Google Stadia may be dead but its controller will live on
Google Stadia may be dead but its controller will live on
Google has announced that it will make Stadia controllers compatible with other Bluetooth devices
Update: Google has now shared its Stadia Controller firmware update tool which lets you turn your now defunct pad into a regular old Bluetooth controller. Here’s how to switch your Stadia Controller to Bluetooth mode.
➡️ The Shortcut Skinny: Stadia controllers
🎮 Google has promised to unlock the Stadia controller so it can work on other Bluetooth devices
🤍 There were three Stadia controller colors released: white, blue and wasabi
🪦 Google Stadia shuts down for good on January 18, 2023
💰 Players who bought Stadia hardware, games or ad-ons have received a full refund
Original story: Google Stadia will cease to exist on January 18, but its controller will at least live on thanks to an upcoming workaround.
The Google Stadia controller is considered to be one of the more successful aspects of the search giant’s failed cloud gaming console, with players praising its ergonomic design and pleasing button layout.
Google even released three different colors of the controller during Stadia’s lifespan: white, blue, and – my personal favorite – wasabi.
However, the controller could only be paired with Stadia, making it a glorified paperweight come January 18. Google announced on September 29 that Stadia is dead and that its foray into the gaming space would come to an abrupt end. Although some developers had no idea it was shutting down.
Thankfully, Google has announced that Stadia controllers will get a new lease of life soon. A “self-serve tool” is set to be released that will “enable Bluetooth connections on your Stadia Controller”, according to the official Google Stadia Twitter account.
That’s great news for those who own more than a few Stadia controllers, and it could be a great way to play the best PC games if you’ve grown accustomed to using them.
Google is in the process of refunding all Stadia customers who bought any hardware, games or add-ons. The company said it intends to have the majority of refunds completed by January 18, the day Stadia shuts down.
In a final farewell, Google released a new game on the platform. “Worm Game” was a title developers used to test many of Stadia’s features before the platform launched publicly in 2019. You’ve only got a few days left to play it – which is true of all Stadia games, to be fair.
Google made many missteps with Stadia, though one could argue that it’s bowing out of the fight at the wrong time. Cloud gaming has seen a dramatic uptick in recent months, with Xbox Cloud Gaming and Nvidia GeForce Now spearheading the charge.
Samsung smart TVs now include Amazon Luna and other cloud gaming services as standard, and even Sony appears to be experimenting with PS5 game streaming if recent rumors are to be believed.
The biggest difference between these two services compared to Stadia, however, is that they’re generally seen as complementary to the native console and PC experience. They’re also subscription-based and don’t require users to pay full price for a digital copy of a game just to play.
First published: January 16, 2023
Updated: January 19, 2023