Which is a calculation based off the data and bandwidth requirements revealed by
Google today in relation to the November* launch of its streaming
Google Stadia service. Normally that little asterisks is in reference to a footnote, but lets get this out of the way - Stadia won't be launching in Australia at this time. Why? Well, the 4K 60fps stream with HDR and surround sound, as part of the
Stadia Pro subscription, requires a steady 35 megabits per second.
Which might be a bit of a stretch for a lot of Australians. Also, in order for the latency to be anything less than untenable there would have to be local servers in major Australian capital cities. Anyway, onto the launch details!
Google Stadia will arrive in 14 territories (covering the North America and Europe) this November with a $129.99 USD Founder's Edition bundle that includes Chromecast Ultra (for 4K/HDR streaming), a limited-edition Night Blue controller, a copy of Destiny 2, and a three-month subscription to Stadia Pro. Which is required for 4K streaming and priced at $9.99 USD per month. The underlying hardware is more powerful than either the Xbox One X or PS4 Pro, which is required in order to hit 4K/60fps.
Other bandwidth options will be available with Google Stadia offering 720p streaming (at 10 megabits per second) and 1080p streaming (at 20 megabits per second). These will be available in an upcoming Stadia Base service playable via the Chrome browser on a PC in addition to Google's own Pixel 3 device. With more devices to be added later. Interestingly Google Stadia Base won't be available until 2020.
Here's a list of games currently confirmed, where players will need to purchase before playing as Stadia is not akin to Xbox Game Pass. The subscription does not include a library of games. Think of it more like a Virtual Console.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey - Ubisoft
Baldur’s Gate 3 - Larian Studios
Borderlands 3 - 2K
The Crew 2 - Ubisoft
Darksiders Genesis - THQ Nordic
Destiny 2 - Bungie
Doom - Bethesda Softworks
Doom Eternal - Bethesda Softworks
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 - Bandai Namco
The Elder Scrolls Online - Bethesda Softworks
Farming Simulator 19 - Giants Software
Final Fantasy 15 - Square Enix
Football Manager - Sega
Get Packed - Coatsink
GRID - Codemasters
Gylt - Tequila Works
Just Dance - Ubisoft
Metro Exodus - Deep Silver
Mortal Kombat 11 - Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
NBA 2K - 2K
Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid - nWay Games
Rage 2 - Bethesda Softworks
Rise of the Tomb Raider - Square Enix
Samurai Shodown - SNK
Shadow of the Tomb Raider - Square Enix
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint - Ubisoft
Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 - Ubisoft
Tomb Raider Definitive Edition - Square Enix
Thumper - Drool
Trials Rising - Ubisoft
Wolfenstein: Youngblood - Bethesda Softworks
With other major publishers like Capcom and EA also confirmed to be bringing titles to the platform.
Depending on how readily scalable the infrastructure is, we should expect to see Stadia reach our shores one day. Competing services from other players, including Microsoft's own Project xCloud have already been confirmed for Australia.