Google starts adding missing Stadia features, announces Save Point blog updates

It’s been about a month since Google Stadia finally became available to the masses. Since that launch, there have been a few updates happening behind-the-scenes that you may have missed, considering everything happens in the cloud.

That’s why Google is launching a new official blog series called Save Point. Google will use this blog to talk about new and upcoming features for Stadia. That way, when big things happen related to the game streaming service, you’ll know about them.

As part of its inaugural post, Google revealed a few new feature updates for Stadia. The first of these updates isn’t really a new “feature,” but rather an aspect of Stadia that should have been there from the beginning. The new update relates to the Google Chromecast Ultra, namely the devices that didn’t come with the Stadia controller package. At launch, these non-Stadia devices didn’t work with the service, which was a weird omission.

Related: Google Stadia review: This is the future of gaming, if you have the data for it

However, Google says that now all Google Chromecast Ultra devices out in the wild should have an update that enables them to work with official Stadia controllers. This means that all you need to play Stadia is the controller and don’t need to replace your existing Chromecast to do so. The OTA update for the Chromecast that brings this compatibility feature also delivers some other bug fixes and improvements.

Additionally, Google is also bringing a new feature to Stadia called Stream Connect. This feature essentially allows you to use split-screen gaming. In Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, for example, you can see your own screen as well as the screens of up to three teammates. This could be advantageous for helping your team succeed. Check it out below:

Finally, there were a few smaller updates for Stadia, including the addition of some new games, some free Buddy Passes for Founder’s Edition buyers, and the ability to ask Google Assitant (via the Stadia controller) to start up a game using voice commands.

Click here to read the blog post in full.