Google Stadia

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.

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Google just loves its staggered releases, delivering features piecemeal and in waves. That's something traditional gamers might not be used to but it at least shows signs of activity for a gaming platform that started off on the wrong foot. The latest feature to drop is not exactly for Stadia itself but for its special Stadia Controller, finally enabling the Google Assistant button to summon Google Assistant, presuming you're not actually doing anything yet.

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Stadia's launch hasn't been what Google had hoped for. Anticipated as a Netflix for gaming, Google’s answer to consoles and Steam was supposed to shake the industry make gamers think twice about that PlayStation 5 in a year or two. But instead, lukewarm reviews and performance issues are turning gamers away. Worse still, its poor entry is casting a shadow of doubt over the promise of game streaming, which could hinder its chances of ever winning gamers in the near future.

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Stadia is easily one of Google's most controversial products of late, and, fortunately, not because of any privacy concerns. But despite the rocky start and loads of disgruntled subscribers, a less vocal number of Founder's Edition buyers are reporting mostly positive experiences. That may be enough for some Buddy Pass recipients to be excited about the service but may find some requirements, like a Pixel phone, to be beyond their budget. Fortunately, it seems possible to run Stadia on any Android phone, provided it has been rooted.

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Google has had a rough time during the launch of its Stadia game streaming service but, to its credit, it is also trying to do good by those that got the shorter end of the stick through no fault of their own. It is, for example, allowing Stadia Pro subscribers to refund their purchase of two games that will become free next month anyway. Now it is also giving canceled pre-orders a chance to reorder the Founders pack and try their luck a second time around.

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It's fair to say that Google Stadia isn't having a smooth debut, and at times it seems like Google is doing nothing but playing catch-up on early-adopters bad experiences. Latest rescue is the confirmation that yes, Stadia will be refunding anybody who purchased two of its most-recognizable games - which were later given out to every Stadia Pro subscriber as a freebie.

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When Google pushes out a software update to Android or its services, it usually does so in waves to stop bugs from spreading too far when discovered early. It seems that Google is applying that same process to Stadia, keeping some players at the edge of their seats while leaving others irritated. The latest puzzle pieces to fall into place is the Buddy Pass that now lets Founders invite a friend to play with them on Stadia Pro subscription for free, at least for three months.

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Stadia is already off to a rough start and the last thing it needs are reports of potential hardware problems with its "primary" device. While the appeal of Google's Stadia game streaming platform is that you can play on almost any device and operating system, the tech giant is positioning the Chromecast Ultra and the Stadia Controller as the best way to enjoy the service. That, however, flies in the face of reports that the Chromecast Ultra gets too hot to touch until its forcibly shuts down and boots users out of their game.

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Stadia is officially here, and as exciting as it may be to see the big G try its hand at game streaming, this launch has not been without its faults and controversies. Before launch, Google VP and Stadia lead Phil Harrison could be seen touting the capabilities of Stadia, noting on at least one occasion that all Stadia games would support 4K at launch. In the time since Stadia debuted, however, we've discovered that isn't entirely the case.

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Google's foray into game streaming is off to a very bad start. That fact is even more painful for Founders, those who put their faith in the Stadia promise the earliest. It is only now that all Founders Edition access codes have been sent out, at least according to Google, more than two days after the service went live. That phase of the launch may be over but some of the finer details continue to unravel and continue to catch Stadia subscribers off guard.

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Today we're going to look at a set of factors which will play into your decision to get Google Stadia as a Christmas (or any other holiday) gift this holiday season. I've decided to use Christmas in this example because it's what I celebrate in late December each year with the giving of the gifts and the gluttony of the foods. Google Stadia is an interesting proposition for Christmas because it offers both good and bad possibilities for both Christmas Day and the person for whom you'll be grabbing said gift.

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When smartphones started to sport metal unibody designs or, more recently, glass-metal-glass sandwiches, they also become more difficult to open up for repairs. Even authorized service centers would need specialized tools and training which were, naturally, unavailable to third-parties or DIYers. It seems that Google is using that same design philosophy on its Stadia controller, making it almost impossible to open up, at least for untrained hands, all for the sake of having a nearly seamless and blemish-free appearance.

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