Is cloud gaming the future of video games? I can’t confirm that today. Nevertheless, we tested one of the most successful solutions: GeForce Now on a Shield TV. A 100 % Nvidia solution.
If you own a Shield TV, you may have been able to apply the latest update. This update brought Google Assistant, but also the new GeForce Now service. It is the latter that interests us. This is the service that is available since January 2018 in beta-test on Windows and OS X.
The online streaming is not new: the OnLive service, now gone, was the first to do so in 2010. Gaikai came quickly afterward, and was quickly swallowed up by Sony who now uses this technology for PlayStation Now. In France, we were also able to discover Shadow from December 2016. Against all these competitors, we had the opportunity to test GeForce Now on a Shield TV (2017)
Nvidia GeForce Now Version 2015
NVIDIA already offered cloud gaming on its Shield TV, and even it’s Android tablet and funny game console, in a video game on demand service: GeForce Now. Through a monthly subscription of about 10 euros per month, one could access a rather small catalog of games. The downside of this platform: we were limited to the games proposed by Nvidia. This offer is similar to what Netflix offers: the service was sorely lacking in recent games.
Nvidia GeForce Now Version 2018
This is where the confusion can arise because the GeForce Now service we just tested is very different from the previous one. Like Shadow, Nvidia GeForce Now offers remote graphical power to run very demanding games. The service allows you to access Steam or the Epic platform to launch the games you already have in your catalog. That’s where the difference is: you have to have the game to be able to throw it. Nvidia takes care of carrying out all necessary calculations in their data centers, in Germany during our tests, and to send the video stream encoded as necessary on the client (Windows, OS X or Shield TV).
5 Things To Know About GeForce Now Before We Start Taking Charge
- It’s cloud-gaming, in the sense that the graphical calculations are done in a data center. The power of the calculation is shifted; it allows us to achieve economies of scale in energy and materials. It is also a way to benefit from the latest technologies without having to invest a lot of money.
- The games on offer are still limited to the most popular platforms, such as Steam, Epic, Uplay, and Battle.net, in total, more than 250 games are offered among the most requested on PC. It should be noted, however, that there are no actors like GoG, for example.
- Games are not included in the service: you must own the games to be able to launch them.
- Of course, the quality of the connection is very important to ensure a good gaming experience. Reduced latency and good speeds are required, in addition to a good Ethernet network or a high-performance WiFi router.
- Finally, the service is currently in beta-test! Nvidia will offer a monthly subscription to access this remote power, but we do not yet know the rates or the availability date of the commercial version. For the moment, the service is available free of charge in beta-test (for a lucky few).
