Googles Stadia controllers would not work with Bluetooth headsets at launch, and the users will have to plug in a set of wired headphones into the controller’s 3.5mm jack. There will however be a workaround for the players using a Pixel phone or Chrome to play Stadia games, they will be able to pair their Bluetooth headphones with their PC or Pixel smartphone to listen to the game audio in privacy.
“The Stadia controller comes with a headphone jack for wired audio, but won’t support Bluetooth audio at launch in November. If you’re playing on the computer or a Pixel phone you can connect the BT headset to it directly and use it in Stadia,” Andrey Doronichev, Stadia Product Director, wrote on social news site Reddit AMA.
For Bluetooth connectivity, the Stadia product page says, “Product contains Bluetooth Classic radio. No Bluetooth Classic functionality is enabled at this time. Bluetooth Classic functionality may be implemented at a later date.”
Doronichev also hinted that Stadia will not offer any free-to-play titles.
“No free games on Stadia Base. But hey, Stadia Base gives you free access to the state-of-the-art gaming hardware in our datacenter. You spend your money to buy games you want,” Doronichev said.
Google has confirmed that Stadia would be available from November in 14 countries, including the US, the UK, and Canada. There’s no confirmation yet about when other areas and territories will get it.
Google Stadia is Google’s vision of the future of gaming — a cloud-based service available on a range of devices, not just high-end gaming PCs and consoles.