Google Stadia controller: Price and features

The Stadia Controller available as a pre-order

A few weeks ago now, Google created the event (or not) by detailing the launch of Stadia, its video game streaming platform. We know that Google Stadia will be launched at the end of the year, with the possibility for the player to opt for two separate subscriptions, one free and the other for a fee, offering various levels of privileges for the games offered on the platform. A Google Stadia that already worries about the consumption of data that will be necessary for its use....

Until now, interested parties could pre-order the Founder's Edition of Google Stadia, provided they paid 129 euros. At this price, we will have a pack containing a Chromecast Ultra, a Night Blue controller and 3 months of Stadia Pro subscription. From now on, it is possible to pre-order the controller alone.

Stadia Controlle: at the price of $69

Indeed, the Google Store now lists the Stadia Controller, which can be pre-ordered in Clearly White, Just Black or Wasabi version... provided you pay 69 dollars. However, Google warns future buyers on its online store: "You won't be able to play Stadia right away when you buy the Stadia Controller. Buy the Stadia Controller alone only if you already have access to Stadia via the Founder Edition, and you are looking for a second controller, or if you have access to it via a Buddy Pass and want to use the Stadia Controller".

Let's remember that Google Stadia will first of all only be available in "Pro" version (for a fee) and that a free subscription will arrive at the beginning of 2020. A video game streaming service that will therefore try to seduce players, even if Stadia still has many shaded areas at the moment...

Google Stadia: a controller that is useless without the Founder Edition

If you plan to buy it in order to be among the first to test the cloud gaming platform, you can abstain for the moment. "You won't be able to play Stadia immediately if you just buy a Stadia controller. Buy the Stadia controller alone only if you already have access to Stadia via Founder's Edition and you need a second controller, or if you have access to it via a Buddy Pass and you want to use the Stadia controller," he explains on the site.

Upstream of the E3 2019, Google had announced that Stadia would be exclusive to the purchasers of the Founder Edition package in the first instance. Buying the controller separately is therefore only used to launch the platform (Google Stadia will be available in November 2019 in France) to buy a second pad. As a reminder, the bundle is sold for 129 euros and contains a limited edition night blue controller, a Chromecast Ultra and a 3-month subscription. When we do the math, given the price of the Chromecast Ultra and the controller, it's a bit like if the three months of access to Stadio Pro are "free". But this forces users who are already equipped to buy back equipment. Stadia seems to us more like a solution for casuals or new players than for experienced gamers.

One of the advantages of the Founder Edition is also the possibility of reserving your nickname (gamertag) and guaranteeing the availability of your own. In this regard, a Google Stadia executive said that players will be able to change their nickname as many times as they wish and that there will be no restrictions. However, we do not know if it will be free. Usually, the first modification is offered and then the next ones are invoiced. This is the case on Blizzard Battle.net for example, or for PSN nicknames on PS4 recently.

	Extensive Product Selection ● Over 300,000 products ● 20 different categories ● 15 local warehosues ● Multiple top brands		Convenient Payment ● Global payment options: Visa, MasterCard, American Express ● PayPal, Western Union and bank transfer are accepted ● Boleto Bancario via Ebanx (for Brazil)
	Prompt Shipping ● Unregistered air mail ● Registered air mail ● Priority line ● Expedited shipping		Dedicated After-sales Service ● 45 day money back guarantee ● 365 day free repair warranty ● 7 day Dead on Arrival guarantee (DOA)