The day has come, Google has finally opened up their Linux-powered game streaming service Stadia. They're giving you two free months of Pro too, so you can try it with the Pro games without paying a penny.
Announced on the Google Blog, they mentioned the current trying times with social distancing and how difficult it can all be. Since a lot of people are stuck at home they're giving gamers in "14 countries free access to Stadia for two months". When in, you will instantly be able to play these games that you can claim free with Pro:
- Destiny 2: The Collection
- GRID
- Gylt
- SteamWorld Dig 2
- SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech
- Serious Sam Collection
- Spitlings
- Stacks on Stacks (on Stacks)
- Thumper
Do keep in mind, that to continue playing them you need to keep up the Pro subscription which can be cancelled at any time. I've tested the cancellation procedure, and there's no issues with it. Takes a few clicks and it's automatic. You can buy games too at any time, to keep them. Google also run special discounts for Pro subscriptions. If you stop your Pro, you can re-subscribe any time and then get back access to previously claimed games too.
To acccess Stadia: make sure you have a Chromium/Chrome browser and then you need to go to Stadia.com to sign up, and then you should be able to just get going. If you have a gmail account, you shouldn't need to create anything extra. However, Google said that it may take up to 48 hours for this opening to be available everywhere.
Apart from that, there's not much else special you need. It works with mouse and keyboard plus it's worked with my Steam Controller, and the Logitech F310 is fine too. As long as it's picked up as an input type in your browser, it should work. You don't need their own Stadia controller.
If you want a few extra helpful features, you can also try out the Stadia+ extension, which is open source.
As a reminder, there's been a lot of updates around Stadia lately. In short: Google has promised at least 120 games on it this year, they've opened dedicated studios to work on Stadia games, Typhoon Studios has joined them to work on Stadia games, Splash Damage are working on an exclusive game for Stadia and more. You can see a recent round-up we did here.
I'm definitely keen to see what more people think of it, after having a great experience with it personally. I regularly play The Division 2 (video on YouTube) and Assassins Creed both on my Linux desktop and my Chromecast without issues.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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Oh hey, finally I'll be able to try this and compare it to other streaming services I used. Also a good opportunity to check Destiny 2 out.
1 Likes, Who?
Why is it not compatible with Firefox?
Last edited by Shmerl on 8 April 2020 at 4:50 pm UTC
Last edited by Shmerl on 8 April 2020 at 4:50 pm UTC
11 Likes, Who?
Why is it not compatible with Firefox?Unsure but perhaps now with people flooding in, some people smarter than me can find a way? ;)
1 Likes, Who?
Stadia is also a great way to play games that do not run in Linux due to Anti-Cheat compatibility like The Division 2. Comparing to my previous Windows installation, works as well or even better than running in Windows 10!
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If there is a chrome snap, I might give it a test run. Not really interested in the games that come with it, but still curious about the tech.
0 Likes
If there is a chrome snap, I might give it a test run. Not really interested in the games that come with it, but still curious about the tech.I tested using the Chromium Snap, worked fine.
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If nothing else, it has allowed me to confirm that my internet connection is too poor to play this. Yay for free trials :)
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For those not able to sign up yet from the website, I managed to create a free Stadia account using the Stadia mobile Android app.
I'll probably give Pro a try but I feel GeForce Now has a *MUCH* bigger selection of games that don't work in Lutris/Proton compared to Stadia. Since I have a gaming computer already, cloud gaming is only useful when non-native games don't run in Lutris/Proton and I don't want to play AAA games on my phone with it's tiny screen.
One big advantage I see with Stadia is that it has Red Dead Redemption 2, while GeForce Now doesn't and will probably never work in Wine due to how it uses both DirectX and Vulkan simultaneously.
On the other hand, GFN has tons of anti-cheat enabled titles borked on Linux like Fortnite, Apex Legends, PUBG, Hell Let Loose, WW3, Paladins, Darwin Project, Rust, etc. GeForce Now works on Linux with the Android VM. I posted instructions on how to set it up. Unfortunately, it seems most people are having major issues getting their Android VM to work like mine, so I'm almost tempted to just create a pre-built QEMU VM image and script that people can download and use with almost no setup at all.
Last edited by Xaero_Vincent on 8 April 2020 at 8:23 pm UTC
I'll probably give Pro a try but I feel GeForce Now has a *MUCH* bigger selection of games that don't work in Lutris/Proton compared to Stadia. Since I have a gaming computer already, cloud gaming is only useful when non-native games don't run in Lutris/Proton and I don't want to play AAA games on my phone with it's tiny screen.
