysticks. Other buttons will be used to pause the game, return to the menu, start the service, share the game or use the voice assistant Google. Unlike PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, it will directly integrate a microphone.

Indeed, if the platform can be used from a smartphone, a tablet or a computer (whether fixed or desktop), remains the thorny question of pairing. No need for a wire to use the controller so, since it will connect via Wi-Fi to the machine that will turn the game.

The microphone coupled to the Google Assistant button can for example allow the blocked players to ask for help and to be offered some advice to manage to pass a boss a little recalcitrant or a complicated passage. For that, it will still be necessary that the game in question is compatible. Using the service from the controller will allow the wizard to use the current context of the game in order to help the player at best.

Via the appropriate button, it will be possible to broadcast almost instantly its parts on YouuTbe. Obviously, platforms like Twitch will not be usable with Stadia.

Google has announced that in some cases it will be possible to launch a game directly from a trailer viewed on YouTube. All will not allow this option that said.

Google is already working in partnership with several publishers including id Software, which announced that Doom Eternal will be available on the platform, in addition to Ubisoft that will offer Assassin’s Creed Odyssey upon release of Stadia. For the moment, no other game has officially been announced, but we imagine that other names will be quickly unveiled, especially since the platform of Google has something to attract developers of all comers.

Yes, Google has just hired Jade Raymond to run the company’s first first-party studio, Stadia Games and Entertainment. Note that the girls team will also work with other developers around the world to make the video game to a “different level” to quote his words. Currently, more than 100 development kits have been sent around the world. This gives a good idea of ​​the number of games that are potentially in development at the moment.

One of the advantages of Stadia is that the updates will only be old history. Indeed, no more evenings spent downloading patches as heavy as the basic game, you can directly take action.