Google Stadia Offers Livestreaming, Game Trials, And Mod Support

Google Stadia will come with game trials as well as support livestream and mods options, according to John Justices, vice president and head of product at Google Stadia. The statement was made on Sunday, with Justice adding that there’s a push for game saving across platforms.

He was invited to join a Google Stadia focused podcast, dubbed StadiaCast. In the interview, Justice said that game demos will be offer in the cloud gaming subscription service, but users will not only try new games, but they will also be able to test out Stadia in upcoming trials.

In addition, he confirmed that both cross-platform saves and mod support are being pushed for Google Stadia. The timeframe for the addition of these features depends on the games and developers.

For livestreaming, subscribers can watch streams or stream themselves. The company is still working on the details but users will livestream on Youtube.

Accessibility is another feature that Justice brought up during the podcast. He said that he’s on the work to remap buttons on all games, which is important for gamers using special controllers while playing. Plus, he said that mouse controls and keyboards cannot be used over the cloud.

The Stadia controller won’t include a gyro sensor, meaning there won’t be motion controls. But early game developers don't want that, said Justice.

There were a few questions Justice did not provide a clear answer to as he said the team is still working on details, including family sharing so to allow multiple users in one account, parental controls to prevent kids from playing mature-rated games and buy games without consent, and how Stadia works with game subscription services like Uplay Plus.

As stated by Justice, the best place for giving new features and feedback is Google Stadia’s subreddit as the team visits often. Additionally, there are plans for Stadia Connect in the future.