One big advantage I see with Stadia is that it has Red Dead Redemption 2, while GeForce Now doesn't and will probably never work in Wine due to how it uses both DirectX and Vulkan simultaneously.
On the other hand, GFN has tons of anti-cheat enabled titles borked on Linux like Fortnite, Apex Legends, PUBG, Hell Let Loose, WW3, Paladins, Darwin Project, Rust, etc. GeForce Now works on Linux with the Android VM. I posted instructions on how to set it up. Unfortunately, it seems most people are having major issues getting their Android VM to work like mine, so I'm almost tempted to just create a pre-built QEMU VM image and script that people can download and use with almost no setup at all.
Last edited by Xaero_Vincent on 8 April 2020 at 8:23 pm UTC
1 Likes, Who?
For those not able to sign up yet from the website, I managed to create a free Stadia account using the Stadia mobile Android app.
Same here, couldn't sign up on website, but used the app to activate my free trial. I've only briefly tried GRID and it was quite playable. But I'm not sure if it's the game or Stadia, as the car seems in focus but everything else is quite soft. I will try a few of the other titles probably tomorrow. I was using my Steam gamepad, but it didn't detect it properly. Not sure it has full compatibility with unofficial wireless pads yet.
0 Likes
Why is it not compatible with Firefox?
What Mirv said
I would'nt bother, it's shit for FPS like I expected, it's worse than a damn console !
Just tried D2 , it's shocking the lag and not just input either.
Credits where it's due for what they've managed but sorry, despite what some will tell you it's a loooooooooong way of for first person shooters. I deal for things like Stellaris ect.
Last edited by pete910 on 8 April 2020 at 11:31 pm UTC
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-- ha, nevermind, just opened up. And....wow, such input lag! The "framerate" was fine, but there's simply no possible way to play any game with that kind of input lag.Civilization? (not that they have it)
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Tried to play Destiny 2 and I couldn't even get past the start screen. Kept telling me about cross saves and wouldn't do anything after that...
Never mind, I needed to hold down the button. Not very intuitive.
Last edited by KohlyKohl on 9 April 2020 at 1:35 am UTC
Never mind, I needed to hold down the button. Not very intuitive.
Last edited by KohlyKohl on 9 April 2020 at 1:35 am UTC
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Remember, to play well on Linux you need Chromium patched to support va-api.
If your rig is poweful enough it could work anyway, but it will use software decode (CPU)
Last edited by Iperpido on 9 April 2020 at 12:09 am UTC
If your rig is poweful enough it could work anyway, but it will use software decode (CPU)
Last edited by Iperpido on 9 April 2020 at 12:09 am UTC
2 Likes, Who?
-- ha, nevermind, just opened up. And....wow, such input lag! The "framerate" was fine, but there's simply no possible way to play any game with that kind of input lag.
I would'nt bother, it's shit for FPS like I expected, it's worse than a damn console !
Just tried D2 , it's shocking the lag and not just input either.
Credits where it's due for what they've managed but sorry, despite what some will tell you it's a loooooooooong way of for first person shooters. I deal for things like Stellaris ect.
There are a lot of variables that contribute to one's experiences. 1000Mbps Up/Down Fiber here for context.
I don't play D2 on Stadia but I've had no issues playing through Doom Eternal on Nightmare (Turn off view smoothing). It's entirely playable and nowhere near "shit." I can tell it's not local but everyone else I've shown stadia to hasn't been able to tell when I just hand them a controller and say "play."
I've enjoyed playing Metro Exodus, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Doom all on Stadia during the recent lock down. I'll continue to use Stadia until it no longer provides me access to games I otherwise wouldn't be able to play.
My thoughts on Stadia from here:
Spoiler, click me
I will likely renew my Pro subscription. While I remain a hardware enthusiast there are some games that I want to play that aren't available for my platform (Desktop Linux) that are available for Stadia.
Take Metro Exodus for example. We have yet to see if we'll get a Linux binary release on Steam next Saturday. I've previously praised 4A games for releasing the previous Metro games and their remasters on Linux but now it remains to be seen if Exodus will follow suit. I wonder what effect Epic's meddling had on those chances. Either way, I'm able to avoid the controversy and enjoy the game on Stadia (after Cranking the controller sensitivity).
