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After flopping at release, Google is hoping more people get on board with its gaming streaming service by making it free.
Believe it or not, there was actually a period of time where we were pretty excited for Stadia at Thred.
We wrote a lot about it during the build up to launch. Google gave us plenty of reasons to be hyped about this new, Netflix lookalike service that had the potential to drastically shake up how we consume games. The idea of jumping onto Red Dead Redemption 2 on an iPhone in your local park was interesting and unique.
Unfortunately, Stadia released to tepid sales and lukewarm buzz. The technical limitations were fairly obvious, with significant latency issues, screen tearing, and poor connection plaguing the experience for many. It felt like a beta test or early access launch rather than a finished product, and with sky rocket prices for games that were already a few years old, it just didn’t make a lot of sense to get involved.
That may be about to change, however, as Google has just released its free ‘tier service’ for Stadia that allows anyone with a Gmail account to get started. Players are also being offered two months of Stadia Pro as part of a trial, with existing customers being given the equivalent time for free.
After that, you can pay a monthly subscription of £8.99. This gives you a limited choice of games (you’ll still need to buy most on top), and 4K HDR capabilities. You’ll definitely want those high res features if you’re playing on a big screen, so if you are committed to Stadia you’ll probably need to jump all in.
This initiative may bring new players into the Stadia service, which is sorely needed, but it certainly won’t be enough. Stadia needs to be more reliant as a service, cheaper in general, and marketed clearer to help most of the public better understand how it works. At present it’s a bit confusing to anyone who isn’t deeply into gaming, and that’ll no doubt continue to put off new potential customers for the time being.
You might not see this new free tier available immediately, as the company has stated it’ll be rolling the free tier out globally within the next 48 hours. Some regions may have to wait a little longer than others too, so be warned! You can check out the site for yourself here.
