Google Expands Stadia Game Controller Features
Google has expanded the controller capabilities for its Stadia cloud gaming service. The device is equipped with a USB Type-C connector, which until recently had only one function – it was used for recharging. Now it can also be used to connect additional gaming peripherals.
In its official blog, Google announced that now you can connect gaming headsets to the USB Type-C connector if the device is used in conjunction with Google Chromecast or a web browser. Supported not only wired but also wireless solutions, which include a USB Type-C module for signal reception and transmission. The controller itself does not support Bluetooth audio transmission, but Google indicates that such support will also appear in the future.
As a reminder, the Stadia controller is also equipped with a 3.5mm audio jack, to which you can plug in headsets and headphones. But given that more and more device manufacturers are abandoning this connector and shifting its functions to USB Type-C, the number of people who use USB Type-C as the main standard for connecting various peripherals is also growing.
Google also announced that the controller can be used in the new and so far experimental Tandem Mode, which allows you to connect additional devices through the same USB Type-C connector. For example, another game controller. Tandem Mode currently supports controllers such as Xbox One Controller, Xbox Adaptive Controller, Xbox Elite Controller (Series 1 and 2), and Dualshock 4. The host controller connects to the cloud via Wi-Fi.
The connection options are as follows:
The second controller, in turn, can be used as a supplement to the capabilities of the first or as an independent manipulator for playing cooperative.
