Hot Take: Google Stadia

Google is definitely writing some big checks when its comes to its Stadia cloud gaming service. There are still a lot of questions to be answered before we can even make any educated guesses on how well the online titan will eventually cash said checks. One thing is for sure, though - Stadia is closer than ever.

With pre-orders for the $129 Founder's edition already live and a an initial launch scheduled for November, the gaming industry as a whole could very well be on the brink of a paradigm-shifting event. For better or for worse, of course, since there are many aspects to consider here.

That being said, this particular hype train is already boarding passangers, so, before things go into full steam here is Will with his critical look at what the service is about and the possible implications to the smartphone industry in particular. You can also check out our run-down of the recent Stadia event for a synopsis of what we currently know about Google's grand step into the gaming realm.