The world of PCs is quite vast. There are thousands of different hardware configurations out there, ranging across millions of different PCs. That’s what makes PC gaming rather complicated. Sure, you’ll always see your stereotypical ‘PC elitist’ constantly talk about why PC gaming is top tier, but the reality is that you’ll need top-tier equipment to get those results. As expected, that level of tech is very expensive. So, what about the folks out there who have budget PCs that really aren’t built for gaming? Not to mention the folks who are stuck in the world of Mac gaming? Well, Nvidia is seeking to help out with the release of GeForce NOW beta.
GeForce NOW is a new cloud-based service that allows players to stream modern titles to their PCs and even Macs too, allowing them to play even if their computer can’t match the minimum system requirements (although your computer does still need to meet the system requirements for the GeForce NOW application). This is thanks to powerful PCs behind Nvidia’s servers taking care of the main workload, leaving you to only worry about the streaming. Framerates can go up to 120FPS or even more! As long as your PC or Mac isn’t from the stone ages and you have a decent Internet connection (25 mpbs or higher), then you’ll be able to start playing.
Nvidia has now launched a free beta version of this new service for Windows PCs. You can go ahead and sign-up right now for the waitlist. The catch is that it may or may not be available in your geographic location, so keep that in mind.
There are several games spanning different genres that are already supported on GeForce NOW. The best part is that all your data will be saved and synced via the application. For example, Rocket League is one of the supported titles. Playing it through GeForce NOW will still allow you to keep all of your data saved on Steam. That’s pretty sweet!
This isn’t the first time that a company has tried reaching out to budget-struck gamers. About a decade ago, OnLive offered a similar cloud-based game streaming service. Obviously, things didn’t turn out well. With the technology we have today being much better, and considering how massive Nvidia is along with its stellar reputation, GeForce NOW should turn out much better. Sony has already demonstrated how good modern game streaming can be with the PlayStation Now service, which is very similar to GeForce Now, except its dedicated exclusively to PS3 and PS4 titles.
I got my gaming laptop back in 2016. Before that, I was using a Dell Inspiron laptop that was really only made for business and a bit of multimedia. I tried working that thing to death with some titles, but most games just chugged along unless they were from years earlier. Having something like GeForce NOW when I was still using that thing would have been amazing. But that brings up a question: does a service like GeForce NOW fix this problem of gamers trying to use underpowered machines? Not completely. There are still some limitations and issues to overcome, But, I think that’s a subject better discussed in its own article. Stay tuned for that!
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