LG OLED TVs have just gained access to Google Stadia. And that may provide a lot of people a compelling reason to finally try out Google's streaming game service.
Google Stadia has been far from a resounding success, despite Google’s massive clout, resources and cloud platform. That combination of factors would seem to position Google as one of the companies best suited to thrive at cloud-powered game streaming, but Stadia has been a hard sell from the moment it was released — having to compete with the value and feature set of Xbox Game Pass probably hasn't helped.
However, adding Stadia into some of the best TVs available right now, could be the shot in the arm the streaming game service needs.
Integrating Stadia — or indeed other streaming services — into smart TVs is nothing new. All Android TV-based sets can run Stadia by default. But there’s more to this LG OLED news than meets the eye.
Last year's LG CX OLED and the 2021 LG C1 OLED TV both come stuffed with a suite of gaming features. There’s a critically acclaimed low-latency gaming mode, support for variable refresh rates (up to 120 frames per second when gaming), Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio support.
These features alone make the LG OLEDs some of the best gaming TVs you can buy right now; heck, you may have already got one like me in the Cyber Monday deals, some of which are still bubbling away.
Stadia support simply requires you to connect a controller (PS4 and Xbox One controllers are compatible) to the TV and make use of the Stadia app. With that, the LG OLED TVs add another gaming feather to their already stuffed feature cap.
Provided you have a speedy internet connection, the simplicity of running Stadia on a killer OLED TV means it could finally become a compelling service to use. After all, you can now play some 200 games, including hits like Resident Evil Village, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, Hitman 3, without the need for a PS5 or Xbox Series X; these new consoles remain tricky to track down even a year after their release.
With CES 2022 on the horizon, I expect there'll be a suite of new TVs set for release next year that'll come with an emphasis on gaming features — whether they are designed to take advantage of next-gen console power or gully embrace game streaming. LG is the tip of the spear here, and it’s exciting to see what’s next.
