KEY POINTS

  • Google's Stadia is a promising gaming service that was previously limited to a few devices
  • Tech company ASUS has announced that its upcoming handset will come with Stadia preinstalled
  • Google also announced a slew of devices that are now compatible with the game streaming service

Google's Stadia game streaming service is a promising venture that's only limited by a few things, including having to use the Chrome browser, Chromecast-connected TVs and Pixel smartphones in order to play. This is going to change as ASUS, known for its ROG gaming lineup, has announced that Stadia will come preloaded in an upcoming ROG smartphone.

As per XDA Developers, the Taiwan-based tech company has unveiled its partnership with Google and has announced that an upcoming handset, presumably the ROG Phone III, will come with the game streaming service app installed in it. This is seen to help cement the ROG Phone as the “most desirable gaming phone in the market,” considering how its specs seem to be the perfect match for Stadia.

In addition to receiving the Stadia app pre-installed with every purchase of the ROG Phone III, buyers will also get to receive a three-month Stadia Pro trial for free, Android Police reported. This is seen to entice players of all sizes to try the games that the Mountain View giant is offering in its game streaming service.

ASUS noted that the Stadia app will come preloaded only in participating territories. This makes perfect sense, considering how useless the app is if the service is not available. Those who want to play games on their ROG phones via Stadia will not be required to download them as they can be streamed directly via Wi-Fi. Players, however, will need to buy the games from Google.

Not much is known about the ROG Phone III at the moment. What's sure, however, is that it will feature the Snapdragon 865 SoC. It might also feature specs that are better, or at least similar to the ROG Phone II: a big display with 120Hz refresh rate, 240Hz touch sampling rate, low 49ms touch latency, a huge 6,000mAh battery and 12GB of RAM.

More compatible devices

Google has also announced that it has added to the list of phones that can run Stadia. In a blog, the tech giant announced that the following handsets are now compatible with the service:

  • Samsung Galaxy S8
  • Samsung Galaxy S8+
  • Samsung Galaxy S8 Active
  • Samsung Galaxy Note8
  • Samsung Galaxy S9
  • Samsung Galaxy S9+
  • Samsung Galaxy Note9
  • Samsung Galaxy S10
  • Samsung Galaxy S10E
  • Samsung Galaxy S10+
  • Samsung Galaxy Note10
  • Samsung Galaxy Note10+
  • Samsung Galaxy S20
  • Samsung Galaxy S20+
  • Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra
  • Razer Phone
  • Razer Phone 2
  • ASUS ROG Phone
  • ASUS ROG Phone II
Google is aiming to bring console-quality play to any connected device with its Stadia game service
Google is aiming to bring console-quality play to any connected device with its Stadia game service GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / JUSTIN SULLIVAN