Google's Stadia GDC 2019 game streaming and controller announcement: Watch here live – CNET

When you think of ways to play big-name video games, you probably think of Microsoft’s Xbox, Sony’s PlayStation or Nintendo’s Switch.

If Google has its way, you’ll soon be considering its Stadia service too.

The tech giant announced its new streaming game service at a press event during the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco on Tuesday. The new service, called Stadia, is designed as a way for people to play and watch gaming together, Google said. The company said it plans to bring together players, broadcasters on YouTube and game developers to create a new experience.

“Our ambition is far beyond a single game,” said Google’s Phil Harrison. Instead, the company sees the opportunity to give players “instant access” to a game by clicking a link. “The power of instant access is magical, and it’s already transformed the music and movie industries.”

The service allows gamers to play standard PC games within anything that can browse the web, including a TV, a phone, a tablet and of course a PC. The games are powered by Google’s high-performance computers, which then stream the images to the web browser in a similar way Netflix streams videos. And they’re streamed at up to 4k high-definition video, at 60-frames per second, meaning animations will move smoothly. 

Gamers play using a controller Google designed, which connects through WiFi to Stadia’s systems.

“It’s seamless,” Harrison said. 

Google isn’t the only company doing this. Sony’s offered its PlayStation Now game streaming service since 2014, and chipmaker Nvidia offers one called GeForce Now. Microsoft is also readying an Xbox-related game streaming service, called Project xCloud, expected in the next couple of years.

But Google says it can take them on. Stadia is more powerful than Microsoft’s Xbox One X and Sony’s PlayStation 4 Pro combined, Google said. And it’s partnered with game development software makers like Epic Games, Unity, Cryengine and others.

Here are the details:

When?

Tuesday, March 19: 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET

Where?

We’ll have the livestream right here, so you can follow along in real time.

The event itself is happening in San Francisco, and the CNET team will be there.

What can we expect?

Rumors are Google will introduce both its streaming service and potentially a controller to go with it. Also, expect the company to talk about game partnerships with companies like Ubisoft, which it partnered with during its public trial.

CNET’s Lori Grunin contributed to this report.

First published March 12 at 10:35 a.m. PT.
Updated March 19 at 9:55 a.m. PT: Adds details from Google and expectations for the event.