GeForce Now cloud gaming service is now available as a web app for iPhone and iPad

[nanoguy]

Cutting corners: The App Store is still a hostile place for cloud gaming platforms, but things seem to be taking a positive turn. Nvidia's GeForce Now is now accessible through Safari on iOS, and it won't be long before Microsoft's xCloud will be available there as well.

Rumors had been circling around that Nvidia was working on a GeForce Now browser client that would allow Fortnite players to experience the game on iOS devices, and give Epic the chance to bypass the App Store entirely.

Today, Nvidia announced it would join other cloud gaming providers such as Microsoft and Amazon in going the web app route to avoid Apple's strict App Store guidelines that look increasingly like a weapon to wield against competitors as opposed to protecting users.

And that's not an understatement. It's how a former App Store exec described it in a testimony for the House antitrust subcommittee, which has concluded that big changes are necessary to prevent companies like Apple from abusing their dominant position in some markets as well as applying preferential treatment to their own services.

GeForce Now is currently launching in beta form for Safari on iPhone and iPad, complete with gamepad support and access to a growing library of more than 750 PC games. And yes, that will include the much-awaited Cyberpunk 2077, ray tracing and all, whenever CD Project Red decides to unleash it upon us -- as of writing that date is December 10.

Nvidia says it's also working to connect GeForce Now to GOG and include more games from their library such as The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

Back in August, the company launched GeForce Now for Chromebooks in beta, and after seeing more than 10 percent of the 5 million active members use it, it's working to bring it to Chrome on Linux, Windows, Mac, and Android in early 2021.

For those of you who want to use the Razer Kishi controller with GeForce Now on iOS, you're in luck -- Nvidia says it not only works, but it also comes as a recommended choice. And if internal testing goes well, Fortnite should be coming to iOS Safari soon. You'll still have to pay Nvidia $4.99 per month or $24.99 for six months if you play for hours on end, otherwise you'll be limited to one-hour sessions and waiting in line for a remote machine to become available.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/87675-geforce-now-cloud-gaming-service-now-available-web.html

 

[QuantumPhysics]

I saw a picture of Fortnite.

Is Fortnite even playable?

 

[BoowieBear]

This is great news. Anything that provides competition is good. The app store hegemony is not good for consumers long term.

 

[terzaerian]

There is a lot I'm hesitant about with this.

For starters, this idea that Epic and Tim Sweeney have finally hornswoggled Apple. People seem to forget that their devices are tightly locked down and centralized. I am pretty sure it would be trivial for Apple to inject an update that blocks access to GeForce Now from Safari or any other I[device] browser. I would not put it past Apple to be that spiteful and arrogant, even in the face of federal scrutiny.

Second of all, this GeForce Now itself. I do not like cloud gaming, categorically. It hasn't worked, to this point - OnLive and Stadia being the two most embarrasing examples of failure. But assuming someone did find a way to make it work, I'd find that even worse. It will only incentivize the consolization of the PC, and make us totally dependent on more walled garden ecosystems. The ability to mod or make mods for games is basically totally precluded or dumbed down to an egregious extent. Youtube channel Accursed Farms's Ross has a number of insightful and entertaining video treatments on how this and the 'games as service' model is flawed as well, and why it's especially bad in terms of software preservation.

 

[Nobina]

I don't see my self wanting to play games so bad I'll do it on my phones 6.4 inch screen and no proper controls. Maybe gaming on a smartwatch is next, who knows?