This week, Google took a big step in its cloud gaming journey by opening up Stadia to everyone , meaning anyone can sign up and stream as long as they have an email address. While the floodgates opening should be a good thing, it also comes at an odd time, as streaming services are encouraged to reduce their strain on ISPs while so many people are stuck at home. 

Google is already familiar with this issue and adjusted the default quality for videos on YouTube to standard definition while leaving users the option to crank it up as they normally would. A similar approach is now also being taken with Stadia.

As part of the Stadia Pro free trial announcement, Google says that it is temporarily shifting the default streaming resolution for users to 1080p instead of 4K. This is not a strict limit, as players can go into their settings and turn the streaming quality back up.

However, Google also hopes that users don't necessarily notice, even saying that “the vast majority of people on a desktop or laptop won't notice a significant drop in gameplay quality”. Depending on the resolution and size of your monitor/laptop screen, that may be the case.

KitGuru Says: A lot of the worry surrounding internet outages due to heavy usage has quietened down a bit at this point but companies are still mindful of it. If you are a newcomer to Stadia, double check your streaming quality settings as depending on your connection, you may be able to boost it higher. 

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