Nvidia's GeForce Now beta launches on PC, letting you play demanding games on low-end...

midian182

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It’s been almost exactly a year since Nvidia announced GeForce Now at CES 2017. The cloud-based streaming service that allows people to experience high-end gaming on low-end machines launched in Beta form for the Mac last summer. Now, it’s finally available for the PC.

The system essentially gives owners of less-than-stellar machines, such as old laptops with integrated graphics, access to some of Nvidia’s flagship GPUs via the cloud. It claims that even with the settings pushed to max, the system can still manage to produce a smooth 120 fps at 1080p while in Ultra Steaming Mode. All of which means those with potato PCs can enjoy some demanding games.

You can sign up for the public beta right now, which is available for “most of North America and Europe.” There is a waiting list, of course, and even when you do get in, there’s a limit of 4 hours per gaming session.

Users require a minimum 25Mbps download speed (Nvidia recommends 50Mbps) and either a direct ethernet connection or 5GHz wireless router. It's possible to select games from your Steam or Uplay library, or purchase new titles from one of the digital stores. Supported games, of which there are over 150 at launch, are installed to your cloud rig in seconds, and the service applies the latest patches to games and Nvidia’s graphic drivers.

No word yet on how much the final version will cost users. Last year, Nvidia said $25 would get you 20 hours on a GTX 1060, while the same amount of money buys 10 hours on a GTX 1080 PC, but that might change.

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Huh, so now you can rent time in the cloud for GPUs at an hourly rate. Feels a bit like CompuServe all over again, this time for graphics... felt like a bad deal then, feels like one now, but to each their own, I guess. At least this isn't at 300 baud. :)
 
The industry won't be happy till we're back to dumb terminals with no local storage and you have to rent your software, CPU time, the connection speed and the dumb terminal itself. You're much better off saving up the money for mid-grade gaming PC than throwing away cash on game streaming. Don't give these companies an inch.
 
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Seems like a good option for people with deep pockets... Then again, people with deep pockets would likely be carrying a high end lap top with them anyways. lol.
 
The industry won't be happy till we're back to dumb terminals with no local storage and you have to rent your software, CPU time, the connection speed and the dumb terminal itself. You're much better off saving up the money for mid-grade gaming PC than throwing away cash on game streaming. Don't give these companies an inch.
I don't understand your hate, if someone wants to see what its like to play on a mid level or high level rig this is a nice option. It's also viable for casual players that want to pay by the hour. It wont affect you one iota.

That being said the price point for an avid gamer is a bit steep. And I do agree saving for your own rig is a better use of your money.
 
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