After five months Google's Stadia Controller is fully functional on PC

A USB Type-C cable is no longer required to connect your Google Stadia Controller to your laptop or PC. Google has announced wireless controller functionality is currently rolling out to Google Stadia users and will allow for cable-free connectivity between the Stadia Controller and browser-based Stadia devices.

Between its November launch date and now, the Stadia Controller supported wireless mode only on Chromecast Ultra devices. This left the browser-based version of Stadia in use across desktop and laptop PCs, and other compatible devices, with the choice of native inputs—such as a mouse, keyboard, or controller—or a wired Stadia Controller.

Wireless functionality on PC was announced within a "this week on Stadia" update.

"Starting this week, you can now use the Stadia Controller to play wirelessly on your laptop and desktop," says the Google Stadia team. "You no longer need to connect your Stadia Controller physically to your computer to play your favourite games. You’ll be able to link your Stadia Controller and Stadia.com through your Wi-Fi network and play without a USB-C cable connection."

Reports from Reddit suggest the move has been popular among Stadia's players, and that the roll out is already in full swing. It also appears that wireless controller support is available on unsupported mobile devices through the browser functionality.

How to wirelessly connect a Stadia Controller to your PC or laptop

In order to connect your Stadia controller on PC, follow the steps below:

Head to the stadia.google.com page.
Click on the controller icon in the top right corner.
Hold down the Stadia button on your Stadia Controller for one second, or until it rumbles.
Enter the code within the Stadia browser app.
You're all set!

You can find detailed instructions on the Google Stadia support pages.

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Jacob earned his first byline writing for his own tech blog, before graduating into breaking things professionally at PCGamesN. Now he's managing editor of the hardware team at PC Gamer, and you'll usually find him testing the latest components or building a gaming PC.