Another example is Red Dead Redemption II. If I wanted to play this game in 2020 my options are: PS4/Xbox/Windows and Stadia. I don't own a console and I don't use Windows. Dual booting Windows for a game is not optimal and it's clear Rockstar doesn't care about desktop Linux judging by the proton reports. Hypothetically I could use another service like Geforce Now (RDR2 isn't on GFN) but those services don't appeal to me at all. I don't use Windows at home or work for a reason. Why would I want to rent a Windows instance in the cloud? That's aside for my views of Nvidia and their support of Open Source.
It feels like Google took Valve's initial effort of the Steam Machine and foundational mesa/vulkan work and narrowed its scope to a single AMD SKU and paired it with with some interesting technology...and Google's advertising money.
I imagine the Witcher 3 would have released for Stadia had it been around at the time, see Cyberpunk 2077. Desktop Linux isn't an attractive target, Google's shiny new thing is. We've already seen AAA titles release for Stadia that aren't available via steam. (NBA2K20, Metro Exodus, Destiny 2, Red Dead Redemption, Trials Rising, Thumper, Monster Motocross, Ghost Recon, Attack on Titan 2, Rage 2, Borderlands 3, Assassins Creed Odyssey, Dragon Ball Z, Darksiders Genesis, Final Fantasy, Football Manager (Developers have stated desktop Linux isn't attractive/worth it), Just Dance, Mortal Combat, Wolfenstein: Young blood ).
I wish Valve would advertise the hell out of the Steam Linux runtime and perhaps incentivize developers to bring their Stadia releases to Steam, should Google allow it. I'd croak if Google/Valve announced a steam native/proton supported partnership for certain games. Either way, Steam remains my platform of choice but I cannot help but feel some solace in supporting a platform (Stadia) that also helps move Linux gaming forward, further proving its viability as a gaming platform. Stadia works. Game Streaming Works. Linux Gaming Works.
Native Linux Release > Supported Proton Release > Stadia > Unsupported/Non-legal tweaks
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As for my experiences with Stadia it's been a dream. I'm not able to enjoy 4K HDR gaming on my desktop pc in the other room running Linux but yet I'm able to in my bedroom via just a Chromecast ultra and a controller. Magic.
I'll gladly continue to accept the games Google gives away and only buy games that Interest me that I cannot play on another platform.
Games I've purchased on Stadia:
Red Dead Redemption 2
Trials Rising (Good Stupid Fun)
That being said I'm not blind to the shortcomings. It's a game by game basis but crossplay makes or breaks a game to me. I'd love to play borderlands 3 with my brother but that's currently not possible as his internet isn't strong enough for Stadia and cross play isn't supported in that game. Come on gearbox.
Edit: What will be especially disheartening is seeing previously supported Linux titles come "back" to Stadia. Rust and Rocket League come to mind as two possibilities.
Take Metro Exodus for example. We have yet to see if we'll get a Linux binary release on Steam next Saturday. I've previously praised 4A games for releasing the previous Metro games and their remasters on Linux but now it remains to be seen if Exodus will follow suit. I wonder what effect Epic's meddling had on those chances. Either way, I'm able to avoid the controversy and enjoy the game on Stadia (after Cranking the controller sensitivity).
Another example is Red Dead Redemption II. If I wanted to play this game in 2020 my options are: PS4/Xbox/Windows and Stadia. I don't own a console and I don't use Windows. Dual booting Windows for a game is not optimal and it's clear Rockstar doesn't care about desktop Linux judging by the proton reports. Hypothetically I could use another service like Geforce Now (RDR2 isn't on GFN) but those services don't appeal to me at all. I don't use Windows at home or work for a reason. Why would I want to rent a Windows instance in the cloud? That's aside for my views of Nvidia and their support of Open Source.
It feels like Google took Valve's initial effort of the Steam Machine and foundational mesa/vulkan work and narrowed its scope to a single AMD SKU and paired it with with some interesting technology...and Google's advertising money.
I imagine the Witcher 3 would have released for Stadia had it been around at the time, see Cyberpunk 2077. Desktop Linux isn't an attractive target, Google's shiny new thing is. We've already seen AAA titles release for Stadia that aren't available via steam. (NBA2K20, Metro Exodus, Destiny 2, Red Dead Redemption, Trials Rising, Thumper, Monster Motocross, Ghost Recon, Attack on Titan 2, Rage 2, Borderlands 3, Assassins Creed Odyssey, Dragon Ball Z, Darksiders Genesis, Final Fantasy, Football Manager (Developers have stated desktop Linux isn't attractive/worth it), Just Dance, Mortal Combat, Wolfenstein: Young blood ).
