Google Stadia Adds Support for All Android Devices and Touch Controls in New Update

Google Stadia is rolling out a few new updates today, which include being playable on more mobile devices, new touch controls and improved resolution settings.

As announced on Stadia’s blog, the cloud-based gaming platform is now supported on OnePlus 5, 6 and 7 mobile phones, and now has an app that lets Stadia be technically playable on any Android device. I say “technically” because the post stresses how support for these devices is “still in development and not every phone will work perfectly.” Given how the service has run into trouble running games correctly even under optimal conditions, I’d expect the experience to be pretty rough.

There are also new touch controls for every game on Stadia, overlaying all the inputs from a controller onto your phone or tablet’s screen. It’s not ideal, but then again, neither is strapping a controller to your phone in public, so for slower-paced titles, it might be a viable option.

Stadia is also finally addressing a complaint with the service at launch, which was the inability to change a game’s resolution on the device itself, instead needing to do so through the Stadia app. Now, users can set the preferred resolution to each device without needing the app.

Stadia is also offering a $10 voucher for Pro members to use on any game in the store. The Stadia Pro subscription normally costs $9.99 per month and offers a number of free games on a monthly basis, but you can get the first month for free.

It’s fair to say Stadia has had a bit of a rough start since its November 2019 release, but at least these changes show that Google isn’t giving up on the platform just yet.