Google confirmed last week that in January 2023 (in other words, just circa 3 months away) they would officially be discontinuing their Stadia service. As we said at the time though, while moderately surprising, we can’t pretend that we were overly shocked about the news either. – The writing had been on the wall for quite some time, and, with Google having a pretty consistent history of killing off even mildly unsuccessful tech, it wasn’t a case of if for the Stadia, but when.
With this in mind though, the shutdown of Stadia has raised more than a few concerns among its small but loyal community. Chief among which is the future of the controller which many consider to be one of the nicest around in terms of ergonomics and general ‘hand feel’. As such, following a growing Reddit feed, many people are now formally asking Google to fully unlock the Stadia controller’s Bluetooth functionality so that, ultimately, it doesn’t end up being rendered (at least partially) obsolete!
Save the Stadia Controller!
While the Stadia’s controller does have Bluetooth functionality, it is mostly limited to the initial set-up of the system and connecting it to a device (TV, PC browser, etc.). While it does contain a more traditional Bluetooth capability (meaning that it could be connected to any compatible device), however, Google has, to date, kept this switched off despite once promising that it would be unlocked in an update.
While it can still successfully work as a controller on most systems via a USB cable, what the community is asking is for Google to give the controller one last update which will see its Bluetooth capabilities completely unlocked so that, you know, a cable will not be necessary. It’ll work as per any third-party Bluetooth controller would.
And lest we forget, Google is refunding owners of the controller and also any/all Stadia purchases so, by allowing its full Bluetooth functionality, it will basically save a number of the controllers from a literal landfill of redundant tech!
It’s a move that, in truth, would probably not just be hugely appreciated by its Stadia community, but more so, the fact that it’ll allow the controller to significantly outlast the service. And more so, if a Stadia controller should pop up in my local CEX, I’d be tempted to give it a while to see if it can finally replace the Xbox 360 as my PC gaming controller of choice!
Why? Well, as above, I’ve only ever heard good things about it! – Put simply, Stadia might be dead, but that doesn’t mean its controller has to go the same way!
What do you think? – Let us know in the comments!
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