Stadia is set to revolutionize gaming. You no longer need a console, and can stream wherever you want. But what internet connection is required for this?
What can Stadia do? In short, the streaming service allows you to play on virtually any device without needing a high-performance PC or console.
You can find all the info about Google Stadia here.
How fast must the internet be?
What internet connection is required for this? Like all streaming services, the quality depends on the speed of your internet connection. And regarding this, Google’s Phil Harrison has spoken out.
- To play in 1080p at 60 fps, you need 25 MBit/s.
- For 4K at 60 fps, you need 30 MBit/s.
According to Phil Harrison, Google Stadia achieves 1080p at 60 fps in tests with only 20 MBit/s. However, a buffer is desired.
Take the test to see if you can receive Stadia: Google now offers a Speedtest for Stadia, which tells you what quality you can use the platform with.
Why could this become a problem in Germany? 25 or 30 MBit/s doesn’t sound like much. Unitymedia, Vodafone, and Telekom occasionally offer gigabit connections of up to 1,000 MBit/s. And yet, according to a survey by infrastructure provider Akamai, the average internet speed for households in Germany is only 15.3 MBit/s.
A test of broadband speed conducted by the Federal Network Agency shows that only 12.8 percent of users reach the data transfer rate agreed upon by their provider.
This is particularly severe in the mobile sector, where only 1.5 percent of users achieve the full data transfer rate.
By 2025, according to the coalition agreement, all citizens in Germany should have the right to broadband access. However, Stadia is launching this year, and what speed is ultimately achieved by customers even with a right to broadband remains uncertain.
Therefore, Stadia will only cater to those who actually have a fast and stable internet connection at launch.
Stadia is continuously improved
This is how Google wants to help: Google is aware of the problem and therefore plans to assist customers interested in Stadia in optimizing their internet connection. This includes advice regarding the hardware.
For example, the first tip was to connect the Stadia controller via WiFi instead of Bluetooth, as Bluetooth is very slow.
Stadia is also set to be improved continually, especially regarding latency times. These are currently still noticeable, but according to early testers, they are acceptable for tolerant players.
If you want to play without any latency, you might want to wait a bit before starting with Stadia.
