As Google barrels forward toward streaming gaming with
Monday's planned launch of Stadia, the company is talking about the many promised features that won't be available to Founder and Premier pre-order purchasers on day one.
- "On day 1, PC Chrome gameplay won't support 4K, HDR, or 5.1 Surround Sound." Those features will be added in 2020 for PC players.
- Stream Connect, which allows one player's Stadia viewpoint to be integrated with another player's stream, will not be available in any launch games. The first game to use it is expected to launch by the end of the year.
- State Share (which lets users share save files via links) and Crowd Play (which allows for quick jump-in multiplayer through a YouTube stream) won't be integrated into games until next year.
- At launch, Google Assistant integration will be limited to the ability to turn on the TV and start a game. Soon after launch, the Assistant button on the Stadia controller will work on Chromecast's Stadia homescreen. Assistant support on PCs and phones and during gameplay will come sometime after that.
- Family Sharing (which lets you buy a game once and share it with accounts held by family members) "is not supported on day one, so you’ll have to buy games for your child’s account." The feature is planned for addition "early next year."
- There is no Stadia UI for Achievements or Achievement notifications on day one. But if you happen to perform an in-game feat that would earn a specific Achievement, it will show up when the feature is rolled out "shortly after launch."
- Chromecast Ultra units included in the Founders/Premiere bundles are the only ones that will work with Stadia on day one. Other Chromecast Ultra units will be able to play Stadia games after an over-the-air update "soon after launch."
- The "Buddy Pass" that lets early adopters offer a free three-month Stadia trial to a friend will be sent "about two weeks after you receive your bundle, barring some unknown unknowns popping up."
- Currently, "the phone is needed for initial setup and buying games." Buying games through a Chromecast Ultra or the Web is not supported, and the AMA gave no indication if or when it would be added.
