Google Stadia Premiere Edition Review

It’s been a very Google’y month here at GamesReviews HQ. If you haven’t seen it yet, we posted our review in progress for the Google Pixel 4a, the best budget phone on the market right now. We also have the always fabulous, annual Google event coming up on September 30th (which we will have full coverage of). On top of all that, Google was kind enough to send over the Google Stadia Founders Edition – which is the same as the currently available Premiere edition – and we have all the details for you below, including whether this product is worth your investment! Let’s check it out!

Included with your Google Stadia bundle is a Stadia controller in Night Blue (for the Founders edition, with the more traditional white coming in the Premier), Chromecast Ultra, charge cable, and a USB C to A cable. Let’s take a look at the costs of these various included components and whether or not the price is worth the investment, seeing as you can just use an Xbox One controller – for example – connected to your phone via the Google Stadia app!

Controller: the average video game controller in Canada retails for 64.99, so after adding our 13% tax in Ontario, we are looking at $73.00. From the moment you take it out of the box, to playing games, this controller definitely has a premium feel, and is one of hte more comfortable controllers currently available across any platform. I find that it handles very nicely, and although I prefer the offset thumb sticks, I didn’t mind this after a few hours of use! The buttons feel great when pressed, and the triggers provide some nice feedback and a nice solid ‘click’ when pressed down all the way.

Chromecast Ultra: the Ultra via Best Buy Canada is $90.00, so after adding 13% tax in Ontario, we are looking at $102.00. Many folks nabbed the Chromecast when it first launched, and I’m actually a tad shocked at the number of individuals who don’t own the Ultra version. Whats the difference, you might ask? With the Ultra, you are getting 4K HDR support as opposed to 1080p, has a faster processor which means better streaming, and is the only Chromecast compatible with Google Stadia. While using the Chromecast isn’t my favourite way to play Google Stadia – I still prefer playing on my laptop or via my Google Pixel 4a / 4xl – it’s definitely handy to have connect to your television. And it provides you way more entertainment value than just game streaming, so it’s handy even when you are not playing Stadia!

Stadia Pro: Although it not longer comes packed in the box, Google Stadia does allow new users to try out the service for free by signing up for an account. In Canada, you will be pinged 11.99 per month after you free trial ends!

Is Google Stadia without it’s flaws? Of course not – sure, I want to see more games on the service. Sure, I’d like to see more games offered via Stadia Pro. Is X-Cloud from Microsoft going to be better? It could be, especially since they have a HUGE pre-established library. But is Stadia worth the 158.00 investment (after tax) in Ontario? Most definitely. Between the controller and the Chromecast Ultra in Canada, you will be spending about $175, so you are getting an almost 20$ savings overall. Plus, having these Google specific products for Stadia gives you the added comfort that if something goes wrong, Google will be able to solve your various issues, as you are using all of their products. Further, the Stadia controller just feels so great, and spending the extra money to have it is well worth it, to me.

Being able to go anywhere and play my games is extraordinary. Pulling out my Google Pixel 4a at work on lunch breaks to play PGA Tour 2K21 is mind blowing. And outside of the (very, very) random hiccups in game play, my Stadia performance game in and game out has been fantastic. And before anyone assumes I’m playing on killer speeds, think again. I live in the boonies of Ontario, with 40 mbs down. And my games run fine, even on the highest possible settings.

If you are looking for a cloud gaming option, and aren’t ready to jump into other similar services, Google Stadia offers and experience that is top notch, from a company that knows how to run software.