“No downloads, no patches, no installs... No console required.” That’s how Google’s Phil Harrison put it during first Stadia Connect stream on the eve of E3 2019. But while using “Google’s data center as the platform” is indeed a shift for gaming, it also shifts the burden onto your internet connection.

When it launches in November, Google Stadia will support a wide range of bandwidths. On the high-end, the maximal experience — 4K HDR, 60 fps and 5.1 surround sound — will require 35 Mbps. The recommended minimum is 10 Mbps, which allows for something akin to 720p 60fps and stereo audio. According to the chart Google Stadia showed, 5 Mbps is an option for 720p, but we’ll have to see in practice how well that actually works.

Unsurprisingly, Google Stadia’s suggested connection speeds are higher than non-interactive streaming video. Netflix, for example, recommends 5 Mbps for “HD quality” and 25 Mbps for “Ultra HD.” Amazon, meanwhile, recommends 3.5 Mbps for Prime Video in HD. As for PlayStation Now, aka Sony’s streaming game service, all we can find officially is this: “You will use about the same amount of data as you would for streaming video.”