Skip to main content

Google Stadia pre-orders don’t guarantee you’ll get to play on release day

Google Stadia launches on November 19 (sort of), with those who purchased the Founder’s Edition getting access to the streaming service, along with a new controller and Chromecast Ultra. However, it appears that it could be too late to get into the fun on launch day, even if you’ve already pre-ordered Google Stadia.

On the official Stadia Facebook page, Google posted that the Founder’s Edition had been completely sold out. Along with the aforementioned accessories, the Founder’s Edition bundle also include a badge, the ability to pick your name before other players, three months of the Stadia Pro subscription service, and a Buddy Pass that gives a friend three months of Stadia Profor free. With this bundle, you have everything you need to play Google Stadia, provided that you have a television with a USB port and a moderately fast internet connection.

Related Videos

Now that the Founder’s Edition is sold out, the Premiere Edition is your option if you want to play Stadia in 2019, and it costs the same $129. It includes most of what is offered in the Founder’s Edition, but with a white controller instead of a blue one and no Buddy Pass for a friend. This would still be a no-brainer for anyone interested in playing Stadia come November 19, but Google recently told The Verge that pre-orders do not guarantee first access.

Watch Dogs Legion - 'Welcome to the Resistance' Official Trailer | Stadia Connect

Even Founder’s Editions might not arrive on time, with Google only expecting all Founder’s Edition and Premiere Edition bundles to be released within the first two weeks of the service’s official launch. It’s hardly the end of the world when considering that those jumping on board this early likely have another way to play games in the interim, but it’s bizarre when comparing it to the rest of the game industry — could Call of Duty: Modern Warfare players be satisfied with getting their game two weeks after everyone else?

More Google Stadia options will be available slightly later down the road. This includes a Stadia Pro membership without any bundle — Stadia supports other controllers — as well as a Stadia Base service that doesn’t require a subscription fee. Stadia Pro will only cost $10 per month, and should include enough content to keep subscribers busy for a long time.

Editors' Recommendations

Google Stadia shutting down in January and users are getting full refunds
Google Stadia controller.

After three years, Google Stadia is coming to an end. The Silicon Valley giant announced that the cloud-streaming platform will be going offline on January 18, 2023.

In a blog post published on Thursday, Phil Harrison, Stadia's vice president and general manager, said the company made the difficult decision to shut down Stadia because the cloud-streaming service hasn't "gained the traction with users" that it expected since its launch in 2019. This is despite the developed technology that allowed players to play demos from YouTube videos on their favorite games and then purchase them later, no console required.

Read more
Logitech made its own lightweight handheld built for cloud gaming
The Logitech G Cloud Gaming Handheld sits on a stack of comics.

Although I can be tough on cloud services that have faults, I actually do enjoy cloud gaming on Google Stadia and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate quite a bit, and I’m excited about the technology’s potential for both players and developers. Currently, most of my cloud gaming takes place on my phone, but Logitech and Tencent Games want me to start playing cloud games on a new device. In October, the Logitech G Cloud Gaming Handheld starts rolling out, and it hopes to become the way to play cloud games.
During a hands-off preview of the device, Logitech certainly delivered on highlighting an Android-powered device with two native cloud gaming apps that players can use to enjoy games with a Wi-Fi connection. At $350, though, it feels like a solution for a niche usage problem that similarly priced devices already solve. I could see myself enjoying this device if I wanted to stream a video game from my bed or a room without my TV and consoles. Unfortunately, it seems outclassed by just the ability to stream games on a midrange-or-better phone, something anyone reading this can likely do already.

What is the Logitech G Cloud Gaming Handheld?
From a technical perspective, the Logitech G Cloud Gaming Handheld contains specs that wouldn’t feel out of place on a mid-range mobile device. It features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G octa-core 2.3GHz CPU, as well as 4GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 64GB of internal storage that people can expand with an SD card. The display is a 7-inch IPS multi-touch screen that displays at a 1080p resolution with a 60Hz refresh rate. Players can listen to audio through its stereo speaker, a 3.5mm stereo audio jack, or a Bluetooth 5.1 connection.
What sets it apart is that Logitech built the controllers into the device, giving it a Nintendo Switch-like look. It has the d-pad, analog joysticks, buttons, bumpers, and triggers expected of a modern controller, plus a Home button to bring players to the home screen and a “G button” that will access more system-specific settings. Players will be able to remap the controls however they wish, though. On top of that, players can expect the Logitech G Cloud Gaming Handheld to have haptics feedback, a gyroscope, a light sensor, and even a built-in stereo microphone with echo canceling and noise suppression support.
These aren’t top-of-the-line specs by any means, but Logitech made this choice because the device is made for gaming natively on the device. It also allowed them to get the device’s weight down to only 463 grams and give it a battery life of around 12 hours (it uses USB-C to charge), which has never been seen on a gaming handheld. Think of the Logitech G Cloud Gaming Handheld as an Android 11 tablet with built-in controllers, uniquely tailored UI, and access to native Xbox Cloud Gaming and Nvidia GeForce Now, and Google Play Store apps.

Read more
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle R is a great fighter, if you don’t play online
Jotaro pointing at the screen in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R.

In an age where all fighting games are getting stronger netcode with rollback updates, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle had the potential to make an impact with an all-new updated port featuring new characters and mechanics. The original version that was released for the PlayStation 3 was plagued by a 30 frames per second (fps) frame rate and terrible online play. A new release has the potential to fix all those issues and give the game a second life.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle R - First Announcement Trailer | PS5, PS4

Read more