One of the big features of Stadia is that the controller connects directly to Google's servers over Wi-Fi for lower latency. However, if you're playing on an Android phone, the only way to game with a Stadia controller is to connect the devices with a USB-C cable. That's changing today.
Google is rolling out an update that'll let you play your Stadia controller on your Android device over Wi-Fi. This update will launch today, June 30th, and you'll need to get the latest version of the Stadia app to get things working.
To enable the Stadia controller to play on your Android device using Wi-Fi, you'll need to set up your phone and Stadia controller on the same Wi-Fi network. Then just launch a game and follow the pairing instructions on screen.
At first, you could only play your Stadia controller over Wi-Fi when using a Chromecast Ultra. It was only recently that Google enabled the Stadia controller to work over Wi-Fi when playing on a desktop or laptop computer, and finally that feature has made its way to Android phones, too.
Using your controller over Wi-Fi has the benefit of not tethering you to another device, which means you don't need to go grab a USB-C cable every time you want to play a game on your phone. This is the latest handy feature that Google has added to Stadia, and it's good to see the gaming service continue to improve.
In other Stadia news, Google is offering a 10% discount on its controller through July 2nd. So if you're interested in grabbing an extra controller or two, now seems like a good time to do it.