The Google Stadia controller is being saved at the death

gamedeveloper.com:

Google Stadia will shut down in a matter of days, but there might still be time for the Stadia gamepad to hop into a lifeboat and drift off into the sunset.

At the start of the weekend, Google explained it will be releasing a self-serve tool later this week that will enable Bluetooth connections on Stadia gamepads.

The announcement, shared on Twitter, indicates that players who've been asking Stadia to ensure the pad can survive the streaming services' impending shutdown will have their wish granted.

Indeed, in September last year we reported that a growing number of Stadia owners had started petitioning Google to ensure the controller can live on.

At the time, a number of Stadia owners praised the design of the controller but noted that without intervention from Google it risked quickly become a relic, largely because the pad can't currently be used wirelessly without Stadia itself or compatible Chromecast hardware.

What's more, Google has pledged to refund Stadia hardware purchased through its official store, but the company hasn't asked for that hardware to be returned in order to claim a refund. That means there'll likely be a bunch of Stadia gamepads left in wild after the service has been laid to rest.

Some users had served up various home-brew solutions that could be used to extend the life of the controller, but others called on Google to provide an official solution. Now, it seems the company intends to do precisely that.