Google is offering gamers Google Stadia Premiere Edition hardware, which includes a Chromecast Ultra and Stadia controller, for free with the purchase or pre-order of a full-price game ($59+) on the service.
After customers order, they’ll receive a code by Oct. 20, Google explains, which they can redeem for the free hardware by Nov. 20 while supplies last. The offer is limited to the US and a number of European nations.
Google has done this kind of thing before; in August, it offered YouTube Premium subscribers three months of access to Stadia Pro. That same month, it also discounted nearly all its Stadia hardware—a deal that came on the heels of another discount for the Stadia Controller and Chromecast bundles in July.
But is this just a typical end-of-year deal or a way to offload excess hardware as Google slowly shutters the service? Stadia now faces a lot of competition in the game-streaming space, including Nvidia GeForce Now, Amazon Luna, and Xbox Game Streaming. Stadia ranks lowest in our reviews.
Google Stadia has had almost two years to catch on with gamers. Recent moves would suggest a winding down rather than a winding up (Google ceasing its push to create Stadia-exclusive games, for example), but the company hasn't made any announcements.
While free hardware might tempt some new players to Google Stadia, Google’s library and pricing may not be as attractive. Google is touting games like Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice as part of this promotion, but those games are more than two years old. Google’s relationship with Ubisoft may help out a bit there, as it's also offering the new Far Cry installment.