GeForce Now (The Next Generation in Cloud Gaming) (1 Viewer)

[DaveF]

Does anyone use the GeForce Now service for gaming? There were some hands-on articles about it this week, and it hit me that this might fit me well.

I’m kinda getting in the mood for more gaming this year. And I’m interested in current high end graphics games. But I don’t want to spend for a nVidia 3080 or 4080 GPU-based gaming PC — nor do I want to do “PC” gaming as I don’t have room for it. I’m a console-in-the-theater game (at least, before I was a Switch-in-bed-or-hotels gamer).

So here’s this service for $10 to $20 a month that approximates having a high-end $2000+ gaming PC. And it runs on my current hardware, including my nVidia Shield with my PS4 controllers.

I setup it last night, using the free tier. It was very not-user friendly figuring out how to make it work on my Shield and with a PS4 dual shock controller. But I got it working. I tried a few minutes of a free game — Asphalt 9 I think — and that was terrible (didn’t respond to the controller right). But then I tried Portal, which is one of the couple of games I own in Steam. And that was tolerable. Overall, I was playing the original PC Portal with a console controller on my 120” screen.

It has potential. The user experience in the app on the Shield is janky. But it’s usable. And the prospect of paying $20 to get a month of Portal RTX — portal with the new high-end ray tracing refresh — is tempting!

Does anyone use this service? Any tips or recommendations? Should I try it out on my HTPC? It should be supported. (The Shield was more appealing, with a simple app install from the Google store and not adding non-media stuff to my HTPC.)

NVIDIA GeForce NOW

Your Games, Your Devices, RTX On

www.nvidia.com

Testing Nvidia’s GeForce Now RTX 4080, the most advanced cloud gaming platform yet

The latency is incredible; the compression needs work.

www.theverge.com

GeForce Now Ultimate first impressions: Streaming has come a really long way

At its best, Nvidia's cloud-based service feels like an extension of your hands.

arstechnica.com

 

[DaveF]

I need a recommendation for a keyboard and mouse combo that will work my the nVidia Shield and be usable in a leather recliner. Maybe a lap desk to make it all work?

I’m intrigued, but I’m a bit iffy. I might be better off buying a PS5. But, as I said, I’ve got some window-shopping curiosity about this cloud gaming stuff now.

 

[Sam Posten]

The lag kills me.

 

[DaveF]

The lag kills me.

I wonder if it’s game dependent? Asphalt 9 was unplayable. Portal at quick try was indistinguishable from playing on local hardware.

The Verge only says “The latency improvements are huge for keyboard and mouse players, and I found it difficult to notice any lag most of the time.” And Ars makes no mention of lag.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Was this the service that connected to your Steam library to give you free streaming access to games you already owned?

 

[DaveF]

The Best Mac Gaming Experience Is a PC Sitting in a Dallas Data Center - MacStories

The Best Mac Gaming Experience Is a PC Sitting in a Dallas Data Center

I’ve seen the future of Mac gaming, and it’s not Metal 3 or Apple silicon. It’s a PC sitting in a Dallas data center with an NVIDIA 4080 GPU. That’s the data center my Mac connects to when I log into GeForce NOW Ultimate, the top tier of NVIDIA’s videogame streaming service. NVIDIA has data

www.macstories.net

After a few weeks with GeForce NOW, I love this service. At $20/month, the Ultimate tier isn’t cheap, but the math is a lot easier to swallow when the alternative is buying a dedicated gaming PC for $3,000-4,000.

 

[DaveF]

Was this the service that connected to your Steam library to give you free streaming access to games you already owned?

I somehow missed your question from earlier. To my limited knowledge, this isn’t anything about getting free games. But it’s new to me, I don’t know its earlier history or promos.

For me, it connects to my Steam account and lets me play games that are compatible. But my steam library is about 5 games and only Portal is compatible with GeForce Now, i think.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Yeah, it doesn't give you free games but it lets you play your Steam games without paying an extra fee. I remember it being a big feature that they advertised on.

 

[DaveF]

Yeah, it connects to your steam and Epic libraries and plays any compatible games. But I have like 5 games, of which Portal is compatible. So I haven't been able to give it a good try.