Recently YouTube decided to give away a free Google Stadia Premiere Edition to YouTube Premium subscribers. Since I am a YouTube Premium subscriber, I got one and have started to game and have found a new hobby.

In the Box

When the Google Stadia Premiere Edition arrived, there were two devices in the box the Google Chromecast Ultra and the wireless Stadia controller. I like how the Stadia controller comes with a USB-C charger as you don’t need to keep buying batteries you can just recharge your controller after playing.

Setup and Install

The Google Stadia Premiere Edition is very easy and simple to setup. You need to download the Google Home app for your iPhone or Android. Then plugin and connect the Chromecast Ultra HD look for that wireless SSID connect to it then open your Google Home app and follow the instructions.

Once your Chromecast Ultra HD is setup follow the instructions to add Google Stadia to the Chromecast. Then you can click on the controller button and walk through the steps to add the controller to the Wi-Fi.

Playing

Once the setup is done to start playing you just need to pair your controller to the Chromecast by hitting the pairing combo on the screen then click the Stadia button you can start gaming in less than a few seconds. There is no load times the only thing you will need is a fast internet connection and a strong WI-FI connection.

Game Selection

I am not a huge gamer but there are a few games I like Pubg, Sniper Elite, and Final Fantasy are all on Stadia. So, for me with the limited gaming time I have that is more than enough of a selection for me but if you are a hardcore gaming your game selection is limited. Google has said they have hundreds of games coming in the next few years.

Streaming

If you want to stream to YouTube you are able to right out of the box if you want to stream to Twitch or another platform you can’t at this time.

Online Streaming

For someone like me who likes to play PUBG, this is a great platform but if you want a large game selection this might not be the platform for you as the games selection at this time are limited there are other streaming services like Luna, GForce Now and XCloud. See which service has the games you want and go with that game streaming platform.

I believe online gaming is the future it will just take time for these services to mature.