Google's Stadia Controller Bluetooth upgrade tool has arrived

Google’s Stadia Controller Bluetooth upgrade tool has arrived

Cloud gamingmay be a surprise hit, with services like Xbox Cloud Gaming and GeForce Now really taking off with gamers, but Google just couldn’t figure out how to capture that magic with its own Stadia, and in just a few short hours from now, Google’s going to pull the plug for good. But while Stadia is going to the way ofso many abandoned Google services, we just got one last-minute reprieve in the form of news that Google would upgrade existingStadia Controllers to support Bluetoothconnections, so they could be used wirelessly with other devices. Today, Google is finally making that update tool available for use.

If you’ve still got your Stadia Controller and are looking to activate its new Bluetooth capabilities, head on over toGoogle’s Stadia page to get started. You’ll be prompted to connect the Controller to your PC with a USB cable, but once it’s updated with the new Bluetooth software, you’ll be able to wireless connect to future devices.

There are a couple important caveats to keep in mind here. The biggest is that this is a permanent, one-way move, and once you convert your Stadia Controller to work over Bluetooth, it will no longer support Stadia Wi-Fi connections. Granted, with the service shutting down, that’s very quickly becoming a non-issue, but keep it in mind if you were hoping to squeeze one last session in.

Google also puts a time limit on this tool, and while your Stadia Controllers should keep working with your Bluetooth devices for years to come, you’re only going to have until the end of 2023 to actually install the new software on them — Google seems really, really interested in finally closing the book on Stadia for good.

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