Google’s Stadia is a video game-streaming platform that is taking aim at consoles

The new service will let people stream video games that usually have had to be bought as a download or CD.

The details: Google says Stadia will work on any device and the cloud computing power that it’s promising is more than a PS4 and XBox One X combined. The firm also unveiled a Stadia controller that includes a button that will let users capture and share gameplay straight onto YouTube.

When can I buy it? Google is yet to say how much Stadia will cost, but it’s promised it’ll launch later this year in the US, Canada, UK, and much of Europe.

A bold move: The idea of a "Netflix for gaming" holds huge promise. However, it’s a lot harder to make it work than you might imagine. Cloud gaming service OnLive, which launched in 2003 but closed in 2015, was killed by its frustratingly slow speeds. To try and avoid this, Google says its Stadia controller will connect to its servers directly.

Some questions: While gamers at home might be excited, games developers might be wary about Google extending its grip into yet another industry. There are also questionsabout exactly which games the platform will have and whether gamers will need super high-speed internet connections for it to even work.

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