Stadia fans trying hard to stop their controllers from becoming e-waste

Following last week's surprise announcement that Google would be shutting down Stadia in January, the platform's small but dedicated community have petitioned Google to allow the controller to work on other platforms wirelessly.

The Stadia controller currently works on other devices via a USB cable, but it also has wireless functionality in the form of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth that's firmware locked.

While owners wait for a response from Google, some have taken matters into their own hands with some quirky workarounds.

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As reported by The Verge, one workaround involves using an Android device as a transmitter, which then sends the signal to a PC. There are a few caveats, however. For one, neither of the controller's trigger buttons work, and the controller needs to be physically connected to the Android device.

Another method, while also tedious, involves installing Python 3 and using an app created by engineer Parth Shah, which creates a server on your PC. Then, using an Android device with a Stadia controller connected through a wire, you can connect to your PC and use it as you would normally.

But neither of these methods allow for a truly wireless experience, which will only be possible should Google open up the hardware with a firmware update, or an ingenious tinkerer creates custom firmware to flash to the controller, opening up the functionality.

But for now, it's admirable to see Stadia owners trying their best to avoid seeing their controllers get buried in a landfill.