Stadia Controller Bluetooth support has been on most Stadia players’ wishlists since the platform launched. Every cloud has a silver lining, and Stadia is no exception. Although the online segment of its cloud infrastructure will be available to us, we get to use these controllers in Bluetooth mode!
The technology that underpins Stadia is impressive, and while there are reasons that Google was not successful with this venture, there is hope that one day there will be other cloud gaming services that can use the tech that Google brought to us for a brief period.
Getting the most out of your Google Stadia Hardware
Many of us feared that when Google decided to pull the plug on stadia we would suddenly be left with useless controllers that were destined for the nearest recycling center. This would have been a shame, as I really like my Stadia controllers. I use them for playing emulated games and even some Steam titles like racing sims.
The only caveat has been that in order to do this, a Type C USB cable was needed. Google obviously heard all of our concerns and decided to finally release the Bluetooth patch that we have all been waiting for. Having done this on both of my controllers, I can say that it is very easy to do, but there are a few tricky bits when you need to press certain key combinations on the controller.
Once this is done, you will be able to use your Stadia controller with your favorite Bluetooth-supported gaming devices.
I went ahead and took as many screen captures as I could while doing the Bluetooth conversion for my Stadia controllers, but the most helpful resource might be this video I threw together to help you understand what to do.
Why Do I Want Bluetooth on my Stadia Controller?
Under normal Stadia conditions, this actually wasn’t much of a demand for the majority of Stadia players. In fact, it was only really mentioned by most mainstream commentators when Google initially announced Stadia’s untimely shutdown and closure.
For tech tweakers like myself, however, it was a different story. I always wanted to try out some cloud gaming, and when Google Stadia came out I was very keen to try it out.
However, I realized these controllers were far more than simply gaming console controllers. They had mini-computers inside them, along with WiFi and all sorts of another tech.
Bluetooth was only used during the initial pairing and setup process, and the game controller would only talk directly to the Stadia servers through WiFi or to a local gaming machine with Stadia support via a cable.
This soured me on the gamepads for a while, but now that Bluetooth support is working for gameplay, I am back on board and ready to use these for many years to come.
Flashing your Stadia Controller For Bluetooth
A strange time limit has been imposed on the Bluetooth flashing process by Google, giving people until December of 2023 to get to the Stadia website and do the Bluetooth reflash.
You must understand that this change is permanent and that your WiFi will no longer work with your Stadia controller. Below are the steps that I followed to get myself 2 great Bluetooth controllers.
The main page on the website looks like this. Click on ‘Switch to Bluetooth Mode’
Next, follow the screen prompts. We want to switch to Bluetooth mode, so click Start.
Plug in your controller when prompted with this screen
Next, Click on the blue ‘Allow Chrome to verify’ button
Select the Stadia Controller that is displayed, and click Connect.
Click Connect
Next Step
Prepare for the finger gymnastics
Looking good! You are almost done. Click on Next Step.
All done
Wrapping Up: Bluetooth Stadia Controllers At Last!
Thank you for reading our quick guide, and I hope you have found the process easy. We love Google products, and my Chromecast devices still run very well. This is why Bluetooth is going to come in so handy when playing games; no more long cables and uncomfortable seating arrangements to be close to the plug.
We hope your Stadia Controller is now up and running in Bluetooth, and hopefully, it remains in your gaming arsenal for many years to come.
