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Google is putting the Pixel 4 and Stadia on sale for Black Friday
Black Friday is just around the corner, and Google is sharing a sneak peek of the sales it will offer. We've rounded up the tech deals to look out for. Most start on November 28th, but a few sales will go live on November 24th.
Google Stadia hands-on: Shockingly playable
I barely expected Stadia to work. Stadia is Google's attempt to make cloud gaming happen, and the company has promised a lot: the ability to play basically any game at up to 4K on your TV, phone, tablet or laptop, with no lag and on existing internet infrastructure. And, based on these broad qualifiers, Stadia delivers.
The Morning After: Google Stadia's launch game line-up gets a big boost
Hey, good morning! We kick off the week with the launch of Google's much-publicized Stadia streaming game service tomorrow, with the company fleshing out the launch line-up with an extra 10 games -- although none of them are particularly new, and none are exclusive. It's an interesting week to launch something that could be the future of gaming: This is the same week Nintendo launches the Wii, SNES and the DS. And the same week Microsoft's Xbox One and Xbox 360, the Sega Saturn and, er, the Atari Jaguar all launch, too. Will Google's Stadia join such illustrious company?
Google Stadia will have 10 more games at launch
After first announcing that its cloud-streaming Stadia game service would launch with just 12 titles, Google has nearly doubled that number, according to a tweet from Stadia boss Phil Harrison. The service will now arrive with 10 additional games, bringing the total to 22. The list now includes Football Manager 2020 and NBA 2K2020, giving Stadia a couple of the sports titles it was completely lacking before.
Google demos Stadia UI and lists several missing launch features
In a run-up to the November 19th Stadia launch, Google did a Reddit AMA showing how game casting will work for the streaming service. Stadia Director of Product Andrey Doronichev and publisher lead Beri Lee also revealed all the things that will be missing at launch, and unfortunately, it's a laundry list. That include support for existing Chromecast Ultra devices (you'll need a firmware update that will be delivered after launch), family sharing, game-sharing features like Crowd Play and more.
Twitch makes it easier for first-time streamers to get started
Twitch wants to make streamer easier for newbies. Launching today, the Twitch Studio is a new streaming app designed to help gamers go live for the first time with minimal fuss or to up their game if they're still new to the scene. Features include a guided setup, where mics, webcams, monitor resolution and bitrates are detected automatically for the best sound and display, and customizable templates, where streamers can choose from loads of starter layouts and pre-built overlays.
Stadia hits Google's Play Store ahead of its debut this month
Google is set to flip the switch on its Stadia game streaming service this month. While you can play through Chrome or your TV (with Chromecast Ultra), you'll also be able to run games like Destiny 2 and Assassin's Creed: Odyssey on some Pixel devices. To help you get ready for the big day on November 19th, Google has added the Stadia app to the Google Play Store.
Google opens its first studio dedicated to making Stadia games
Google announced its Stadia Games and Entertainment division back in March, confirming its intention to make good on its promise for original content alongside second and third party games for its streaming platform Stadia. Now, the first studio -- and there will be more -- has opened in Montreal, headed up by Jade Raymond who in a blog post reiterated the company's plans to "produce exclusive, original content across a diverse portfolio of games."
'Darksiders Genesis' is coming to PC and Stadia December 5th
THQ Nordic and Airship Syndicate are revamping the Darksiders series with Darksiders Genesis, and they've revealed when you'll be able to take command of two Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The latest Darksiders game will hit PC and Google Stadia December 5th. Players on PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch will get to grips with it February 14th.
Recommended Reading: The Google Stadia controller prototypes
An exclusive look at how Google designed its Stadia game controller Stan Horaczek, Popular Science We've known for months that Google built its own controller for the upcoming Stadia game streaming service. But Popular Science recently got a behind-the-scenes look at the design process, including a glimpse of the "hundreds" of prototypes for the device. "We put out rigs of cameras and filmed roughly 6,000 hours of gaming time to observe how people were holding different controllers," Google design director Isabelle Olsson explains.
