Everything Announced About Stadia: Supported Devices, Packaging, Android App, And TV UI

One of Made by Google 2019’s first announcement is the launching date of Stadia, which is scheduled on November 19. At the event, Google also revealed some more details, including packaging, supported mobile devices, and Stadia UI for TVs and Android handsets.

November 19

After a few months of saying only that Stadia is coming in November, at the event yesterday, Rick Osterloh finally gave us an exact date, November 19 at 9 A.M in Germany, Belgium, Finland, US, UK, Sweden, Norway, Canada, Netherlands, Spain, Ireland, Denmark, France, and Italy, 14 countries in total.

He said that when Google Stadia was released, gamers would be able to purchase and play the games they like. Stadia Founder’s Edition would be shipped to users on the same day.

Packaging

Google also presented the packaging of Stadia at the event. With the Premiere Edition, when users slide off the box, they will see the Clearly White Controller, along with accessories including Chromecast Ultra, a USB-A to USB-C cable, power/Ethernet adapter, and wall charger.

There are also a note of welcome from the Stadia team and a guide called “Get Started” in the same box.

Stadia UI: Televisions

We also have a video from Google called “Everything You Need To Know Before Launch,” which shows a television with the home screen interface of Stadia via Chromecasts.

The interface follows the full-screen game cover art with Users’ Stadia avatar or name on the right and the ‘S’ beacon on the left. There is a play button for starting the stream and a carousel named “Your games” that show up from the bottom.

Google Stadia UI: Android App

With the mobile app of Stadia, we have tabs for “Play” and “Store.” To go to contacts, settings, and your profile icon, look for the controller icon at the screen’s top right. You can see your friends’ statuses in the “Friends” list showing whether they are “Busy,” “Offline,” “Online,” or “Idle.”

Mobile Device Availability

Here is the list of Chrome OS tablets that support Stadia, taken from the caption of the video: HP Chromebook X2, Pixel Slate, Acer Chromebook Tab 10. Supported smartphones include Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL, Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 3a, and Pixel 3a XL.

One of the highlights of the Stadia Controller is the way it can connect with Stadia instances in the cloud via Wi-Fi. According to Google, the controller will work with TVs via a Chromecast Ultra at launch.

Design Inspiration

There is an inside story of how Stadia’s hardware took inspiration from knife handles. Google said that the controller was made for both larger and small hands. The company opted for a design with no screw, meaning the outer is held together by clips.

The decision to not using screw has given Stadia controller a clean and nice look, instead of having holes. This kind of design is a real challenge, and what we have today is a seamless and comfortable controller.