Google has started testing Stadia on other Android phones

Google has already been quietly running public tests for its Stadia on non-Pixel Android phones. Several users claimed they could stream Stadia games on devices like the OnePlus 6T, Samsung Galaxy 10e, and Samsung Galaxy Note 9, to name a few.

It's a notable development since the game streaming service was only available on Google Pixel phones when it launched in November. But the company has promised then to bring support to other devices outside of the Pixel line, without giving a specific timeline, though.

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These are the free Stadia Pro games coming in January

Every month, Google offers two free games to its Stadia Pro subscribers. The two games that will be available for January 2020 are Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration and Thumper. These games join Farming Simulator 19 Platinum Edition, Destiny 2: The Collection, SAMURAI SHODOWN, and Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition. Tomb Raider will be leaving Stadia Pro on December 31, 2019, at 9 am PT. If you want a copy of the game, you better claim it before then. A Google Stadia Pro subscription costs $11.99 per month.

Stadia 'Claw' accessory already sold out on Google Store Canada

While we seem to have gotten first dibs on Google Stadia's Power Support Claw, the accessory has since been sold out on the company's online Canadian store. Priced at $19.99, the Claw is designed to mount your phone in front of you instead of above the controller. It attaches over the face of the Stadia Controller with cutouts over the Stadia button, USB-C port, and 3.5mm audio jack. Made out of plastic, the Claw has padding in the spring-loaded grip to hold your phone in place. It's designed for the Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL, Pixel 4, and Pixel 4 XL, but Google said it would fit other phones just fine. There have been reports online that the Claw might leave scuff marks on your gamepad, so you might need to be careful with it.

The Claw still hasn't made its way to the US Google Store, which already had the listing for the accessory during Stadia's launch last month. We're hoping Google restocks it soon. 

Google acquires Montreal-based Typhoon Studio to develop exclusive Stadia games

Jade Raymond, vice president of Stadia Games and Entertainment, said Typhoon Studio's acquisition hopes to create "platform-defining exclusive content" for Stadia

Google just bought Montreal-based Typhoon Studio to help bolster exclusive content on its Stadia game streaming service. Game industry veterans, who have worked on titles like Batman and Assassin's Creed, head the small studio. They're now Google's first-ever first-party studio. We do not know how much the tech giant paid to acquire Typhoon Studio.

While the studio joins Google's Stadia Games and Entertainment Studio in Montreal, its first game, Journey to the Savage Planet, will still be released on different platforms, including the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and the PC, on January 28, 2020. We would expect the game to make its way to Stadia in the future, too. Google still has a lot of improvements it needs to make to Stadia, but this acquisition might be a step in the right direction in offering exclusive content for its users.

Source: VentureBeat