What is Google Stadia, how much does it cost and what do you need?

pocket-lint.com:

(Pocket-lint) — Google's cloud gaming platform is available across 22 countries, including the UK and US, in its paid and free forms.

Called Stadia, it is the company's "Netflix of games" — of sorts — with games hosted on remote servers and video streamed to connected devices, including smartphones, tablets, computers and TVs.

But what does Stadia offer? And how does it differ from other cloud gaming services?

Google Stadia is a cloud gaming service whereby games can be purchased and played, but don't have to be downloaded to a console or PC.

That's because, through multiple connected devices, including phones, laptops and TVs, you play the game in real time, but it's actually run on a remote Stadia server somewhere else in the world. The video of the gameplay is transmitted to your device over the internet, while the control codes from a game controller are sent in the other direction.

The biggest hurdle other similar services have encountered over the years is latency — the time it takes from the moment you move the controller thumbstick or press a button to the action occurring on screen.

But, where Stadia differs from some other platforms, such as Nvidia GeForce Now and PlayStation Now, is that its servers are placed in a vast number of locations around the globe. That shortens the distance between player and a server to stream from.

In addition, Google has developed a dedicated Stadia controller that connects to the internet directly via Wi-Fi, rather than your device (when you are playing at home, at least). That means it sends controller codes without having to submit them to your phone, tablet or other connected device first. That cuts down on milliseconds of latency and, in gaming, that really matters.

Usually