Google has updated the FAQ page for its upcoming Stadia cloud gaming service. Google has revealed in a comprehensive update to the service’s FAQ where Google promises that once you purchase the game on its platform, you’ll own the right to play it. That means you’ll still be able to access it even if time comes that it’s no longer available for purchase to other players. “Outside of unforeseen circumstances,” the FAQ says, “Stadia will aim to keep any previously purchased title available for gameplay.”
In addition, Google has confirmed that Stadia will support multiplayer titles, including couch-based coops in fact, you can use up to four Stadia controllers to play local multiplayer games. Speaking of the Stadia controller, the FAQ says it uses BLE for setup, but it connects via WiFi for gameplay. However, you can also connect the controller to a phone, a tablet or a PC via a USB cable plugged into its USB-C port.
The Stadia will only support mobile gameplay on a limited number of devices at launch, though, namely the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3a (3a, 3a XL, 3, 3XL) phones, as well as tablets running Chrome OS. Google says it’s working on compatibility for more devices the FAQ says, though, that the company doesn’t have news to share regarding VR support on the platform yet and you can buy games from any iOS 11+ or Android M+ device that can run the Stadia app.
Google is giving itself some wiggle room here with the phrase “unforeseen circumstances.” That could mean anything, and cloud gaming’s distribution model leaves open the possibility that true ownership of a streamed software license becomes even more of a diluted concept, just as terms of service and user license agreements have diluted the concept of owning and having control of both digital and physical goods. We’ll have to wait until the November launch of Stadia and see what unforeseen circumstances will force Google’s hand in this regard.
