Konami Code Shows Up on Google's New Streaming Controller

Mar 19, 2019 3:16 PM PDT 30 lives!

by Seth G. Macy

UPDATE: Entering the Konami code on the Stadia store page for the controller unlocks a 360-degree view, as spotted by redditor u/WriggleN.

If you're watching the live reveal of the new Google streaming service known as Google Stadia, you might have missed a reference to one of the most beloved and well-known "secret" codes of all time.

During the presentation, when the buttons on the new controller were being shown and their functions explained, the on-screen graphic turned the controller to reveal the Konami code printed below the built-in microphone and audio jack.

If you're somehow unfamiliar with the U,U,D,D,L,R,L,R,B,A, Start code, it's also known as the Contra code or the 30-lives code, among other names. Most famously, entering it in at the title screen of Konami's Contra on NES grants you an immediate 30 lives boost. Other games from Konami, such as Gradius, also used the code, and it became so well known it even appeared in a Bank of Canada ad, and other places online.

Google revealed its new game streaming service, known as Stadia, during GDC 2019. It also looks to have teased third-party games during the lead-up to the live stream, including EA sports titles, Red Dead Redemption, and Call of Duty games.

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