All thanks to the magic of emulation
Google's Stadia cloud gaming platform has struggled to really find and secure an audience. The library's had a hard time getting the really high-profile titles gamers crave, and the lack of compelling exclusives has made it a tough sell. By the beginning of 2022, Stadia almost looked ready to join the likes of Google+ or Picasa in the graveyard of dead Google projects. But now we're wondering if a new project might give Stadia the shot in the arm it needs, in the form of support for existing Windows games.
Google may have come up with a way to run Windows games on Stadia, and at its Games Developer Summit next week, the company will unveil a Windows "emulator" for Linux (via The Verge). Redditors spotted the listing for the session, set to be run by Stadia's Porting Lead, Marcin Undak, and it promises an "overview of the technology behind Google's solution for running unmodified Windows games on Stadia."
Maybe most intriguingly, the session claims to show how Windows games can be run unmodified in this emulation environment. That has the potential to streamline the porting process, and could maybe even breathe new life into Stadia by throwing the doors to the platform wide open, adding a host of new titles to choose from.
That sounds incredibly promising, but this is one fierce market. Cloud gaming is rising in popularity and competitors like Amazon Luna or Xbox Games Pass offer plenty of features of their own. For Stadia, it might be a case of too little, too late.
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Steve is the Weekend News Editor for Android Police. He was previously the Deputy Digital Editor for Maxim magazine and has written for Inside Hook, Observer, and New York Mag. He’s the author of two official tie-ins books for AMC’s hit «Breaking Bad» prequel, «Better Call Saul.»
