As the three-year anniversary of Stadia’s death approaches, the final “active” part of Google’s short-lived venture into cloud gaming appears to be going away, as the controller conversion tool appears to actually be going offline this week.
Ahead of its shutdown on January 19, 2023, Google opened up a web-based tool that could convert a Stadia Controller from its Wi-Fi mode to a Bluetooth-only mode, allowing Stadia’s only true hardware to get another life as a wireless controller for smartphones, PCs, and more.
While not perfect, it worked pretty well.
For whatever reason, though, Google has set a cutoff for this tool. From the day it was announced, it always had an end-of-life. The tool was originally set to be shut down at the end of 2023, but Google extended it for another year through the end of 2024. Then, as that deadline approached, Google once again extended it through the end of 2025.
But now, it really seems like the tool is shutting down for good.
With just two days left, Google still says that the “Stadia Bluetooth mode” website will be available until December 31, 2025. In the past, Google granted extensions on December 15 and December 9, respectively, so it really seems the tool is set to die for good later this week, taking the last of Stadia with it.
It’s entirely possible that Google could swoop in at the last minute and change this, but the timing really makes that unlikely.
So, with that in mind, the time to convert any Stadia Controllers you have sitting around to Bluetooth mode is right now. The process takes mere minutes, and ensures the hardware will keep working for years to come. And with Steam having recently bolstered support for the Stadia Controller, that means all the more now.
RIP Stadia.
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