Can Stadia succeed where others have failed?

Google's first entry into the world of mainstream gaming certainly has the lineup to meet Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony on even footing. But it's bigger than that: rather than relying on traditional console hardware, Stadia lives inside of Chrome.

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That means it's going to launch with immediate support for a variety of screens: desktop, laptop, TV, tablet, and smartphone. There's a Google-made Stadia Controller that connects via WiFi to whichever game you're playing, but it's necessary; any controller that works with the device you're playing on will work with Stadia as well.

The Stadia Controller does bring a couple of advantages. There's a capture button, now a common feature on most modern gaming systems, that lets you share content directly to YouTube. There's also a Google Assistant with game-specific GA integration that's capable of pulling up hints and walkthrough videos when requested.

The service itself is a massive expansion of Project Stream, which was essentially Google's beta test for Stadia. When it launched in late 2018, participants were able to play Ubisoft's then-brand new Assassin's Creed Odysseyin a Chrome tab. I was one of those participants, and I can tell you: it worked surprisingly well on my first-generation Dell XPS 13.

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Google promises an even better experience in Stadia. While the quality of the streaming video will vary depending on the display you're using (and presumably bandwidth), Google intends to support -- and claims the streaming data centers can handle -- resolutions as high as 8K.

The actual particulars of the service -- game lineup, pricing, dedicated social features -- aren't going to be revealed until summer 2019, probably at or around the annual E3 trade show in June. It's clear some heavy-hitters will be involved, however.

Marty Stratton, from id Software, promised full support for the studio's upcoming Doom Eternal, for one. And while Ubisoft didn't announce any specific titles, Project Stream already ran Odysseyand the publisher released a statement pledging its continued support.

"The power and accessibility of streaming will give billions unprecedented opportunities to play video games in the future. We are proud to partner with Google on Stadua, building on what we’ve learned with Project Stream via Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. This is only the beginning, and we can’t wait to continue collaborating closely with Google on what’s next for Stadia," Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said in a statement.

Expect Stadia to launch sometime in 2019, arriving first in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and "most of Europe."

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TopicsGamingGoogle