It seems that the free version of Google Stadia will be taking on a new form over the summer, as Google has announced that Stadia Pro will be free for everyone to try for the next two months.
Google Stadia initially launched in November 2019 - but the only way to try it was through purchasing an expensive Founders Edition, which came with three months of Stadia Pro and a Buddy Pass that could give Stadia Pro to someone else. Since then, Google has given out additional Buddy Passes and Stadia Pro subscriptions as part of other promotions. Google has been promising a free version of Stadia with fewer benefits that is supposed to launch this year, but it never gave a solid rollout date.
Gamers in fourteen different countries will now have the chance to try Stadia for themselves. According to a new post on the Stadia website, everyone can sign up for a two-month free Stadia Pro subscription starting today. The people who join will have instant access to games like Destiny 2: The Collection and GRID, but they will only retain ownership over these games by maintaining a $9.99 subscription after the two month period ends.
There are some caveats to using Stadia Pro at the moment. For one thing, you need a decent Internet speed when using the service, which is a tall ask, considering how the Internet is being hammered all over the world due to increased usage. Stadia can be used on any desktop PC that can handle a Chrome browser or on a supported mobile phone, but it can only be used on a TV with the Chromecasts that came with the Founders Edition. The player will also need a compatible mouse & keyboard or joypad, but pretty much any modern controller will work with the service.
The self-isolation period has led to shortages on video game consoles and prices for systems like the Nintendo Switch have skyrocketed on the second-hand market. There is no better time to make Stadia available around the world and to show off the features of the service.
Source: Google