Google’s Stadia Controller will finally work wirelessly with laptops and desktops starting in the week , the company announced today. Since the cloud gaming service’s November launch, the sole way you’ll use your controller wirelessly was if you were playing Stadia on your TV with a Chromecast Ultra. you continue to can’t use the Stadia Controller wirelessly with an Android phone, though, and it’s not clear when that functionality might arrive.
When used wirelessly, the Stadia controller connects to Google’s servers over Wi-Fi rather than connecting to the device ahead of you over Bluetooth, like most other gaming controllers. Google says this helps the controller “deliver precise controls.” If you would like to attach your Stadia controller wirelessly, you’ll follow Google’s support documentation here.
If you would like to select up a Stadia controller, you’ll buy one for $69 or for $129 as a part of the Stadia Premiere Edition bundle, which also includes a Chromecast Ultra and three months of the paid Stadia Pro subscription.
At launch in November, this capability was restricted to the Chromecast Ultra when playing on televisions. As of recent morning’s Stadia announcement, wireless Controller support on the online isn’t yet unrolled — with a “coming soon” message still appearing.
Once available, activate your device and visit stadia.com to open the Controller menu within the top-right corner. A linking code that you simply got to enter on your Controller will appear.