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Google Releases Its Game Streaming Services Stadia & Stadia Pro For Free
By Mikelle Leow, 09 Apr 2020
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Image via Colleen Michaels / Shutterstock.com
For your mental health, it’s good to strike a balance between keeping busy and winding down during this uncertain work-from-home period. Google hopes to inject some play into your time at home as the world awaits for the coronavirus outbreak to tide over by giving away its video game streaming platform, Stadia, to the masses.
Stadia is now available for free to Gmail address owners. Before, you could only gain access to the service if you purchased a US$129 Google Stadia Premiere Edition bundle containing three months of Stadia Pro, a Chromecast Ultra, and a wireless Stadia Controller.
Perhaps more exciting is that Google is making Stadia Pro free for two months in 14 countries. A subscription entitles you to nine games, which, at present, consist of: Destiny 2: The Collection; GRID; Gylt; SteamWorld Dig 2; SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech; Serious Sam Collection; Spitlings Stacks on Stacks (on Stacks); Thumper.
Stadia Pro promises a streaming resolution of up to 4K and 60 frames per second with HDR lighting. Existing Stadia Pro members will get another two months automatically credited to their accounts for free.
After the two months are up, players can continue to use Stadia Pro at US$9.99 per month, cancel their subscription, or switch to the basic Stadia membership, which will stream at a resolution of up to 1080p with 60 frames per second and stereo sound. Google confirmed with TechCrunch that the basic Stadia access will be permanently free for registered users when the promotional period lapses.
While Stadia will be free, users will still need to buy games, which will be playable on a PC, Google Pixel phone, Chrome OS tablet, and other Android devices. Even though Google has its own gaming controller, it’s not a necessary gadget for the service, and gamers can still play Stadia games with their keyboards, USB controllers or computer mice.
To find out more about the free Stadia Pro subscription, head here.
[via Polygon and TechCrunch, cover image via Colleen Michaels / Shutterstock.com]
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