Google unveils the Stadia Controller

NEWS Fyra Frost - Mar 20, 2019, 13:51

After all the speculation and rumors that have been going around during the last week, Google decided to unveil their brand new Stadia Controller. Stadia is the name of Google´s video game streaming platform. It´s planned to be released at some point this year, and it will offer a new way of playing videogames, allowing players to stream games across a variety of devices in a fast and agile way. Stadia was announced yesterday during the GDC 2019 and you can watch the whole event below.

One of the main features of Stadia will be granting access to games instantly, without downloads or installation. The games will run on Google´s servers and they will be streamed from the cloud to your Chrome browser, Chromecast or Pixel devices, so you won´t have to worry about updates or system requirements. When you play through Stadia you will be able to choose between your usual USB devices (mouse, keyboard, gamepad) or Google´s Stadia Controller, a device that will connect directly to the server running the game through your WiFi. It will be linked to your game session, no matter the device you are playing on, and that will allow you to swiftly move from one device to another without any problems if you desire so. The Stadia Controller will feature two exclusive buttons. The Share button lets you save your gaming session to share it directly on Youtube, and the Google Assistant button triggers the microphone from the controller so you can communicate with the Google Assistant service.

Despite all these amazing features, anyone could see the main problem that players may find with the system: Latency. That´s a decisive factor in many competitive multiplayer games where reacting more slowly than your opponents or having a lag spike may end with all your efforts during a match going down the drain. To address the possible issues, Google is expanding its global network of servers so that anyone will have one of them nearby. They want Stadia to support up to 4K resolutions at 60 fps at launch through a 25Mbps internet connection but those numbers could rise to 8K resolutions and 120 fps. It´s definitely THE announcement of the year, and one that could change the world of video games, but we will need to wait for a while to see if Google´s Stadia ends giving other traditional gaming platforms, like the consoles, a run for their money. But do not worry, whatever happens, you will always manage to find the best prices for your favorite games on our comparator.