Google says Stadia mobile game streaming is ready for primetime
Google moved the option to switch it on from the Experiments to the Performance section.
When Google introduced the capability to play Stadia games over a 4G or 5G connection, it was as a feature the tech giant was still in the midst of testing. Now, it looks like Google is done putting the feature through its paces, because the option to toggle it on has been moved from the Experiments section to the Performance tab. Reports posted on Reddit and Twitter (via 9to5Google) show the toggle in its new place in the Performance tab under Resolution.
The option comes with a note telling players that their resolution will be limited to 720p on mobile data, most likely as a way to help users keep their data use in check. Google also warns users that enabling the feature to play games on Stadia could increase their data usage by up to 2.7GB/hour. In addition, Stadia will now make sure users know they’ve enabled gaming over mobile data by showing them a mobile network icon on the home screen.
In my previous APK teardown, I found the mobile network icon. It's now enabled under the play button when playing via mobile network pic.twitter.com/z2SmelokH1
— Gem Stadia (@GemStadia) October 6, 2020
Google rolled out Stadia’s experimental mobile data gaming feature in July, a few months after the service launched in November 2019. Prior to its debut, the only way to play over data was to use tethering to trick the app into recognizing it as WiFi. As 9to5Google notes, though, using mobile data means having to switch the Stadia Controller with something else for those who want to play wirelessly, since the device needs a WiFi connection to work.