The new Chromecast with Google TV dongle will eventually have access to the Stadia cloud gaming app, despite it being MIA at launch.
The new dongle has a more traditional remote and smart TV interface, which made it all-the-more surprising a native Stadia app was not supported at launch.
However, since the Google Late Night In launch event, the Stadia team has confirmed that the platform will be available eventually. It may be quite a while with the company only committing to a roll out in the first six months of next year.
In a reply to Twitter user @moon_shaun, the Stadia team said: “Chromecast with Google TV will be supported on Stadia in the first half of 2021. We’d suggest keeping an eye on our social channels and community for updates.”
Related: Chromecast TV with Google TV vs Amazon Fire Stick
We’d had an inkling Stadia wouldn’t be missing for long thanks to leaks leading up to the event. The Chromecast with Google TV dongle went on sale early in the US and, although the app was missing from the interface, The Verge was able to get it working.
The reporter in question was able to sideload the app onto Stadia without issue, suggesting it wouldn’t be too hard for Google to tweak the app to run on the new dongle natively.
Thanks for your tweet, Shaun. Chromecast with Google TV will be supported on Stadia in the first half of 2021. We'd suggest keeping an eye on our social channels and community for updates.
— Stadia (@GoogleStadia) September 30, 2020
Why the company is holding fire on this at an important time for its cloud gaming efforts remains to be seen. The Chromecast with Google TV is such a great natural fit for the Stadia service we assumed this would be one of its major selling points upon entry into the market.
Given Microsoft’s Game Pass Ultimate now has the xCloud streaming compatibility on Android devices and Amazon’s pending entry into the market with its new Luna platform, Google could have stayed a step ahead here.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
