As teased for basically a whole month, Google is hosting its keynote at the Game Developer Conference in San Francisco, and the tech giant just announced a new gaming platform named Stadia.
The hardware was presented by Google CEO Sundar Pichai and by industry veteran Phil Harrison.
Unlike what many expected, it will be a streaming platform and not a console. Interestingly, it won’t share the network with general internet traffic since it will operate on Google’s own network backbone providing an experience as lag-free as possible.
Pichai presented the console as a “game platform for everyone” and providing games that are “instantly enjoyable.” It aims to “bring together” gamers, people who like to watch games, and developer.
The service will work in a really interesting way, providing instant access from browsers and platforms like YouTube, getting into the game in less than five seconds after pressing “play now.”
It’ll be available on any pretty much “any screen,” including desktops, laptops, tablets, TVs (with Chromecast or Chromecast Ultra), and smartphones at launch.
Players will be able to use their existing controllers on laptops or desktop PCs, but Google will offer its own controller named Stadia Controller which will connect directly via wi-fi to the datacenter.
It will include a “capture” button to share gameplay back to YouTube and the “Google Assistant” button which will connect players with an assistant who can provide support.
It will support 4K resolution, 60 frames-per-second, HDR, and surround sound. In the future, Google promises to be able to support 8k and over 120 frames-per-second. On top of that, the platform generates a second stream at 4K resolution and 60 FPS that can be livestreamed to viewers on YouTube.
The hardware Stadia is based on in Google’s datacenters is developed by AMD, and sports 10.7 teraflops of computing power, which is more than the power provided by PS4 Pro and Xbox One X combined. The platform will also be capable of running games on a single GPU or multiple.
Below you can check out a trailer, the controller, and the first confirmed partners.
If you want to see Stadia in action, you can also check out plenty of demo videos that were showcased during the presentation.
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