Google’s Stadia cloud gaming service is still riddled with limitations, but one of the biggest hurdles to adoption may have just disappeared you no longer need a specific Android phone to give it a try. Google is experimentally opening up support to any Android phone that can install the Stadia app, which means most devices with Android 6.0 or later should fit the bill. Now that Stadia is free to try and works on practically any Android phone, there’s little reason to hesitate.
To enable it, download and sign into the Stadia app, open settings, tap “Experiments,” and then toggle “Play on this device.” We’re curious if it will work on Android tablets as well.
The app’s new mobile touch controls overlay transparent buttons, analog sticks and a directional pad onto the screen. You can use these in place of a controller for any Stadia game. This type of setup can be frustrating, but it might do in a pinch. To try it out, load a game without a controller connected and select “Try touch gamepad.”
While these updates probably won’t convince those skeptical of Stadia to join Google’s cloud gaming service, it does show that the company is putting some thought into it and is helping users get more out of their investment. Hopefully more improvements are on the way.
