Yesterday, Google dropped a ton of new details on its Stadia streaming service. We got information on pricing, release plans, and data requirements.
Google recommended a minimum download speed of 10 Mbps for 720p resolution and stereo sound at 60 frames per second, 20 Mbps for 1080p resolution with HDR and 5.1 surround sound at 60 fps and a whopping 35 Mbps for 4k resolution with HDR and 5.1 surround sound at 60 fps.
Given these high data requirements, folks with capped data have a right to be concerned. So the nice people at PC Gamer did some math, and the results paint a grim picture.
They tell us that “works out to around 15.75GB per hour of 4K streaming, 9GB per hour of 1080p, or 4.5GB per hour at 720p.” With these numbers, you’ll easily hit the 1TB mark in 113 hours of 1080p gaming or just 65 hours for 4k gaming. If you have a data cap, the cap will be reached extremely quickly, especially if you’re sharing your connection with your family/roommate.
A lot of unlimited plans in India implement a fair usage policy. This means that after a certain threshold of data has been downloaded, your download speeds will slow down to a crawl. Google said that it “will have more to share on specifics closer to launch, this announcement was mostly about games and pricing.”
The games coming to Stadia include Destiny 2, Mortal Kombat X. Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, Gyit, Baldur’s Gate III, Doom Eternal, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Stadia is set to release in November, a $10 “Pro-tier” subscription allows up to 4k gaming streaming and some free games given occasionally. For $129, a “Founder’s” Edition will come with a three-month subscription, a dark blue controller and a Chromecast Ultra. The “Base” plan won’t require you to buy a subscription but it’ll only go up to 1080p. New games will have to be purchased separately on any plan.
