In 2019 Google presented Stadia, its cloud gaming console, and just 3 years later it announced the closure of the platform . The truth is that the system has had a very short life, and those of us who bet on the service in its day , right now we only have a bittersweet memory and a very nice controller!
Although the servers have now shut down, the Stadia Controller is still a physical device, and while it’s designed to work exclusively with Google’s cloud gaming, it can also be used via USB as a regular game controller.
From what I’ve been able to test in recent months, the Stadia Controller works over USB on a Windows PC, on platforms like Steam, Android, and on other devices like the Raspberry Pi. In fact, it’s one of my favorite gamepads for playing retro video games. Of course, only through USB connection. Until now.
How to activate the “Bluetooth mode” of the Stadia controller to use it on other devices
It must be recognized that Google did not want to add more firewood to the fallen tree, and the first thing it has done this month of January has been to return all the money from the games purchased and the hardware (that is, the Chromecast + gamepad set from Stadia).
In addition to that, for a few hours it has also enabled a way to release the Stadia controller so that users can use it as a generic Bluetooth gamepad for other systems and consoles.
- Open your PC browser and go to https://stadia.google.com/controller/index_es.html
- Click on “ Switch to Bluetooth mode”.
- In the “ Switch to Bluetooth mode” option , click on “ Start ”.
- Check the box “ I accept the Google Terms of Service” and click on “ Get Started ”. Keep in mind that this is a definitive process that cannot be reversed.
- Before proceeding, make sure your controller is charged. Otherwise, charge it for at least 30 minutes. Then connect it via a USB-C cable to your computer and press “ Continue”.
- Click the ” Allow Chrome to verify” button. This will open a pop-up window where you need to select “ Stadia Controller rev.A ”.
- If everything went well, you will see a message on the screen indicating that “Chrome has verified your Stadia controller”.
- Click on “ Next Step”.
- Now perform the following actions in an orderly fashion:
- Unplug the controller to turn it off.
- Hold down the Options button (three dots (…)) while reconnecting the controller with the USB cable. The controller status light should stay off.
- Finally, press the “ Options + Assistant + A + Y” buttons at the same time.
- Click on “ Next Step”.
- Then click on “ Allow Chrome to download” and select the controller. It will now appear as “ SP Blank RT Family ”.
- Now that Chrome has downloaded the new firmware for the controller, all we have to do is install it. Click on “ Next Step”.
- Select the “ Allow Chrome to install” option.
- Choose “ USB Composite Device” and click “ Connect ”. The installation of the new software on the Stadia Controller will automatically begin.
- If everything went well, we will see a message on the screen indicating that the Bluetooth mode update has been installed. Goal achieved!
Your Stadia gamepad already has Bluetooth mode enabled and you can start using it as a generic game controller wirelessly.
To pair the controller simply turn it on by pressing the button with the Stadia logo and it will automatically enter pairing mode . You can also activate the pairing manually by holding down the “ Y + Stadia ” buttons simultaneously.
If at any point in the process you have problems recognizing the remote or installing the software, it is most likely that your remote does not have enough battery. Try charging it for a while and repeat the steps again.
