Some more details about Google Stadia features have been revealed in addition to the earlier announcement that achievements would be awarded retroactively in a Reddit AMA.
Google Stadia developers recently participated in a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) session on the /r/Stadia subreddit. Among the many questions and answers was the reveal of several key facts about the first days of Google's first dedicated gaming console. While there are a lot of positives, there are also some negatives mixed in with the bunch.
MIssing Stadia Features: Family Sharing, Achievements, and More
Aside from the aforementioned missing features, a fair few other key components aren't going to be ready for launch.
Let's start with Family Sharing, a concept where you buy a game once and share it across multiple accounts within a gaming service. It's great for families on a budget, but it won't be one of the Stadia features at launch. (Family Link, however, will be arriving so parents can control their kids' gaming experience.)
When it comes to using your phone with Google Stadia, you won't need it all of the time. You will, however, need to make use of your phone for the initial setup and buying games. The reply kind of just slipped it in there, but it seems like the console might not have a built-in store at launch.
The Pro game schedule still hasn't been announced, and there won't be any Stadia Connect before launch, either — so you're kinda out of luck if you were hoping to get more details about the console's features.
From what I can tell, it seems that the situation surrounding Google Stadia is a little murky. Some people have doubts about what Google can deliver on launch day, and those doubts even extend to the developers of its launch titles. One such developer expressed their concerns that Google would just outright cancel the project.
The developers, for their part, seem to have a solid plan for the future development of Google Stadia features.
"Our approach to releasing features on Stadia is similar to how we run Google Search, YouTube and other Google services: gradual rollout and continuous improvement, based on your feedback," said Stadia's Director of Product Andrey Doronichev in the Reddit AMA. "We always start with nailing the key user-journey and then proceed with releasing extra features. YouTube started with “watch video”. For Stadia it’s “Play the Game on your biggest screen”. New features will start popping as soon as one week after launch."
"I expect the first game with Stream Connect to launch by the end of the year," he continued. "The games that support State Share and Crowd Play will be released next year. And of course there are many more cool new platform features on the roadmap. We’re aiming to release new stuff weekly after 11/19."
While the list of Google Stadia features at launch might seem pretty dire, the team behind Google's gaming machine at least seem like they want to have a strong showing for post-launch improvements and content. We'll find out whether or not they can deliver in the coming weeks.
What do you think of the answers about Google Stadia features at launch? Do you think Google can deliver on their plans? Let us know in the comments below!