Google Stadia is a streaming platform dedicated to video games. It will arrive by the end of the year and is ready to change the video game world forever
Google had announced that it had a surprise in store that could change the video game world forever. And so it was. At the Game Developer Conference (GDC), an event dedicated to the world of video game developers that is being held these days in San Francisco, the Mountain View company has presented Google Stadia, a gaming service streaming ready to debut by the end of the year.
To understand immediately what it is, imagine Netflix but dedicated only to video games. You don’t need any hardware to play, but you just need an Internet connection, an active subscription, a monitor and use the controller specially developed by Google. Big G during the conference also explained the infrastructure set up to give life to Google Stadia: thousands of servers have been activated that will allow you to play from any device without any problem of lag or performance. The hardware will be made available directly by Google and will ensure a power greater than that of the Xbox One X and PlayStation 4 Pro. Google Stadia is ready to revolutionize the world of video games: will consoles still be useful in the future?
From Project Stream to Google Stadia
It’s no surprise that Google was working on a streaming platform for gaming. But few could imagine such an advanced system capable of running on any device and even with a slow connection. The ancestor of Google Stadia is Project Stream, a project that Google had released in beta in the United States and that was having a good success. Google Stadia is its natural evolution. The goal of the Mountain View company is to make video games accessible to everyone: it is no longer necessary to have a console, but just a subscription and a monitor.
The features of Google Stadia
During the presentation Google also showed some of the features of Google Stadia. The platform will integrate seamlessly with the Google environment. While you are watching a video on YouTube, the “Play” button will appear and immediately you will be directed to Google Stadia and you can start playing. YouTube will transform from a simple site where you can watch game trailers into a hub that gives you access to the streaming service for gaming.
Google Stadia will also have an ad hoc controller. Big G showed its functionality during the conference: it integrates a button to start streaming on YouTube and a microphone to interact with Google Assistant and ask for tips to complete a particularly difficult level.
The Mountain View company assured that since the debut all games on the platform will support 4K resolution at 60 frames per second. Google has also thought about the hardware that will allow you to run the games: it will be called Stadia GPU and will guarantee a power greater than that of the Xbox One X and PlayStation 4 Pro, the two most powerful consoles on the market.
Games on Google Stadia
Google has not announced the list of video games that will be present from the debut on Google Stadia, but has only shown a video starring DOOM Eternal. Big G has assured that it is moving the first steps to close strategic agreements with the most important players in the world of video games and that since the debut of the platform will be present most of the most famous titles. Guaranteed also the support to multiplayer games.
Google Stadia, price and release in Italy
No official date has been announced: Google Stadia will be available by the end of 2019 in the United States, Canada, Great Britain and in most European countries (Italy should be included). No news also regarding the price: Google Stadia could adopt a Netflix-like commercial strategy, charging a monthly subscription, or make players buy every single title. At E3 2019, the most important exhibition dedicated to video games held in Los Angeles in June, we will surely know more.