Pricing and launch titles of Google Stadia revealed

Google's subscription-based cloud-gaming service set to launch in November with Doom, Final Fantasy and Assassin's Creed all included

Google has revealed pricing and the titles that will be available on launch when its Stadia cloud gaming service starts up in November.

The upfront cost for the ‘Founder's Edition' will be £119, which will buy a starter kit comprising of a Chromecast Ultra and a Stadia controller, as well as a three-month subscription. The monthly subscription will be £7.99, but some games will cost extra on top of that.

The service was first previewed in March.

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In order to use Google Stadia to its full potential, the company recommends an internet service of at least 35Mbps, just within BT's Fibre 1 capabilities - provided no-one's watching Netflix, Now TV or the BBC iPlayer at the same time, or gaming online on another service, for that matter.

This requirement is because the games will be streamed in 4K ultra-HD, although the requirement drops to 10Mbps to game at lower resolutions.

Controllers will be available separately starting in 2020, enabling families to multiplay together, or for subscribers to use their own Google Chromecast device.

Games that will be available at launch include Tomb Raider, Assassin's Creed, Doom and Final Fantasy. However, there is no news on Player Unknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) or Fortnite.

Non-subscribers will be able to purchase games on a pay-as-you-go basis, but will be limited to standard 1080p HD, rather than 4K.

So far, there's been no live demo of Stadia. That'll come next week at the E3 trade show. Its reception there could dictate whether it has a successful launch or not. However, previous cloud gaming services have struggled to overcome debilitating latency issues.

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