The tech company introduced its streaming game service Stadia, a cloud-based platform that eliminates the need to purchase new hardware and allows players to use their smartphones, televisions, and computers to access games anywhere there’s a connection.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai introduced the “game platform for everyone” during the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco on Tuesday, with VP Phil Harrison giving a demonstration and offering details for the industry’s newest addition.

Harrison confirmed that existing USB controllers are compatible with Stadia, but Google is also launching their own controller that offers some interesting features. It will have a dedicated streaming button that records and streams video to YouTube, along with a Google Assistant button that connects to the company’s search engine for any questions that occur mid-game.
Although Google isn’t the first company to introduce this concept, it sees Stadia as an opportunity to increase the ease of gaming by eliminating the need to download hardware and offering instant access to games, similar to how we have access to television, movies, and videos through streaming platforms like Netflix and YouTube.
“With Stadia, this waiting game will be a thing of the past,” Harrison said during the reveal.
No pricing information is available for the new service or controller; however, Stadia will hit the market in North America and Europe sometime this year.