After years in closed beta, GeForce Now is finally available to the masses. After years of free testing, Nvidia’s full launch is even more generous than anyone expected. You can utilize the app free of charge today, so long as you’re okay with starting a new session every hour. Alternatively, priority access to GeForce servers, 6-hour sessions, and RTX capabilities costs just $5 a month. This includes a 90-day free trial.
I’ve been using GeForce Now personally for around 8 months now. Though I own a gaming PC, it’s proved invaluable while traveling or at LAN parties. An Android client also means you can start it up on your phone, much like xCloud.
It’s going to be extremely interesting to see how Microsoft’s xCloud and Google Stadia respond to this. Stadia currently costs £119 just to get on board with its premier edition, and you have to purchase titles again from its very limited library. In comparison, GeForce Now lets you play most titles you already own on Steam, UPlay, and the Epic Store. With this, Stadia is essentially dead in the water if it doesn’t make any changes.
However, it’s worth noting that xCloud has a slightly different value proposition. Unlike its competitors, it really is more of a ‘Netflix for Games’. Microsoft’s subscription will bundle its first-party titles, those on Game Pass, and other Xbox titles at no extra cost. If it can keep the price down to $10, that could easily be worth it.
If you want raytracing, though, Nvidia is your only option right now. Microsoft doesn’t currently have RTX-powered consoles and its current beta is based on the Xbox One S. Still, it’s worth noting that Nvidia is assumedly planning to up its pricing at the end of 2020. What exactly that will be is unclear at this point, but it calls the current $4.99 “discounted”.
I’ll be continuing to test both xCloud and GeForce Now over the next year, especially as the PC client launches. You can sign-up for Microsoft’s service here, and Nvidia’s here.
