The Stadia controller conversion tool will work until late 2025

The Stadia controller conversion tool was Google’s way of letting customers who purchased the controller avoid its obsolescence. The controller was meant to be for the sole purpose of playing games on Stadia. Google’s now-defunct platform and service that shut down back in 2022. Stadia’s short-lived existence was not necessarily a shock the longer it was available, especially after the growing pains it had following its launch.

But that didn’t mean that the controller you used to play Stadia games had to be useless. To that end, Google launched the conversion tool for it. This had one single purpose. To open up the Stadia controller so it could be used as a standard Bluetooth controller for other platforms. Including Windows and mobile devices. Initially, this was only intended to work until the end of 2023. However, Google extended that timeframe and said it wouldn’t end until 2024.

That timeframe was due to end on December 31 of this year, which is just a few weeks away. Now that time has been pushed out.

The Stadia controller conversion tool now works until December 2025

Two years is a rather generous timeframe to run the conversion tool since it takes probably less than 15 minutes to get it done. If for some reason you just never put in the time, you won’t have to scramble to get things done within a few weeks.

As noted by 9To5Google and initially spotted by Wario64 on X, Google has quietly extended this time. The conversion tool will now work until December 31, 2025. So you have one more whole year to convert your Stadia controller into a standard Bluetooth controller.

Google’s Stadia controller is pretty darn comfortable to hold. So it was always a shame that it was going to be rendered useless. The tool Google came up with really gave it some new life. It also meant you didn’t just have to flush money down the drain. Seeing as these controllers weren’t that old, they were likely in fine working order for most people.

They also cost $69, or $129 if you bought the Founders controller in the dark blue. That’s a lot of money to spend just to throw something out only a few years later when it can probably work for several more years without issue.

An inexpensive controller option

The best thing about the Stadia controllers now is that they will continue to be an inexpensive alternative to other controllers. You can’t buy them from Google anymore. However, you can probably still find some on sites like eBay or through other third-party sellers. And chances are they’ll be relatively cheap to buy. This means you can pick up a Stadia controller for next to nothing and have it be useful for games no matter the platform.

Normally, cheap controllers are cheap in more than just price. In this case, though, the Stadia controller is a solid piece of hardware. And it’s only cheap because you’d have to get these second-hand from other users. If you don’t already own one, they’re a nice backup.