Watch the first trailer of ‘Red Dead Redemption 2’ for PC
Red Dead Redemption 2 developer Rockstar Games has shared the first trailer for the upcoming PC release of the game, which showcases the open-world western running at 4K and 60 frames per second. It also offers a glimpse of some of the other graphical enhancements that the studio has built into the game. We detailed all those enhancements, as well as the game's minimum system requirements, in a post last week. The trailer is also a good showcase of what the game will likely look like on Stadia when it launches on November 19th -- provided your connection can stream games in 4K, of course.
Google Stadia controller's wireless capability will be limited at launch
If you were planning to play Stadia games on your computer or phone while using its official controller, you'll have to get used to being tethered to your device with a USB-C cable. The Google Stadia controller's wireless capability will only work on TV with a Chromecast Ultra at launch, the tech giant has revealed in a fine print on a Stadia video. A Google Community Manager handling the Stadia subreddit has confirmed the information and also clarified that you'll need the official controller to play games through Chromecast Ultra.
Here's everything Google announced at the Pixel 4 event
Despite all of the leaks ahead of Google's Pixel 4 hardware event today, the company still had plenty to share. Of course, we got our first official look at the Pixelbook Go and Pixel 4/4XL, but we also got to see the new Nest Mini, Nest WiFi and Pixel Buds. And Google had plenty of new features -- like ultrasound sensing and an improved Recorder app -- to wow the crowd.
Google Stadia launches on November 19th
Google's Stadia game streaming service will launch on November 19th, as Rick Osterloh announced today at the company's fall hardware event. In a separate blog post published during the keynote, Google added that servers will open to the public at 12PM EST/9AM PST. Besides the US, Stadia will launch in Canada, UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland.
Google wants to reduce Stadia lag with 'negative latency'
Plenty of gamers are skeptical about cloud-based gaming. Fast internet connections just aren't prevalent enough, the argument goes, and lag will kill the gameplay experience. Google is diving in head first with Stadia, though. In an interview with Edge, Stadia's VP of Engineering Madj Bakar said the platform will eventually be more responsive than consoles. And while the technology to do so sounds silly, the underlying concepts may prove to be effective.
Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass will be totally different stores
Google and Apple have just begun a public experiment. One that affects the daily lives of millions of people; specifically, anyone who plays mobile games. Apple launched Arcade on September 19th, charging $5 a month for unlimited access to more than 100 mobile games on its store. The company spent a reported $500 million to acquire high-profile titles like Skate City, Where Cards Fall, Grindstone, Assemble with Care, Sayonara Wild Hearts and Overland. This means Apple paid developers upfront for their games, even before some of them were finished. Think of it as the Netflix model of content acquisition.
'Red Dead Redemption 2' will be a Google Stadia launch title
When Red Dead Redemption 2 comes to PCs in November, it won't just be available in conventional form. Rockstar has also confirmed that its open-world Western game will be available as a launch title for Google Stadia when it debuts the same month. In other words, you'll have the chance to play Arthur Morgan's saga (or Red Dead Online) on your tablet if you prefer.
Watch the Google Stadia event in 10 minutes
Google's Stadia Connect livestream for Gamescom can give you a bigger idea of what to expect from its upcoming video game streaming platform -- and you can watch all the most important tidbits right here. Stadia's Ray Bautista started off with a reminder to pre-order the Stadia Founder's Edition, which will serve as your entry to the service as one of its first players. As a nice perk, it will also come with the full Destiny 2 experience.
'Cyberpunk 2077' and 'Mortal Kombat 11' are coming to Google Stadia
Just before Gamescom's opening ceremony got underway, Google revealed a bunch more games that are coming to its Stadia streaming platform. One of the bigger titles is CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077. Google didn't say exactly when the game would be available on Stadia, but its release date on other platforms is April 16th, 2020.
Google's $10 Stadia Pro plan includes one free game per month
During a Reddit "Ask me Anything" session, Director of Product Andrey Doronichev dished some more details about Google's Stadia online gaming service coming in November. Questions covered number of subjects, from social features to technical details to Google's commitment to the platform. Perhaps the most pertinent thing that Google revealed, however, is how the Stadia Pro subscription will work and what you'll get.