I wish Valve would advertise the hell out of the Steam Linux runtime and perhaps incentivize developers to bring their Stadia releases to Steam, should Google allow it. I'd croak if Google/Valve announced a steam native/proton supported partnership for certain games. Either way, Steam remains my platform of choice but I cannot help but feel some solace in supporting a platform (Stadia) that also helps move Linux gaming forward, further proving its viability as a gaming platform. Stadia works. Game Streaming Works. Linux Gaming Works.
Native Linux Release > Supported Proton Release > Stadia > Unsupported/Non-legal tweaks
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As for my experiences with Stadia it's been a dream. I'm not able to enjoy 4K HDR gaming on my desktop pc in the other room running Linux but yet I'm able to in my bedroom via just a Chromecast ultra and a controller. Magic.
I'll gladly continue to accept the games Google gives away and only buy games that Interest me that I cannot play on another platform.
Games I've purchased on Stadia:
Red Dead Redemption 2
Trials Rising (Good Stupid Fun)
That being said I'm not blind to the shortcomings. It's a game by game basis but crossplay makes or breaks a game to me. I'd love to play borderlands 3 with my brother but that's currently not possible as his internet isn't strong enough for Stadia and cross play isn't supported in that game. Come on gearbox.
Edit: What will be especially disheartening is seeing previously supported Linux titles come "back" to Stadia. Rust and Rocket League come to mind as two possibilities.
Last edited by drlamb on 9 April 2020 at 12:16 am UTC
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"They're giving you two free months of Pro too, "
those who paid for the beta may get pissed off...
those who paid for the beta may get pissed off...
0 Likes
There are a lot of variables that contribute to one's experiences. 1000Mbps Up/Down Fiber here for context.
That's all the context I need to not bother reading about your experience! That's... not normal. I consider myself very lucky to have a Virgin fibre connection - 100Mb down and 20Mb. That's usually about 9Mb/sec downloads and 2Mb/sec uploads. Usually plenty and way faster than any of the older ADSL connections out there, which make up the vast majority of rural UK.
You have a connection that's typically 11 times faster at downloads, and roughtly 50 times faster for uploads. Lucky you!
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Will never use anything Google related for gaming, that's for damn sure. Talk about shooting oneself in the foot.
1 Likes, Who?
"They're giving you two free months of Pro too, "
those who paid for the beta may get pissed off...
Existing members won't be billed for Stadia Pro for two months essentially giving them the same two months free.
3 Likes, Who?
For reference I can play perfectly fine on a crap laptop, with Ubuntu on wireless where it gets about 30-50mbps. It doesn't need a super fast connection, that mainly helps for 4K.There are a lot of variables that contribute to one's experiences. 1000Mbps Up/Down Fiber here for context.
That's all the context I need to not bother reading about your experience! That's... not normal. I consider myself very lucky to have a Virgin fibre connection - 100Mb down and 20Mb. That's usually about 9Mb/sec downloads and 2Mb/sec uploads. Usually plenty and way faster than any of the older ADSL connections out there, which make up the vast majority of rural UK.
You have a connection that's typically 11 times faster at downloads, and roughtly 50 times faster for uploads. Lucky you!
3 Likes, Who?
-- ha, nevermind, just opened up. And....wow, such input lag! The "framerate" was fine, but there's simply no possible way to play any game with that kind of input lag.
I would'nt bother, it's shit for FPS like I expected, it's worse than a damn console !
Just tried D2 , it's shocking the lag and not just input either.
Credits where it's due for what they've managed but sorry, despite what some will tell you it's a loooooooooong way of for first person shooters. I deal for things like Stellaris ect.
There are a lot of variables that contribute to one's experiences. 1000Mbps Up/Down Fiber here for context.
I don't play D2 on Stadia but I've had no issues playing through Doom Eternal on Nightmare (Turn off view smoothing). It's entirely playable and nowhere near "shit." I can tell it's not local but everyone else I've shown stadia to hasn't been able to tell when I just hand them a controller and say "play."
I've enjoyed playing Metro Exodus, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Doom all on Stadia during the recent lock down. I'll continue to use Stadia until it no longer provides me access to games I otherwise wouldn't be able to play.
