Google’s Stadia is coming to phones – is yours compatible?

Google Stadia’s streaming service for video games will only be compatible with its own-brand Pixel smartphones — but fortunately there are other ways to play.

Stadia will only available to play on these following mobile phones from launch: Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL.

You won’t be able to play it on any other Android or iOS devices, but you can play it on other devices like the Chrome browser and a TV via a Chromecast Ultra.

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Stadia will enable cross-platform gameplay via streaming capable of 4K at 60fps. This has the potential to be a revolutionary platform in the video game market, and depending on its popularity it’s likely to be rolled out to other smartphones in the future. Google has already announced an extensive library of games that will be available on the platform, including Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Borderlands 3, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and the Elder Scrolls Online.

The Pixel 3 is the flagship of the series, which has a Snapdragon 845 processor and 4GB of RAM. We were satisfied with the performance of the smartphone in our review. There’s no doubt that the 12.2-megapixel f/1.8 camera is the main selling point of the phone, which performs among the best in the market. The Pixel 3 XL has a 6.3-inch screen rather than the 5.5-inch screen found on the standard version.

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Meanwhile the Pixel 3a was launched in May 2019 as a mid-range alternative and features a Snapdragon 670 processor with 4GB of RAM. The camera has the same hardware as its flagship cousin, an extremely impressive feature for a handset costing £399 ($399). There’s also a Pixel 3a XL version which has a 6-inch screen compared to 5.6-inches. We’ll have to see how well less powerful devices such as this can run Stadia, but evidently, it appears that Google has no performance concerns.