We just had the first ever ‘Stadia Direct’ and with it came a whole bunch of information about the upcoming non-console service. It was also confirmed these directs would air “from time-to-time.” in the future with more information and such. So yes, another direct to keep your eye on.

WHEN

Google Stadia will launch in November across Belgium, Finland, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and the USA. More countries were promised to roll out during 2020 and beyond.

HOW

As previously revealed, Google Stadia will be able to stream at 4K HDR, 60 FPS and with 5.1 audio, you’ll just require a huge 35Mbps to stream things in 4K. You’ll require a more modest 10Mbps download and 1Mbps upload run Stadia at 1080p, however.

You can play Stadia on phones, tablets, computers. Whatever can run Google Chrome basically. All the things. And although there is a Stadia Controller, in various colours, it won’t be required and you can use mouse/keyboard, or other controllers instead.

WHO

The service will launch with ‘Stadia Pro’, a subscription module that will give you access to a selection of games that will be available in 4K, but you’ll also be able to purchase other titles separately. The subscription service’s library of games will, as you probably assumed, grow over time. Stadia Pro will cost $9.99USD a month.

You can pre-order a ‘Stadia Founders Edition’ which will include a Stadia Gamepad, Chromecast Ultra, Destiny 2 Collection (full game including the recently announced Shadowkeep expansion), a three-month subscription to Stadia Pro, plus a buddy pass to gift a sub to a friend for a total price of $129 USD. Oh, and you get early access to pick your Stadia username… Yep.

Stadia

In 2020 there will be another service introduced called ‘Stadia Base’ which will be free, but only stream at 1080p. Though any games you purchase on your Stadia account will be yours to keep forever, to play whenever you want.

During the Stadia Direct, we also saw the reveal of Baldur’s Gate 3 and trailers for other titles like Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, Tequila Works ‘Gylt’, Coatsink’s ‘Get Packed‘ and the reveal of Destiny 2’s latest expansion, Shadowkeep. All of this strengthening the partnerships Stadia is building.

Stadia isn’t super exciting in Australia right now as we don’t have a clear release date, but as a service and platform, it’s interesting none the less.

Are you excited about the potential of Stadia? Let us know below.