Stadia
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Steam improves support for game streaming through GeForce Now
Steam's Cloud Play service is back on the agenda.
Google adds 1440p streaming resolution for Stadia on Chrome
Google has rolled out a 1440p streaming resolution for Stadia on Chrome so players with high-res monitors can display sub-4K images better than 1080p. The tech giant has announced the new resolution in a post on the Stadia Community Blog, along with the service’s latest and upcoming games.
'Serious Sam 4' arrives on PC and Stadia in August
'Serious Sam 4' is coming to PC and Stadia this August, although console players will have to wait.
'Chorus' is a space shooter about a pilot and her sentient ship
Chorus is a space shooter about a psychic ex-cult member and her sentient spaceship. The fast-paced game is coming to Xbox in 2021.
Stadia's game controller finally works wirelessly on your computer
Google's Stadia controller now works wirelessly when you're playing on the web -- you won't have to plug in just to play on your PC.
Google is working on 4K/HDR streaming to Android TV for Stadia
Recent updates to the Stadia Android app show Google is working on some new features: sharing game captures as a link, 4K/HDR-quality playback on Android TV and a built-in messenger.
'PUBG' is the latest free Stadia Pro game
'Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order,' 'Madden NFL' and 'FIFA' are also coming to the game streaming service.
Stadia update adds 5.1 surround sound for web players
Google has rolled out some key new features for Stadia on the web to compliment the 4K it introduced last month. You’ll now get 5.1 surround sound when playing on Chrome or other browsers, which should deliver better audio quality and the ability to better hear where your enemies are coming from.
After Math: Look at all this free stuff
It's not hard to go a stir crazy during the quarantine, these five companies are helping with free entertainment and apps.
Stadia Pro is free for two months starting today
It took a while but Stadia's free tier is now available, though not quite like how we expected.
E3 will return June 15th, 2021
The Entertainment Software Association may have cancelled E3 2020 due to COVID-19, but it's still committed to holding an event next year. The organization has announced that E3 will return between June 15th and June 17th, 2021. It characterized the future expo as a "reimagined" event, although that's the language it used for its since-scrapped 2020 gathering. It won't be surprising if the 2021 event is really a look at what you might have seen this year, just with a different mix of games.
Google makes it easier for studios to self-publish Stadia games
Google has launched a new program called Stadia Makers that could lead to the release of more titles for the platform, particularly ones from experienced indie developers. The tech giant has announced the project during its virtual Games Developer Summit, calling it the first step into its self-publishing expansion.
Google discounts its Stadia starter pack for the first time
With Doom Eternal launching today, Google is offering its first-ever discount on Stadia. For today only, you can get $30 off the Stadia Premiere Edition, making it $99 instead of $129. The bundle comes with everything you need to start playing, including a controller, Chromecast Ultra and three months of Stadia Pro.
Google details what you need to play Stadia games in 4K on the web
Now that you can play Google Stadia games in 4K on the web, you're probably wondering just what you need to see the game streaming service reach its visual potential. The company is happy to help -- although it might be disappointing for some would-be players. It recently posted requirements, and the main demand is a Chromebook or Windows PC that can decode video in Google's preferred VP9 format, a 4K display to match and enough bandwidth to handle the "best visual quality" option. Stadia won't be too picky about the overall power of your computer, then.
'Doom Eternal' won't be true 4K on Stadia despite early promises
When Google unveiled Stadia, id Software proudly proclaimed that Doom Eternal would be a marquee title that ran in "true 4K" on the game streaming service. Flash forward a year, however, and that's no longer true. A launch data sheet for Doom Eternal has revealed that the Stadia version of the hellish first-person shooter will run at 1800p upscaled to 4K. That's still much higher-resolution than 1080p and will include perks like 60 frames per second and HDR, but it also means you won't get better performance than an Xbox One X player.
Google Stadia is rolling out 4K streaming on the web
Google is finally fulfilling a key promise for Stadia by rolling out 4K gaming on the web, according to 9to5Google and several Reddit users. You'll need a Stadia Pro subscription and fast internet connection to use the feature, with Google specifying a minimum "excellent" connection over 35Mbps. However, 9to5Google reports that it was able to get 4K working with "good" and even "OK" internet speeds.
'The Division 2' hits Stadia with PC cross-play on March 17th
Back in June 2019, Google and Ubisoft announced that The Division 2 would come to Stadia. It's been nine months, but the game will finally launch on Google's game streaming service on March 17th. The open world squad-based game was one of the bigger hits of last year, garnering lots of positive reviews and plenty of players teaming up online. For those who already have the PC version of the game, the Stadia version will allow for cross-save functionality. More importantly, it will feature cross-play with PC gamers. This is important because of the relatively low adoption rates of Stadia. If few people are playing an online co-op game, there won't be many gamers to team up with.
Google's latest Stadia game studio will be run by a 'God of War' veteran
Google is opening another Stadia studio to create originals for its game streaming service, and it's once again tapping big-name talent to boost its chances of success. The company is adding a team in Playa Vista, California that will be run by Shannon Studstill, the former head of God of War developer SIE Santa Monica Studio -- not far away, we'd add.
Google may add free trials and YouTube streaming to Stadia soon
At this point, it's safe to say Google's Stadia streaming service hasn't had the smoothest launch. Between missing features and less than stellar performance, the platform is, at the moment, more about future promise than current potential. However, it appears at least some of the features Google talked about at launch may soon make their way to Stadia users. Digging into the code of the latest Stadia app update, 9to5Google found evidence Google could add free Stadia Pro trials and other features soon.
Google is disappointing the Stadia community
"This is fine." Andrey Doronichev is in charge of gamer experience at Stadia, Google's fledgling cloud-gaming service. In a conversation with him about the company's confidence in Stadia three months post-launch, Doronichev was unflappable. Though players have been complaining about a lack of updates, technical issues, missing features and a dearth of new games, Doronichev argued the service was still new and Google had actually grown it significantly since launch. Besides, he said, it's not about the daily experience in the early days. It's about the end goal -- the 8K, lag-free, game-streaming utopia that Google promised when it debuted Stadia.
