**UPDATE**

Google have finally released some long awaited details about the Stadia and we now know it's due to be available in 14 countries in November 2019 - but only to those who purchase the Founders Edition which costs £119 ($129) included in this you get a Stadia controller in "Night Blue", a Chromecast Ultra TV stick so you can use Stadia in 4K, a three-month subscription to Stadia Pro and a three-month "buddy" system where you can share with a friend, all of these items individually would set you back close to £200 so for those who are interested in Google Stadia the bundle is definitely good value for money.The Founders Edition is already up and available for pre-order on Google's store.

Price

Not including the Founders Pack the Google Stadia system has two options, you can go for the Pro version which has a subscription fee of £8 a month or the free version but there are some noticeable differences between the two options.

What's included?

Stadia Pro - available at launch in Founders Edition

• £8.99 a month
• Resolution: Up to 4K
• Frame Rate: 60 FPS
• Sound: 5.1 surround sound
• Buy games whenever you want: Yes
• Additional free games released regularly: Yes, starting with Destiny 2: The Collection
• Stadia Pro-exclusive discounts on select game purchases: Yes

Stadia Base - due to be launched in 2020

• Free
• Resolution: Up to 1080p
• Frame rate: 60 FPS
• Sound: Stereo
• Buy games whenever you want: Yes
• Access to free games released regularly: No
• Stadia Pro-exclusive discounts on selected game purchases: No

What games will be available?

A full comprehensive list of games hasn't been released yet with Google sharing in a tweet that more will be revealed at E3 in June and Gamescom in August, what we do know though is that Google have promised games from the likes of Bethesda, EA Games, Rockstar, Sega, Square Enix, Warner Bros and Ubisoft. That doesn't mean we have no idea what's coming, quite the opposite in fact with 30 games having been confirmed by Google to be available upon the launch of Google Stadia, these are;

• Assassin’s Creed Odyssey - Ubisoft
• Baldur’s Gate 3 - Larian Studios
• Borderlands 3 - 2K
• The Crew 2 - Ubisoft
• Darksiders Genesis - THQ Nordic
• Destiny 2 - Bungie
• Doom - Bethesda Softworks
• Doom Eternal - Bethesda Softworks
• Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 - Bandai Namco
• The Elder Scrolls Online - Bethesda Softworks
• Farming Simulator 19 - Giants Software
• Final Fantasy 15 - Square Enix
• Football Manager - Sega
• Get Packed - Coatsink
• GRID - Codemasters
• Gylt - Tequila Works
• Just Dance - Ubisoft
• Metro Exodus - Deep Silver
• Mortal Kombat 11 - Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
• NBA 2K - 2K
• Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid - nWay Games
• Rage 2 - Bethesda Softworks
• Rise of the Tomb Raider - Square Enix
• Samurai Shodown - SNK
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider - Square Enix
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint - Ubisoft
• Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 - Ubisoft
• Tomb Raider Definitive Edition - Square Enix
• Thumper - Drool
• Trials Rising - Ubisoft
• Wolfenstein: Youngblood - Bethesda Softworks

Not everything is as it seems however, not all games that will be on Google Stadia will be included in the £8 a month subscription fee and will still need to be purchased - at full price - in order to play

**END OF UPDATE**

Ever since the announcement of Google Stadia at GDC 2019 in San Francisco back in March, gamers have had a lot of questions about it. The new online streaming service which has been tipped to revolutionise gaming as we know it – here’s everything we know (and don't know) so far.

What is Google Stadia?

Google Stadia is a 100% online streaming service for games. No hardware is required so there's no need for an expensive console or additional memory to be purchased. You can use your own PS4 or Xbox One controller to play via your TV or buy the official Google Stadia controller if you want to take advantage of extra features. Read on for more on that!With Stadia being an online streaming service gamers are going to need a fast and reliable internet connection. You'll need to reach 25Mb/s to play games at 1080P, whereas for true 4k gaming a minimum of 30 Mb/s of internet speed is required. In May 2019 the average internet speed connection in the UK was 46.2 Mb/s which is more than enough to stream the top quality games on Stadia. However, the average rural internet connection a measly 18.3 Mb/s - Let’s take a moment of silence for those of us enduring dreadful village internet speeds…

The technical specs of Google Stadia are:

• Custom 2.7GHz hyper-threaded x86 CPU, with AVX2 SIMD and 9.5MB L2+L3 cache
• Custom AMD GPU with HBM2 memory and 56 compute units, capable of 10.7 teraflops
• 16GB of RAM, with up to 484GB/s of performance
• SSD cloud storage

How will the service work?

The online streaming service is tipped to be the epitome of gaming on the go, all you need is a strong internet connection. Google Stadia is compatible with TV’s, laptops, desktops and even selected phones and tablets. The footage we’ve seen from Google at GDC shows Assassins Creed being launched via a link at the end of a YouTube video. It really is as simple as clicking a button and diving straight into the game within seconds. No need for boring loading screens!If you haven't got a Smart TV that connects to the internet, a Google Chromecast will allow you to use the service. It's been compared to the likes of Netflix and Spotify, both of which have an extensive library of entertainment at your fingertips.

How much will Google Stadia cost?

We don't currently know how the Google Stadia service will cost, but it's likely to be paid for via a monthly subscription. Google has teased that Stadia will launch in 2019 in the US, Canada, the UK and most of Europe. We can expect to hear more details in the Summer, suggesting an Autumn release date.A yearly subscription for Sony’s PlayStation Now allows gamers access to over 500 games and will set you back £84.99 per year or £12.99 a month, Microsoft has their own version which has over 100 Xbox One and Xbox 360 games available for £7.99 a month.Current subscription services require players to download the titles and having the games saved to their console. Google Stadia, however, is offering is a service which eliminates the need to spend hours buying, downloading and installing individual games. That said, if Google wants Stadia to be a success they’ll need to work hard to justify a higher price. Seducing loyal gamers away from their consoles is no mean feat.

When is it released?

Like with everything else to do with Google Stadia there’s not much information released on when we can expect it to be available, all we know is that more information will be revealed in the Summer and that we can expect it to be available in some countries in 2019.

What games can you play on Google Stadia?

Google is keeping the Stadia catalogue very much under wraps for now. We’ve seen footage from Assassins Creed Odyssey and Doom Eternal so far but that’s pretty much it. One thing that seems certain is that we can expect some original content from Google's newly established development studio - they've been working on some exclusive original titles for the platform.Google is taking no risks when it comes to the success of its studio, aptly named 'Google Stadia Games and Entertainment'. It’s being led by Jade Raymond, who was an executive producer on huge titles such as Assassins Creed 2 and Watch Dogs.  We expect some big Stadia hits to emerge in the not too distant future!

The controller

Glance at the Google Stadia controller and you'd be forgiven for assuming it’s a new style of Sony's DualShock, thanks to side-by-side joysticks and button placement. We don't know the exact cost of the controller yet. With the PS4 controller costing £45 and the standard Xbox One controller costing between £45-£50, it’s expected that the Google Stadia will come in a little pricier than its counterparts.The controller, which connects via WiFi, has all the functions you would expect plus some exciting new features. A share function allows you to stream your game live as you play and upload directly to YouTube. Use the voice-command option to launch a game, add other players via voice command and much more.

Is this the future of gaming?

The core concept of gaming hasn’t changed much in recent years. Consoles are getting more powerful and graphics more realistic, and development is still centred around hardware. Only time will tell if Google is onto something. They could change modern gaming as we know it.Are you excited about Google Stadia? Leave a comment and let us know what you’re most looking forward to about it!