Chromecast Ultra is dead, long live Chromecast Ultra (and this new Ethernet dongle)

Google’s new $ 50 “Chromecast with Google TV” has supplanted the Chromecast Ultra in pretty much every way, so you probably won’t be surprised to learn that Google is ditching its original 4K streaming device. The Chromecast Ultra is now out of stock at all major US retailers, including the Google Store, where their product page redirects to the new Chromecast.

It’s not formally “discontinued,” of course: Google says it will continue to be available at “select retailers,” though we don’t see stock in Amazon, Best Buy, Target, Walmart, The Home Depot, Staples, etc. and although B&H Photo lists it as “discontinued” at this time.

But there is still a way to buy one, because when Google announced its Chromecast 2020, the new product apparently left a couple of holes.

As we reported today, the new Chromecast won’t support Google’s Stadia cloud gaming service until sometime in the first half of next year. What should those buyers do? They can still buy the $ 99.99 Stadia Premiere Edition, which Google confirms will still come with a Chromecast Ultra along with its Stadia controller.

Image: Google

For some households (and for the best performance with Stadia), the fact that the new Chromecast doesn’t come with an Ethernet adapter like the Chromecast Ultra may also seem like an oversight, but Google has an answer for them, too: it quietly launched. A $ 20 Ethernet plus power adapter for the new Chromecast today.

At $ 50 for the Chromecast and $ 20 for the new adapter, you’d pay the same $ 70 you’d pay for the Ultra previously. Like the Chromecast Ultra adapter, it maxes out at a 100Mbps wired connection, but neither Stadia nor current video streaming services need more. (You can also use a USB-C to Ethernet hub for your new Chromecast – we found at least one that worked.)

Not that Stadia buyers wanted a Chromecast Ultra without a Stadia controller anyway. The original Ultra didn’t have Bluetooth, and Google’s proprietary Wi-Fi-based controller is the only way to connect. That’s not a problem with the new Chromecast, as we found out when we played side-loaded Stadia with an Xbox gamepad.

9to5Google reports By the way, the $ 30 2018 Chromecast will stick with the new $ 50 one. However, you won’t get a bundled remote or 4K streaming with that one, just 1080p content that you send from your phone.

Update, 5:13 pm ET: Added that the new Ethernet adapter is of the 10 / 100Mbps variety, just like the original Chromecast Ultra package.