Skip to main content

Some Google Stadia customers say their Chromecasts are overheating

By CNN

Google’s new Stadia gaming service is hot — in more ways than one.

Some gamers accessing the new cloud gaming platform through a Google Chromecast Ultra dongle are reporting that their devices are crashing and overheating after just a few hours of use.

Stadia, which launched on Tuesday, has been called the Netflix of video games. It delivers a games-on-demand experience without a clunky, space-consuming console. Customers can stream and play video games via smartphones, web browsers or wirelessly through a Chromecast.

But perhaps running video games with super-complex graphics over the information superhighway isn’t the best thing for a tiny Chromecast the size of your thumb.

In a Stadia thread on Reddit, one user wrote: “I was in the middle of a fight in Destiny 2 when suddenly my Chromecast died and lost connectivity to the network. I went to unplug it from the power and it was extremely hot.”

Others chimed in with similar experiences: “Mine has overheated and shut off twice now.”

Google told CNN Business it “will happily work with users to understand their particular experience better,” but noted it hasn’t seen thermal shutdown problems during its extensive testing.

“During normal usage, the surface of the device may get warm to the touch. This is working as designed. Using your Chromecast Ultra to stream Stadia games is very similar to using it to stream TV shows and movies,” the company said in a statement.

Google joins a growing list of competitors that are betting on cloud gaming. Sony launched its PlayStation Now streaming service in 2014 and achieved some success, but some cutomers continue to complain about lag time on social media. Gaming hardware company Nvidia is already in the space with GeForce Now. Microsoft started publicly testing its cloud gaming service, Project xCloud, in October and plans to bring it to PCs next year. Amazon is rumored to be looking into its own cloud gaming service.

The US lags other countries in social media restrictions for kids, but a reform push is growing

By The Associated Press
Amy Neville describes Kristin Bride as her “soulmate.” But the day that forged their bond — June 23, 2020 — was the worst of each of their lives. Both Bride and Neville lost their teen sons that day. Their kids lived a thousand miles apart and never met, but they both died from harms related to their social media use. When the two mothers met, early in their advocacy work to protect other kids, Bride said she had felt “totally alone.” But they have since seen the online child safety movement blossom, with scores of other parents who lost kids pursuing stronger social media safeguards and legislation to protect children online. With that momentum, advocates say the tide seems to be turning. A pair of landmark jury verdicts this year showed a way forward for holding tech companies accountable. And while the U.S. is nowhere near embracing social media bans for children like those seen from Australia to Indonesia, a push for regulation is simmering again in Congress.
Read Next Story

Related News

Data Doctors: What to do when your PC keeps rebooting

Data doctors: Tips for neutralizing dark web risks

Data Doctors: How to spot scam invitations