Google announced at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco plans to launch its own online gaming platform. The Stadia service will take advantage of the company's global network of data centres and network capabilities to offer online access to streaming games from any device. In addition, Google is introducing the Stadia wireless controller, for playing games from any screen.
Google said it wants to make games available in resolutions up to 4K and 60 frames per second with HDR and surround sound. The service will launch later this year in select countries including the US, Canada, UK and much of Europe.
With the Stadia service, gamers will no longer need a traditional console or PC - the service will work from any computer, TV or phone running Google's Chrome browser or Chromecast, without the need to download anything. Developers will have access to "nearly unlimited resources" to create games on Google's hardware stack combining server class GPU, CPU, memory and storage and distribute the games over its data centre infrastructure.
Google plans to integrate Stadia with its other services, such as YouTube, where already more than 200 million people game-related content each day. For example, someone watching Assassin's Creed Odyssey can then play on their own by clicking the 'play now' button.
The Stadia controller is a Wi-Fi controller designed to work with most games. It includes a button for instant capture, saving and sharing gameplay in up to 4k resolution and comes equipped with a Google Assistant button and built-in microphone.
