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New Google Chromecast will not support Stadia, according to leak

Ahead of this Wednesday’s Pixel 5 event, the rumored new Google Chromecast appears to have leaked, and it doesn’t seem to offer Stadia support.

A Reddit user shared multiple images of the device in action, which appear to confirm that it doesn’t work with Google’s cloud gaming service, Stadia. One picture shows a message that reads, “Your device isn’t compatible with this version,” on the Stadia app page. The Stadia logo doesn’t appear on images of the device’s alleged box art.

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Stadia does work on the Chromecast Ultra, which was bundled with the cloud service’s Premiere Edition starter kit.

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The new Chromecast suffered another apparent leak over the weekend when people reported seeing the device on Home Depot shelves for $50. The Verge confirmed the reports, saying that it was able to purchase one in-store.

Well looky what I found. https://t.co/XKiOt1mINn pic.twitter.com/PVZrcRzaLa

— Chris Welch (@chriswelch) September 28, 2020

The images line up with recent rumors about the device, including its $50 price point and “Sabrina” code name. The leaks also back up reports that Android TV will rebrand to Google TV, which appears on the box.

Digital Trends reached out to Google for comment and will update this story when we hear back.

Giovanni Colantonio
As Digital Trends' Senior Gaming Editor, Giovanni Colantonio oversees all things video games at Digital Trends. As a veteran…
Google Stadia’s dedicated community faces heartbreak amid service closure
Google Stadia controller.

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Stadia had a rocky launch and was never able to recover. So while the official Stadia Twitter account tried to squash rumors it was shutting down a few months ago, it couldn't stop what people saw as inevitable. However, it still came as a huge shock to many in the Stadia community. While Google is offering refunds on purchases, it can't fix what had become a tightly knit community of people who needed the failing platform to play.

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Google recently announced that it plans to shutter its cloud gaming service Stadia in early 2023, leaving players who used it as one of their primary platforms in an awkward situation. Google already promised to refund people for their Google Stadia hardware and software purchases, but people are still losing access to games they enjoyed and save files they possibly dumped hours into. Thankfully, some developers are working on ways to help Stadia players.
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https://twitter.com/UbisoftSupport/status/1575922767593078793
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google stadia release date november 19 controller pax west 1 2

Google announced yesterday that it will shut down Stadia in January. The good news is that refunds will be given to everyone who bought all Stadia hardware, including its controller, so long as they bought it from the Google Store. You don't have to return the controller to get the refund (see the platform's FAQ page), but it doesn't have to go to waste just because Stadia is shutting down.

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