Nvidia launches GeForce Now cloud gaming service at $4.99/month
Paid subscription gives priority server access and six-hour sessions, but there's a free version too
Nvidia has officially launched its GeForce Now cloud gaming platform out of beta, opening up cloud gaming support across PC, Mac, Android, and TV (via Nvidia Shield) via existing PC game storefronts.
The service is split into two tiers: a free edition, and a paid founders edition. The founders edition costs $4.99 per month, and offers priority access to servers, play sessions up to six hours long, and access to games with ray tracing supported. Free users may have to wait in queues to access servers and will be capped at sessions one hour long, though there's no limit to how many times a user can queue in any period. Both plans support streaming at 1080p and 60fps. As it's a streaming service, all games are intended to function at these levels regardless of the power of the user's device.
Rather than offering its own library, GeForce Now allows users to add games from their existing libraries across multiple storefronts including Steam. At launch, it supports over 30 free-to-play games as well as 1,000 more titles available through single-session installs on Steam.
GeForce Now use requires a 15 Mbps internet connection, and recommends 25 Mbps, and functions on Windows PCs, Mac, TVs with Nvidia Shield, and Android phones.
Nvidia's answer to cloud gaming comes at a time when Google's offering of late last year, Stadia, is experiencing a bout of low confidence due to its high price-point, few games, and (seemingly) fewer updates. It does still stand to be challenged by other services on the horizon, particularly Microsoft's coming xCloud service paired with Game Pass.