Stadia Controller receives Bluetooth certification ahead of upcoming patch

Kyle Bradshaw | Jan 15 2023 - 9:49 am PT

Google has gotten full approval for the Stadia Controller’s new Bluetooth support ahead of the upcoming patch.

While Google’s game streaming service is set to shut down in a matter of days, the passionate team behind Stadia has been hard at work on a few final projects. On Friday, Stadia gained one final game, “Worm Game,” an internal testing game that Google had used to test the service over the years.

Additionally, fans of Stadia had also been asking Google to make the beloved Stadia Controller easier to use with other devices. It’s always been possible to simply plug the Stadia Controller into a phone or computer to use it, but wireless play has been limited to Stadia-exclusive Wi-Fi connectivity. To address this, Google has been working to expand the Bluetooth capabilities of the Stadia Controller, making it usable as a Bluetooth game controller.

The company has already announced that a patch for the Stadia Controller will be made available in the coming days, meaning the team has made significant progress in the last few months. It’s important to note though that adding Bluetooth support involves more than just enabling the relevant tech. There’s also a certification process that needs to be completed, for both new and old devices alike.

On Saturday evening, the Google Stadia Controller received new approval from the Bluetooth Special Interest Group to be used as a wireless controller. The listing also includes clues as to how the Stadia team was able to add full wireless support to the controller.

Specifically, there’s a mention of “HoGP BLE Profile support for Stadia Controller.” Short for “HID over GATT Profile,” HoGP BLE means Google’s controller will connect via Bluetooth Low Energy to transmit button presses. The listing also says the controller is Bluetooth 5.0 compliant.

With this certification complete, we’re now one step closer to the Stadia Controller becoming a delightful touchstone of gaming history, usable for years to come.