Google’s Stadia can now be streamed to any Chromecast Ultra

Good news for Stadia gamers today: Google has announced that the console-less console can now be synced with any Chromecast Ultra. The change is being rolled out via an update to existing Chromecast Ultras.

Buddy Passes just became more powerful — Previously, Stadia could only be streamed using a Chromecast Ultra packaged specifically for Stadia, either in the Founder’s or Premiere edition of the console. This meant that those gifted a three-month trial Buddy Pass couldn’t stream to their TVs. Now they can do so by picking up a regular Chromecast Ultra.

Combined with the fact that Stadia Founders are now receiving a second Buddy Pass, this could get a lot more players interested in the three-month trial.

A step toward true console-less gaming — Though Stadia has always been promoted as a console you can stream anywhere, this wasn’t actually true at launch.

Now you’ll be able to stream Stadia to your friend’s TV even if they don’t own the Stadia-bundled Chromecast Ultra — if they have a Chromecast Ultra at all, that is. And if they can keep it from overheating. And they’ll need an official Stadia controller to play along with you. Okay, so maybe Google still has a few more steps to make Stadia truly portable.