Google Stadia supposedly works fine on non-Pixel phones

Google Stadia is the company’s new approach to gaming that offers a subscription-based streaming platform and it finally went live on November 19. However, it’s already off to an absolute mess, with early adopters reporting issues related to lagging, video quality, and syncing.

In fact, there are cries of Google Stadia under-delivering on its promise, with features such as integration with Google Assistant and seamless streaming to YouTube unavailable at launch.

These issues don’t stop there. Matter of fact, the biggest issue with Google Stadia as of this writing is the limited compatibility. To play Stadia, you need an eligible TV, computer or smartphone.

On a TV, you’ll need to meet the following requirements:

– A Google account (Not compatible with Google for Work, Google for Education, and certain other managed Google accounts)
– Stadia Founder’s Edition, Premiere Edition, or a Stadia Buddy Pass and a Stadia Controller
– Google Chromecast Ultra
– The Stadia app. The Android version requires a mobile device running Android 6.0 or greater while the iOS version requires an iOS device running iOS 11.0 or greater
– A reliable internet connection (10 Mbps or greater is recommended)
– A Stadia Controller

On a computer, you’ll need to meet the following requirements:

A Google account (Not compatible with Google for Work, Google for Education, and certain other managed Google accounts)
Stadia Founder’s Edition, Premiere Edition, or a Stadia Buddy Pass
A computer with a recent version of Chrome browser. Update your Google Chrome browser if needed
The Stadia app. The Android version requires a mobile device running Android 6.0 or greater while the iOS version requires a mobile device running iOS 11.0 or greater
A reliable internet connection (10 Mbps or greater is recommended)
A Stadia Controller, a mouse and keyboard, a Playstation® DualShock® 4 Controller, an Xbox One® Controller, or another supported controller.

Now, to play Google Stadia on a mobile phone, here’s what you need:

A Google account (Not compatible with Google for Work, Google for Education, and certain other managed Google accounts)
Stadia Founder’s Edition, Premiere Edition, or a Stadia Buddy Pass
A Pixel 2, Pixel 3, Pixel 3a, or Pixel 4 phone
The Stadia app (available on Google Play). The Android version requires a mobile device running Android 6.0 or greater
A reliable internet connection (10 Mbps or greater is recommended)
A Stadia Controller, a Playstation DualShock® 4 Controller, an Xbox One Controller, or another supported controller

As you can see, playing Stadia needs any of the Google Pixel 2, Pixel 3, Pixel 3a, Pixel 4 or their XL counterparts. The original Pixel is not supported nor is any other non-Pixel phone, at least not officially.

However, some Redditors have already discovered that you can play Stadia on any Android phone that is not a Google Pixel 2 or Pixel 4 for that matter. Even better is that getting started isn’t rocket science. All you need is to request a desktop view in Google Chrome.

Playing on non-pixel phones. Works fine if you request the desktop page in Chrome. Weird that it’s locked to Pixels on the actual app. But then again, it’s been a weird ‘launch’….just odd that I’ve been happily playing on my Huawei P30 pro via Chrome browser with practically no hiccups.
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GUYS, we can play stadia on google chrome browser on Samsung Galaxy s9 plus. I just played it. Please change the chrome setting to desktop mode, then use Sony DS4 controller (Xbox one controller is not working).
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Just tried in a Note10, Shodown loaded just fine as well! Didn’t have a keyboard or controller handy to connect, but it does start the game.
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It’s a little strange that Google never mentioned this possibility anywhere, but its probably because Google wants Stadia fans to buy more of their Pixel phones. Now that this knowledge is public, it remains to be seen what next.

Hopefully, the support for Google Stadia will soon be expanded beyond the Pixel realm to accommodate other Android and iOS phones.

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