Google has announced that it is finally bringing its Stadia games streaming platform to Chromecast with Google TV, and a host of other Android TV devices. From Wednesday, 23rd June this expansion of the streaming service availability will be implemented, according to the official Stadia Community Blog.
The good thing with this announced launch is that many readers will already have the requisite hardware built into their TVs, or sitting under their TVs. The full added official Stadia support list is reproduced below:
- Chromecast with Google TV
- HiSense Android Smart TVs (U7G, U8G, U9G)
- Nvidia Shield TV
- Nvidia Shield TV Pro
- Onn FHD Streaming Stick and UHD Streaming Device
- Philips 8215, 8505, and OLED 935/805 Series Android TVs
- Xiaomi MIBOX3 and MIBOX4
The expansion means "millions more TVs [will] come to life with games available to play instantly with Stadia," reckons Google. But – what if your shiny new(ish) Android TV isn't listed above? "As for Android TV OS devices not on this list, you can opt into experimental support to play Stadia," says Google. "While this feature is still in development and not every Android TV OS device will work perfectly, you can now try out Stadia and play your favourite games on more screens than ever before."
Later this month, if you want to try out Stadia on your newly supported TV/STB, then head on over to the Play Store and grab the Stadia app. Google says you then simply launch it from the 'My Apps' row on the TV and continue through the opt-in screen. Google is still looking for feedback and is welcoming comments, bug reports and so on.
Some kind of games controller will be a must to use/enjoy Stadia on your newly enabled TV. While you can get the official Stadia controller, there are plenty of Bluetooth options which might include something you already own.
180+ games are currently available on Stadia. A free one-month trial is available, which becomes $9.99pcm if you don't cancel. As part of the subscription, you will get various free games every month. However, you can't carry over games you already own on other platforms.
