Stadia is an online game-streaming platform powered by Google

It seems strange that one of the largest tech companies on the planet has taken this long to grab a slice of the lucrative gaming pie, but Google has finally arrived with Stadia, an online game-streaming service that will almost certainly be dubbed ‘the Netflix of games’. Rather than asking you to find space for yet another console under the TV, the big G’s processing heft comes entirely from its data centres. So in theory, any device that meets the flexible requirements can be used. And as for the games themselves, you’ll be able to start playing simply by clicking on a YouTube video. No need to download. Google showed off Assassin’s Creed Odyssey running on a PC, a Pixel 3 and Chromecast TV, hopping seamlessly between all three. You’d be forgiven for thinking that this hardware-less wizardry would mean Stadia takes a hit in the GPU department. But games will stream in 4K at 60fps at launch, with 8K support promised in the future. And with 10.7 teraflops under the invisible (to you at least) hood, it’s technically more powerful than both the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X combined. How’s that for next-gen?

Matt Tate Contributor

About

I'm fascinated by all things tech, but if you were going to leave me on a desert island, I'd probably ask for my Nintendo Switch, a drone, and a pair of noise-cancelling cans to block out the relentless seagull racket. When I'm not on Stuff duty you'll probably find me subscribing to too many podcasts, playing too many video games, or telling anyone who will listen that Spurs are going to win a trophy this season.

Areas of expertise

Video games, VR, smartwatches, headphones, smart speakers, bizarre Kickstarter campaigns