A fair amount of new information about Google Stadia was announced during today’s Stadia Connect event, and while all of the new games and partnerships with major studios are a big deal for the streaming-based platform, there’s one new feature rolling out now that should interest anyone who wants to have an easier time getting into games with other Stadia users.
When Stadia was first announced, Google teased a feature that would enable users to watch a trailer for a game and start playing that game within seconds, simply by clicking on a “Play Now” button embedded in the video. This was just one of the ways Google stressed how Stadia would allow users to play their games without the load times they have to deal with on other platforms.
Utilizing the platform’s cloud-based nature, this feature, now known as Click to Play, is available for users to try out for themselves. Here’s Meagan Timney, Stadia’s head of UX research, explained it during Stadia Connect: “You’re a Stadia Pro subscriber, you’re watching your favorite YouTube Creator play PUBG, and you feel like starting your own game with some friends. Just click the link they’ve shared in the description and you’re playing PUBG instantly on Stadia.”
Going on, Timney said that Click to Play works on any device that supports Stadia and boasts the same degree of near-instant access that the platform’s other main features are built on. “No waiting, no game download or update, the game just starts in seconds,” she said.
It’s a neat accessibility option that plenty of users will find welcome. However, it doesn’t look like it will be of much use for those who don’t already own the games the Click to Play links would access. While Stadia is often compared (incorrectly) to platforms like Netflix, most of its games still require a more traditional purchase before players can boot them up. For those who don’t own these games, the Click to Play links send them to their Stadia store pages instead.
Still, the feature rolling out goes to show that Google is trying to build up Stadia from its lukewarm launch last year and make good on its promise of instantly-accessible console-free gaming. What’s more, there’s hope that the launch of the Click to Play feature will open the door for Google to add a similar feature it also hyped for Stadia early on. This feature, known as State Share, will supposedly let users preserve specific moments in their games as hyperlinks and share those links with others, who will be able to instantly access those moments themselves.
