Google last week began rolling out 4K Stadia gaming on the web, though it has yet to publicize the new capability. Widely available today, an updated Stadia support document details the web requirements for 4K and it notably excludes the Mac.
- Stadia is an all-new gaming platform that lets you play games across screens. Stadia is one place for all the ways we play. Play games across the screens you own. You can play games on televisions with the Stadia Controller and Google Chromecast Ultra. You can also play games on Stadia across laptops and desktops. At launch, Stadia supports Chrome OS tablets including Pixel Slate, Acer.
- A Stadia Controller. Note: A Stadia Controller is included with the Stadia Premiere Edition. Google Chromecast Ultra; The latest version of the Stadia app (available on Google Play or in the Apple App Store) The Android version requires a mobile device running Android 6.0 or greater.
On your iOS device, you can use the Stadia app to buy games and manage your Stadia account. IOS devices don’t currently support gameplay. ³ Chromecast Ultra requires a TV with an HDMI port, a Wi-Fi network, a Google Account, a nearby electrical outlet or USB port, and a compatible mobile device. Users download the app, set their user agent to a Mac device, and log into their Googla Stadia accounts. From there, they can play Stadia games on an iOS device with full controller support. Get instant access to a collection of games without a console or downloads with Stadia Premiere Edition. Skip Navigation. Cart Checkout (1 item) (2 items) Cancel.
According to Google, 4K gameplay is supported on Windows and Chrome OS devices with VP9 hardware decoding. Another help page provides instructions on how to check for that hardware support using your browser:
Stadia Download Mac App
- In your Google Chrome address bar, type chrome://gpu and press Enter.
- Scroll down to “Video Acceleration Information.”
- If you see “Decode VP9”, your computer supports VP9 hardware decoding.
Stadia On Macbook
A 4K monitor is also required, but some in the community have found workarounds. One omission today is macOS, given its lack of native VP9 hardware decoding. (That said, you can unofficially get 4K on the Mac with the Stadia+ third-party extension.)
Apple does not support the codec, and that most noticeably manifests as Safari not supporting 4K YouTube, with the YouTube for Apple TV app having the same deficiency. Linux support is also not documented.
Besides hardware requirements for 4K Stadia on the web, you need a 35Mbps or greater connection and have to set the “Best visual quality” data usage option. You can confirm the quality by opening the in-game menu (Shift + Tab) and clicking “Connection” where a green “4K” icon should appear below.
Meanwhile, Google notes that HDR and 5.1 surround sound for stadia.com is “coming soon.”
More about Google Stadia:
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.
Last month, Google Stadia expanded its feature set on the web by enabling support for 5.1 surround sound, but unlike Windows and Mac, this support was not available on Google’s own Chrome OS. Now it looks like Google is bringing 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound support to Chrome OS specifically to improve gaming on Stadia.
Right now on Chrome OS, audio is pretty much limited to stereo sound, be it through dual speakers, traditional headphones, or stereo sound through HDMI. While HDMI is capable of carrying surround sound signals, Chrome OS, for the most part, only sends out a stereo signal.
Stadia Download Mac Os
Now that Google Stadia is out in the wild, Chrome OS has gained major potential in the world of gaming. However, Chrome OS does not have the best support for surround sound, which is one of the hallmark advantages of Stadia Pro, alongside 4K and HDR streaming.
As you would expect, Google is painfully aware of this shortcoming and is working on a way to fix it. A new code change was posted to the Chromium source repository this week that claims to “support 5.1 and 7.1-channel audio of Chrome on ChromeOS.” Further down, the developer re-explains the code change’s purpose and links to an internal-only design document, the link for which fairly explicitly shows that Chrome OS is finally getting proper surround sound support because of Stadia.
In brief, this change enables multi-channel audio support (5.1/7.1) for Chrome on ChromeOS. The previous work just fixed channel_layout to be STEREO. doc: https://goto.google.com/stadia-support-5p1-cros
So how will we use surround sound on Chrome OS once it launches? According to the code change’s description, the developer was able to test 5.1 surround sound on his “Soraka” — aka the HP Chromebook x2 — by simply connecting to a compatible receiver via HDMI. That means any past Chromebook with the necessary hardware for surround sound should be able to play both Stadia games and hopefully other streaming services like YouTube and Netflix in surround sound, at least when connected via HDMI.
Unfortunately, though, given that this work is only just now making it into the Chrome OS code, we’re likely still a few months out from enjoying content in 5.1 or 7.1 surround. Considering we’re already past the “feature freeze” date for Chrome OS 84, we may have to wait until Chrome OS 85 releases in early September.
More on Chrome OS:
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.