Stadia, Google's cloud gaming service, is now available for iOS, a little over a year after its initial launch. This means that anyone with an iPhone or iPad can now subscribe to Stadia and access AAA-class games.
Because of the rules Apple has in place for its cloud gaming service, Google has followed Nvidia and its GeForce Now service by allowing users to access its streaming library from mobile Safari. Microsoft's xCloud will launch next year in a similar fashion.
iPhone and iPad users will need to click on the share icon and tap the "add to home screen" button when accessing the Stadia website. This will create a container on the user's home page that will immediately direct them to the Stadia website via Safari. [In other words, users can join in on the gameplay without having to pay the $9.99/month Stadia subscription. In reality, however, the majority of users who dive into Stadia will do so to participate in new AAA titles without having to spend money on an expensive gaming PC. [At the moment, "Cyberpunk 2077" is the game that is bringing both consoles and PCs to their knees. Unless run on the most high-end hardware, Cyberpunk 2077 will struggle with performance.
However, Stadia, with its powerful servers, is able to stream Cyberpunk 2077 to its users at excellent frame rates. Dominic L. of The Sixth Axis said that graphically demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077 are the is the best fit for Stadia membership, he wrote in the article.
There will be some quirks when using Stadia on iOS devices. Primarily, the screen will be cluttered with app icons for individual games; Apple allows users to open siloed Netflix from other parts of iOS and browse its catalog, but Apple has said that at least for games that are not part of Apple Arcade feels that each game title needs its own app; if you want to play both Destiny 2 and Cyberpunk 2077 on your iPhone, Stadia would have to create separate icons for each.
Demand to play Cyberpunk 2077 was so high that Google had to cancel a promotion offering a free Stadia controller and Chromcast Ultra to those who pre-ordered the game.
Because Stadia is a streaming service, it relies heavily on a quality Internet connection. Playing over a wired connection via Ethernet yields the best results. For mobile users, it is best to play over a fast 5 GHz connection. It would also be best to play with a Bluetooth controller like a PS4 or Xbox One controller. Playing "Assassin's Creed Valhalla" on a touchscreen would likely be cumbersome.
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