Google's game streaming Stadia is currently making headlines because, unlike the first release in November 2019, no paid Premiere Edition is required to use the streaming service – at least as soon as the activation over 48 hours in all 14 supported countries via the Stage has gone.
But this raises questions about the operation, such as whether you can use Google Stadia without (Stadia) controller? This is exactly what we clarify in this article. All important information about the release of the free version of Stadia and the gift from Google included can be found here:
more on the subject
Google Stadia is now free
Google Stadia: No controller needed
PCs and notebooks: In order to play games with Stadia using a Chrome browser, no controller is required, neither the Stadia controller nor another gamepad such as the Xbox controller.
On PCs and notebooks, on the other hand, games can be operated normally using the mouse and keyboard, which are each connected (or via a touchpad). If desired, playing with a controller is also possible here, although it does not have to be the Stadia controller.
Smartphones and Chromecast Ultra: According to official information, a controller is required to play on these devices. In the case of the Chromecast Ultra, it must be the Stadia controller, but other controllers can also be used on smartphones, provided they can be connected via USB or Bluetooth.
Basically, you can also connect mice and keyboards to smartphones, for example via Bluetooth or via a USB hub, if your device supports USB »On-the-go« (OTG). In Stadia games, however, your entries are (still) ignored, which we can confirm with our own test with a Bluetooth mouse and Google's Pixel 3 smartphone.
Is it possible to operate on smartphones via touchscreen? Not from the start, Stadia ignores corresponding entries on our test device. You can still use the touchscreen of smartphones for control via detours such as TouchStadia.
