When Google announced the Stadia shutdown, fans of the service were left disappointed, but not just about the service going away, also the lack of Bluetooth support for the controller. See, the Stadia controller, for some, is a masterclass in controller design. For others, it’s just a nice controller but they don’t want it to go to waste and become a paperweight.
And without proper wireless support, that’s sort of what it becomes. The fix for this, is of course to add support for Bluetooth, so the Stadia controller can be used with any platform that accepts HID Bluetooth controller connections. Which is mostly anything these days. Android, Windows, iOS, Mac etc. Luckily, it looks like Google is going to do right by its consumers after all, and add that support to the controller soon.
The Stadia controller gets Bluetooth support next week
Those waiting to learn if or when the Stadia controller would get support for Bluetooth don’t have to wait much longer. Google has confirmed today in a Stadia forum post that the support is arriving next week. It’ll be available in the form of a self-serve tool according to Community Manager Dan From Google. Which means users will get access to a tool that they will have to use to unlock the Bluetooth support.
Basically, you’ll probably have to plug in the controller using a USB-C cable and run the tool. Which will do its thing and when it’s done, Bluetooth support should be enabled. Google doesn’t mention the exact date that this tool will become available to consumers. But it does say next week and that it will share more information about it closer to the arrival date. So be on the lookout for more details sometime from Monday onwards.
For Stadia fans this is likely to be a bittersweet moment. The long sought after Bluetooth support is finally, officially coming. But Stadia itself will also probably be gone by the time it arrives. In the meantime, don’t forget to transfer your Stadia saves if you haven’t already done so.
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