Verizon has announced a new partnership with Google that has resulted in a special perk for new Verizon Fios Gigabit customers. Starting next week, anyone who signs up for Verizon's gigabit Internet service will be given the Stadia Premium Edition for free, including three months of access to Stadia Pro, the service's related wireless gaming controller, and more.
In the months since Stadia launched, Google has been attempting to build out the service's functionality, but we haven't heard a whole lot about games. Today, Google changed that by sharing some details about the games it plans to adds in 2020, and it looks like the company will rely on timed exclusives to sell people on Stadia.
Depending on who you ask, Google Stadia is either the future of game streaming or yet another one of Google's public experiments that could be canceled in the very near future. While it shows plenty of potential, much of that has not yet been reached, especially its promise to game anywhere on any device. For Android phones, that has so far been limited to Google's Pixel phones (except the very first Pixel) but now it seems that Google is finally taking baby steps to expand Stadia's reach to other brands.
It's almost hard to believe that it has been more than a month now since Google's cloud-based game streaming platform launched but in just a few days it will already welcome its second batch of free games. Taking a cue from other subscription services, Stadia offers a rotating roster of games offered for free for Pro subscribers, two every month. As January and the year begins, Stadia also welcomes a Tomb Raider title as an older one leaves the fold.
Google's strategy when it comes to Stadia features is both reassuring but also mildly frustrating. On the one hand, the steady flow of new features and fine-tuning gives some confidence that Google is actively working on the platform, at least for now. On the other hand, it keeps one guessing when or even if the next promised feature will come. The latest feature to be dropped in users' hands is the achievement system that seems to deliver what it promised except for one set of Stadia subscribers.
Google has announced its acquisition of Typhoon Studios, the company behind a game called Journey to the Savage Planet. The new purchase will make Typhoon Studios part of Stadia Games and Entertainment, bolstering the company's streaming game service offerings. This acquisition won't make Journey a Stadia exclusive, thankfully.
Things seem to finally be going smoothly for Google Stadia. All Founders already have their promised perks and Premiere Edition and Buddy Passes have been distributed. The Web storefront has opened and Google has just rolled out an update that makes any Chromecast Ultra a Stadia Chromecast Ultra. Despite that, at least one piece still has to fall in place, and that's THE CLAW power support for the Stadia Controller. Google has yet to put a date on its shipment but it seems that its manufacturer isn't waiting any longer and is already making it available ahead of Google.
There are still many who doubt the long-term viability of Google's game streaming service but it's hard to deny that, at least for now, Stadia is the talk of the gaming town (right next to the Xbox Series X). Part of its appeal is the promise of being able to play graphics-intensive AAA games on almost any device but it really proves that point with the Chromecast Ultra, the primary and blessed Stadia "console". It was, to some extent, a rather cunning strategy to sell more Chromecast Ultras through the Founders' Edition but now Google has opened the doors for any ordinary Chromecast Ultra to finally be Stadia-ready.
Google Stadia is getting three big additions to its game lineup this week, with Borderlands 3, Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint all joining the roster. Borderlands 3 and Dragonball Xenoverse 2 have both been added today, while Ghost Recon Breakpoint won't be going live until tomorrow. In the case of Ghost Recon Breakpoint, we're also seeing support for Stream Connect.
The dust storm swirling around Google Stadia seems to have finally died down, which can mean one of two things. Either it has finally gotten through its teething pains and settled into normal operations or interest in Google's somewhat divisive game streaming platform. The latter might hardly be the case given the holiday season that approaches and the news surrounding new consoles and games. And to ensure that more people hear the news and get to experience it, Google is giving away Buddy Passes for Founders to share with their, well, buddies.
It wasn't too long ago that Google announced the availability of browsing and buying games from a website rather than just an Android phone. And as with any website, Stadia's web storefront is a tempting place to look for hidden treasures. That may indeed be the case and, in addition to the kind of lists that will let players browse games according to their interests and preferences, the website also reveals unconfirmed future features that will put the game streaming service on the same footing as almost all gaming platforms.
The one good thing about Google's strategy of rolling out Stadia features piecemeal is that you are assured that the service is still alive and kicking, despite the many setbacks and criticism it has encountered in just a few weeks. Of course, that also means that you're being kept at the edge of your seat, waiting when your favorite feature will be implemented. The latest update doesn't directly affect the service itself but makes life a little bit easier buy letting Stadia players browse and buy games on their desktop.