Google unveils first details of Stadia streaming service

Google has detailed its new games streaming service Stadia, a cloud-based games platform accessed across all devices.
The service will see users playing games via internet streaming on smartphones, tablets, desktops, laptops and TV via a ChromeCast Ultra HDMI streamer, with full cross-play support. There is no hardware required, no dedicated console.
This is enabled by Google's global infrastructure, with data centres in more than 200 countries and territories around the planet.
The service will launch later this year. There was no mention of how the business model will work, whether users will pay for a subscription or buy licences for individual titles, but this is expected to be unveiled later in the year.
As expected, the technology builds on the Project Stream test from October last year where Assassin's Creed Odyssey was made playable through browsers, with Google CEO Sundar Pichai describing the service as "probably the worst-kept secret in the industry."
While this test was limited to 1080p, Google claims Stadia streams can be played in up to 4K at launch at 60fps, complete with HDR and surround sound. And there are plans to introduce 8K streaming in the future, with the company believing its adoption to be inevitable.
Google has partnered with AMD to build custom GPUs for its data centres that will power games played via Stadia, claiming the tech has 10.7 teraflops of power -- more than the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X combined (which offer 4.2 and 6.0 teraflops respectively).
Because Stadia can be accessed via any device, the addressable audience is already at over two billion, and Google is making it as easy as possible for those users to jump in.

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