This feature could make Google’s Nest Wifi the best router for Stadia game streaming

Uncovered first in an APK teardown by 9to5Google, it looks like the new Google Nest Wifi routers will possess a feature that could automatically make your Stadia game streaming experience much smoother. That APK that 9to5 dissected was the Google Home app (which controls both the Google Wifi and Nest Wifi routers) and the changes they found revealed not only a new setting coming to the app titled “Gaming preferred,” but also led them to an official Google support page for the upcoming feature.

So, how does it work? According to the Google support page, the feature will be automatically turned on for Google Nest Wifi routers (and presumably the backwards-compatible Google Wifi routers as well) and will only kick into gear when the router detects a Stadia streaming session is happening. Here’s the official line from Google:

Stadia is an all-new gaming platform that lets you instantly play games across screens without waiting for game downloads or installations. For the best gaming experience, especially in up to 4K*, gaming traffic needs a fast pathway to and from cloud servers without being overly delayed by an underperforming router or competing traffic on the same network.
 
The gaming preferred setting on Google Nest Wifi automatically optimizes your Stadia traffic. Gaming preferred prioritizes Stadia so your gameplay doesn’t get slowed down by other devices or activities on your network, like someone streaming TV or browsing the web in the other room. Gaming preferred will work when you’re playing games on Stadia.
 
This setting is on by default but isn’t active unless you’re playing games on Stadia. You can turn this setting off at any time by following the below directions.

Shop Nest Wifi at Chrome Shop

This all not only sounds pretty straightforward, it sounds really awesome. Sure, other routers have settings that allow users to prioritize certain types of traffic over another, but the idea that Google will have this flipped on out of the box – only affecting bandwidth when Stadia is in action – is simply a touch of genius for general users. Most people have a hard time even getting a router set up and running: this will allow for an automated benefit for Stadia users without them even having to lift a finger to take advantage of it.

We’re less than two weeks away from getting our first real-world hands-on time with Stadia, and I can tell you our office is buzzing about it. We’re hopeful our Founders Edition shipments get here a bit early, but either way we’ll be launching into Stadia on the Pixelbook Go the very moment we get access and we’ll be sure to let you know all about the experience when we do.