My skepticism about web apps dates back more than a decade, but this gaming service plays better than I expected. I was genuinely surprised how well Stadia works. Screenshot: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac Google Stadia on iPad final thoughts The Google Stadia home screen works more like an app than a web page. The app has a tutorial to help, but I never needed it. Run the Stadia web app and you’ll be connected. The same as you would any other Bluetooth accessory. Just set a compatible controller in Bluetooth pairing mode, then connect to it with your iPad. And the list of options is growing with iPadOS 14.5. And if your iPad supports a controller, Stadia does too. Just in case you didn’t know already, iPadOS (and iOS) support several standard wireless Playstation and Xbox controllers. Nevertheless, I didn’t ever experience lag enough to affect gameplay in all my testing. In my tests, I used an off-the-self Sony Playstation 4 DualShock 4 controller, which does need to go through my iPad.

It does not go through your iPad, which should speed up response times. This uses Wi-Fi to communicate directly with the server that’s handling your game. Reserve the touchscreen controls if you’re ever desperate. Keeping your fingers from slipping off the virtual buttons is nigh impossible. There are onscreen touch controls built into the web app. How to use a game controller with Google Stadia on iPad You do need to pay extra if you want better video and sound quality, though. Just to be clear, you don’t also have to pay a monthly fee to access the expensive game you just purchased.

But if the Stadia Store has the game you’re looking for, that’s all you need. Or are available for Xbox or Playstation. True, the selection isn’t as extensive as you’ll find on Steam.

You won’t have to look hard to find some that are $80. You can find options under $20, but many titles are closer to $50. These are full console-quality games so you pay console-quality prices… as you probably just noticed. There’s Rockstar, Bungie, Square Enix, Ubisoft and many more. Google has serious pull and managed to convince big names to come on board.

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