Google Stadia Controller Manual Appears Online Ahead Of Launch Day

Game controllers are a dime a dozen these days and most of them practically function similarly. That's mostly thanks to the fact that consoles haven't changed that much in the past decade. With a new kind of gaming experience coming in just a few days, the Google Stadia Controller may have a few unique things to offer. Fortunately, Google has now published the peripheral's support page to give users a heads up on what to expect.

Most of the Stadia Controller's buttons are traditional to match what existing games already expect from game controllers, be it on Xbox, PlayStation, or PC. You have a D-Pad, four Action buttons, two analog sticks, bumpers, and triggers. The sticks also act as buttons for games that need L3 and R3 triggers.

One rather unique feature of the controller is that the triggers are able to detect how far they've been pressed. This gives them a pressure sensitivity of sorts and can be used for in-game mechanics like gas pedals and breaks. Of course, such games need to support the feature as well.

The Stadia Controller does have buttons you won't find on other controllers or are at least rebranded. There are the menu and option buttons which, when pressed together, will activate the Chromecast's screen reader mode. There's also a dedicated Google Assistant button which Google notes doesn't need to be held down to use. The Capture button does need to be held down to save a video clip, otherwise, a single press only takes a screenshot.

The documentation does note one disappointing "feature" that Google has acknowledged months ago. The controller wont's support Bluetooth headsets yet but that's promised to come in the future. The Google Stadia Controller might not reach all Founders Pack buyers in time for the service's launch but, fortunately, they can use a number of compatible controllers in the meantime.