Google reveals launch date and pricing of its Stadia gaming service

Just days before the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo, Google got a jump on all the video-game excitement with more details about its Stadia game platform.

The streaming game service launches this November, giving customers all the gaming they want for a subscription price of $12 a month. 

You can play games on the service through any Chrome browser or on a TV using a Chromecast Ultra streaming device. Bluetooth and USB controllers and mouse and keyboard are supported, but Google has designed its own controller that will retail for $89.

Google has also developed a Stadia app, which is exclusive to the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3a smartphones for now. But the company expects to make it available on more smartphones. 

Google has opened preorders for the $170 Founders Edition package, which includes a limited-edition controller, a Chromecast Ultra, a three-month subscription, and all of Destiny 2, including the new Shadowkeep chapter and an annual pass.

You'll also be able to transfer your guardian from a Destiny 2 game on PC or Xbox One to your Stadia account. 

Tied with this, Bungie announced that cross-platform saves are coming to all Destiny 2 players this September. 

As for other games, the online briefing opened with a reveal of Baldur's Gate 3, in development at Larian Studio (known for the Divinity: Original Sin games). 

Other launch titles include three titles from Ubisoft (Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Ghost Recon Breakpoint, and The Division 2), four titles from Bethesda (Doom, Doom Eternal, The Elder Scrolls Online, Wolfenstein: Youngblood), and four titles from Square Enix (the Tomb Raider trilogy and Final Fantasy XV).

Also coming are Borderlands 3 (2K) and the Stranger Things-esque GYLT (Tequila Works).

You don't have to go with a subscription, either. Next year, Google will add the Stadia Base tier with which you can purchase standalone games that you're interested in.

Google's Stadia service promises lag-free gaming over an Internet connection, up to 4K, HDR video at 60 frames per second. That will be a drain on anyone with a download cap with their Internet service provider. Playing for a couple of hours a day at the best resolution is about 1 TB.

Time to look into an unlimited-data plan.