I don’t know anyone who subscribes to YouTube Premium, but if that’s you—and you’re an active member who signed up on or before Nov. 6, as opposed to five minutes after you read this—then you should check to see if you can get a one of the $100 Google Stadia Premiere Edition bundles Google is giving away for free.
Simply click here to see if you’re one of the lucky ones. Even if you don’t give a fig/hoot/damn about the Google Stadia streaming service, you might at least get a great controller for your PC gaming for absolutely nothing, and that’s a hack.
Now, the not-so-fun part: Google’s offer is a first-come, first-serve kind of a deal and subject to availability. And since this one kind of snuck out during today’s Apple event, every YouTube-loving gamer is probably jumping in to grab it now. Also, it’s “free” in the sense that you needed to be a $12/mo YouTube Premium subscriber, so Google will get its money back in the long run while also pushing another streaming service that will rack up yet more monthly fees if you sign up.
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Interestingly, Google’s terms and conditions also state that you need have to have used Google’s Stadia Pro service in some capacity to be eligible for the offer—even a trial version—but you can do so by the end of the month. I don’t think this is a kind of “do it or we’ll bill you for the free item we sent you“ kind of a deal, but it’s just something to keep in the back of your mind. I’m confident that once you get your free bundle, you won’t be bothered about it ever again.
Note that if you’re eligible for the offer, you’ll need to order your free Stadia bundle by the end of the year. I’m not sure why you wouldn’t do that immediately, but even if you dawdle a bit, you still have plenty of catch-up time. You’ll also have to be in the U.S. or the UK to take advantage of the offer (for now), but I’ve seen reports that Google plans to expand it to other countries soon.
As part of the bundle, you’ll get the aforementioned Stadia Controller ($69) and a Chromecast Ultra (formerly $69, when you could still buy it). The bundle itself sells for $99 regularly—already a deal in its own right, but even better when you can shave $99 off the price.
