What are Stadia’s best “Stadia only” Features?
What are Stadias unique selling points? What makes Stadia stand out from the increasingly busy Cloud gaming space? These are the main features that Stadia offers; Crowd Choice, Crowd Play, Stream Connect, State Share, Click to Play.
It goes without saying that you will, at the very least, need to own the games to be able to utilise these features. Stadia has a low barrier for entry. So if you have the game in your library you will be good to go.
Click to Play
One of my favourite features that Stadia has is “Click to Play”. Each game has it’s own URL which can be pasted anywhere and you just click on the link and you’re taken to that game. I have linked each game in this article to it’s Stadia page to illustrate how convenient it is. And because it is just a URL, they can be converted easily into a QR Code which could be a fantastic way to advertise games. Especially as all smartphones now have a built in QR scanner.
Scan to Play DOOM Eternal
This is a feature that works really well with the newly released demos from Stadia.
Stream Connect
Games that feature Stream Connect change how you experience co-op gameplay, allowing you and your teammates to see each other’s screens as you play. This feature is on by default and will show you the status of each player in your party.
An example of Stream Connect activated within Tom Clancy’s The Division 2. Click to play
For Co-Op games this is a really cool feature. It makes lining up shots easier. You can quickly see how each player is doing etc. The obvious downside is when playing on smaller screen it will be very difficult to see the streams. But playing on a TV it looks and plays great.
These are the games that currently support Stream Connect:
State Share
Taking screen shots and videos is super simple on Stadia. Just press F12 or the screen capture button on the controller and you’re done. Certain games will also save your game state that is embedded in the image or video. Different games will implement the game states differently. Some will take you to the start of the level featured in the clip or screenshot, with the inventory and health from when the game state was captured.
If you do not have the add on content of the game you will get an error message when clicked on the State Share. If don’t own the game at all, you will be directed to the Stadia store.
Doom Eternal Horde Mode State Share – Click to play and try and beat my score
This is a feature that is available to everyone and I have used it quite a lot. It’s easy to say you can do something better than a friend. But now you can easily put that to the test. Using the states is very simple as it’s just clicking the play button and away you go.
Currently, these are the games that support State Share.
- Crayta
- Doom Eternal
- Hello Engineer
- Hitman 1, Hitman 2 and Hitman 3
- Humankind
- Judgment
- Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom
- PixelJunk Raiders
- Serious Sam 4
Crowd Choice
Crowd choice allows streamers to get their fans involved in the game. Questions and results will be displayed in the YouTube Chat windows next to the live stream. Depending on how the developer has implemented it you will either be able to click a button or type your answer into the chat. Options can include weapon choices, power up or dialogue options.
This is a fun feature aimed more at streamers than your average player, but it’s definitely a good one to have. Having used this a few times as a viewer it does get you more invested in the stream. I hope more games can implement this, especially RPGs and JRPGs games. These games currently support Crowd Choice:
- Baldur’s Gate 3
- Dead by Daylight
- Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2
- Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom
- Outcasters
- Samurai Showdown
Crowd Play
If you feel that Crowd Choice gets you involved in a stream, then Crowd Play will take it to the next level. By clicking a button that the streamer activates under the live chat window, players can click the button and line up to play with them. Firstly, when you click the button you are directed to a new tab that will either give you the option to buy/claim the game if you don’t own it or to click play. Once this is done you will be put in a queue. Then, when it is your time to play a notification saying “You’re Up” will appear and you have 1 minute to click it. Finally a new tab will open up with the game ready to go!
Again, this is a feature aimed purely at streamers. And again, it’s a fantastic tool to have access to which will drive engagement. These are the games that currently support Crowd Play:
- Borderlands 3
- Crayta
- Dead by Daylight
- Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2
- Mortal Kombat 11
- Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
- Outcasters
- Samurai Showdown
- Serious Sam 4
- Super Bomberman R Online
Depending on whether you are a player or a streamer depends which of these features you are likely to use. Stadia is putting some amazing tools there to help streamers really engage with their audience which is fantastic. And the features they are integrating are exciting for your average gamer.
What do you think the best feature is? Do you have any Game States you want to share? Drop them in the comments below!
