Google has just unveiled its highly-anticipated games ‘console’ in a recent conference at GDC. The catch here is that it turns out it’s not a console at all, but an entirely digital system that you can access from your Google Pixel, your tablet, or your laptop to play AAA games however you like via streaming. We are truly living in the future.
Named Stadia, the platform is looking seriously impressive, and you won’t even need to buy any hardware unless you want to (and maybe you should, because the Stadia controller can upload directly to YouTube via a ‘share’ button).
You basically already have the hardware for Stadia #GoogleGDC19 pic.twitter.com/Hv5ntjIcF1
— Nibel (@Nibellion) March 19, 2019
Google Stadia controller #GoogleGDC19 pic.twitter.com/yFXtBap526
— Nibel (@Nibellion) March 19, 2019
The first game announced for Stadia is the one and only Doom Eternal, which is going to be a serious test of the power of Stadia, but if anyone can successfully stream a AAA game, it’s Google.
DOOM Eternal on Stadia, 4K with HDR and 60 FPS #GoogleGDC19 pic.twitter.com/VFXD4tBMPZ
— Nibel (@Nibellion) March 19, 2019
Google boasts that the streaming platform is actually more technically impressive than both the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One, and Stadia will also support full cross-play across all platforms – including saves and progression.
Shots fired #GoogleGDC19 pic.twitter.com/WogmLWz71t
— Nibel (@Nibellion) March 19, 2019
If Sony and Microsoft weren’t worried about Google’s foray into the gaming market, now might be the time…
What do you think about Stadia, and do we have a competitor here for the gaming giants that are the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One? Do we have a competitor for next-gen consoles?! So many questions, and such a short conference.
Talking about how Stadia can impact things like multiplayer; for instance using multiple Stadia servers to allow crisp split-screen play without any performance hit.
Also suggests imagining players being able to see their allies’ streams to see what they’re doing etc. pic.twitter.com/SCeYRBsW1B
— RPG Site (@RPGSite) March 19, 2019
Stadia will also be looking into new ways of sharing specific elements of your play. Whether you want to share your gameplay to thousands or just to your buddy, you can create a Shareable Moment with a new feature called State Share that’ll translate your play into a link for you to do whatever you like with.
Stadia will be releasing in 2019.
State Share allows you to share a savegame (?) #GoogleGDC19 pic.twitter.com/NiLmsvZK5L
— Nibel (@Nibellion) March 19, 2019
Check it out in full below!
Featured Image Credit: Google