My thoughts on Stadia from here:
Spoiler, click me
I will likely renew my Pro subscription. While I remain a hardware enthusiast there are some games that I want to play that aren't available for my platform (Desktop Linux) that are available for Stadia.
Take Metro Exodus for example. We have yet to see if we'll get a Linux binary release on Steam next Saturday. I've previously praised 4A games for releasing the previous Metro games and their remasters on Linux but now it remains to be seen if Exodus will follow suit. I wonder what effect Epic's meddling had on those chances. Either way, I'm able to avoid the controversy and enjoy the game on Stadia (after Cranking the controller sensitivity).
Another example is Red Dead Redemption II. If I wanted to play this game in 2020 my options are: PS4/Xbox/Windows and Stadia. I don't own a console and I don't use Windows. Dual booting Windows for a game is not optimal and it's clear Rockstar doesn't care about desktop Linux judging by the proton reports. Hypothetically I could use another service like Geforce Now (RDR2 isn't on GFN) but those services don't appeal to me at all. I don't use Windows at home or work for a reason. Why would I want to rent a Windows instance in the cloud? That's aside for my views of Nvidia and their support of Open Source.
It feels like Google took Valve's initial effort of the Steam Machine and foundational mesa/vulkan work and narrowed its scope to a single AMD SKU and paired it with with some interesting technology...and Google's advertising money.
I imagine the Witcher 3 would have released for Stadia had it been around at the time, see Cyberpunk 2077. Desktop Linux isn't an attractive target, Google's shiny new thing is. We've already seen AAA titles release for Stadia that aren't available via steam. (NBA2K20, Metro Exodus, Destiny 2, Red Dead Redemption, Trials Rising, Thumper, Monster Motocross, Ghost Recon, Attack on Titan 2, Rage 2, Borderlands 3, Assassins Creed Odyssey, Dragon Ball Z, Darksiders Genesis, Final Fantasy, Football Manager (Developers have stated desktop Linux isn't attractive/worth it), Just Dance, Mortal Combat, Wolfenstein: Young blood ).
I wish Valve would advertise the hell out of the Steam Linux runtime and perhaps incentivize developers to bring their Stadia releases to Steam, should Google allow it. I'd croak if Google/Valve announced a steam native/proton supported partnership for certain games. Either way, Steam remains my platform of choice but I cannot help but feel some solace in supporting a platform (Stadia) that also helps move Linux gaming forward, further proving its viability as a gaming platform. Stadia works. Game Streaming Works. Linux Gaming Works.
Native Linux Release > Supported Proton Release > Stadia > Unsupported/Non-legal tweaks
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As for my experiences with Stadia it's been a dream. I'm not able to enjoy 4K HDR gaming on my desktop pc in the other room running Linux but yet I'm able to in my bedroom via just a Chromecast ultra and a controller. Magic.
I'll gladly continue to accept the games Google gives away and only buy games that Interest me that I cannot play on another platform.
Games I've purchased on Stadia:
Red Dead Redemption 2
Trials Rising (Good Stupid Fun)
That being said I'm not blind to the shortcomings. It's a game by game basis but crossplay makes or breaks a game to me. I'd love to play borderlands 3 with my brother but that's currently not possible as his internet isn't strong enough for Stadia and cross play isn't supported in that game. Come on gearbox.
Edit: What will be especially disheartening is seeing previously supported Linux titles come "back" to Stadia. Rust and Rocket League come to mind as two possibilities.
Yeah, because giga bit fibre so common where I am (UK) .....
You're also comparing a MMO to a single player.
Internet speed will play a part obviously, I would except it been a speed issue if it was saturating my connection which it wasn't , not even half. Not tried doom eternal I will give that a go later being a single player game that may hold up better.
Please try D2 for a comparison with doom.
There are a lot of variables that contribute to one's experiences. 1000Mbps Up/Down Fiber here for context.
That's all the context I need to not bother reading about your experience! That's... not normal. I consider myself very lucky to have a Virgin fibre connection - 100Mb down and 20Mb. That's usually about 9Mb/sec downloads and 2Mb/sec uploads. Usually plenty and way faster than any of the older ADSL connections out there, which make up the vast majority of rural UK.
You have a connection that's typically 11 times faster at downloads, and roughtly 50 times faster for uploads. Lucky you!
Agreed, if gigabit speeds are what you need that's the majority of the population out of the equation
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