Google announces Stadia, its streaming video-game platform

Google's keynote Tuesday at the Game Development Conference 2019 introduced Google Stadia, the company's new streaming video-gaming platform. Stadia could change the face of gaming, as it aims to create a single online platform where games can be downloaded, played and shared at high-speeds and with no lag in pixel resolution.

"Games don't have instant access," Google CEO Sundar Pichai said at the 2019 Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco. "Think about the way the web works. You can easily share a link and it works seamless. We want games to feel that way too. Instantly enjoyable with access to everyone." 

Stadia uses cloud-based gaming, which could make bulky video game consoles a thing of the past.

Stadia aims to create a 24/7 warehouse for accessing, watching and playing video games across desktops, laptops, TVs, tablets and phones. The games will run and be accessed through Stadia's Google Data Center. Players can play on devices they already have, and by using the new Stadia controller, which Google calls "your gateway to the best of Stadia." 

The controller uses WiFi to connect directly with the selected game running through Stadia's Data Center. It also includes buttons that share and save content to YouTube and can connect users to Google engineers for assistance with its built-in microphone.

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"Our vision for Stadia is simple: One place for all the ways we play," Google Vice President Phil Harrison said Tuesday. "It's focused on gamers, inspired by developers, and amplified by Youtube creators."

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