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Is GeForce Now Worth it A Cloud Gaming Service With No Store

Is GeForce Now Worth it? A Cloud Gaming Service With No Store

Is GeForce Now worth it? That’s the question now that cloud gaming is supposedly presenting itself as the future of gaming. Like any other cloud gaming service, GeForce Now enables you to play games through fast internet. You can play the latest AAA games on your old PC or any other supported device as long as you have fast internet. The service was in the Beta phase for nearly 7 years. The service offers a free package and paid package. GeForce Now has some major advantages over other cloud gaming services. The one thing that makes it stand out is the lack of Store. You can play games form different stores as long as you have purchased it. The service is only providing a platform for you to play games without selling you any. With all that the service is offering Is GeForce Now Worth it? Let’s find out.

What Makes GeForce Now Different?

GeForce Now is a cloud gaming service like any other. The service was in beta phase for 7 years and now it’s finally official. It is another gaming service but is GeForce Now worth it? To many, it could be. The major difference between GeForce Now and other streaming services is the lack of a Store. There is no Store in the service so you can just play games from nearly any store you want. The accessibility to different stores also results in a wider game library than any other cloud platform. On top of that, you can select where you want to buy a game and enjoy discounts from different stores.

It’s not all smooth sail because many games are missing from the service. There is no way to know about all games, available on the service. If you want to play a game that is in your library then all you can do is search on service, cross your heart and hope that it’s on the service. There is information available about certain publishers that have removed their games. You can’t find that info on the Nvidia website but rather third-party sources.

Missing Publishers from the Service

Activision Blizzard

Hinterland Studio

2K Games and Rockstar Games

Square Enix

EA

Hinterland Studio

Capcom

Publishers have Removed Most of Their Games but Not All

The parent company of Rockstar Games and 2K Games is Take-Two Interactive which is the reason for their absence from the platform. The absence of these publishers will result in the absence of Red Dead, GTA, Call of Duty, Overwatch, Tomb Raider, Devil May Cry, Final Fantasy, Battlefield, Need for Speed and Resident Evil to name a few. The publishers have not removed all of their games as Wolfenstein: Young Blood is still there. Respective launchers of the absent publishers are also absent. With the absence of games, Is GeForce Now worth it?

Requirements and Use of GeForce Now

In terms of performance GeForce Now is almost as good as Google Stadia. The response time of Google Stadia is better but the large library of GeForce Now and the lack of Store makes up for it. Recommended internet requirements for the service is 15Mbps for 720p at 60fps and 25 Mbps for 1080p at 60fps. 5GHz wireless router is important for good wireless usage but Ethernet will provide better results. You will probably require more speed than the recommended speed. Google Stadia was no different in that regard.

You can use the service with nearly all devices. GeForce Now is available on all Windows devices, all devices of macOS, Android and Shield TV. For mobile streaming, you would probably be using an iOS or Android Device. With the full release of service, it is trying to compete with all cloud gaming services available. Is GeForce Now worth it with your current setup?

Performance of the Service

The fps for games are not consistent for nearly all games but the drop and rise in frame rate also depend on the game. You can control the resolution from the GeForce Now app. The change in-game resolution will decrease the load on the server, not your internet connection. Gaming on the service is legit PC gaming, unlike Google Stadia. The frame rate can reach as high as 90 to 100 or as low as 37 to 45 depending on the game. The fluctuation in the frame rate shows the instability of the service. Response time of GeForce Now is not that good but it also depends on your connection.

Unlike other cloud gaming services GeForce Now also has a priority access and session length. You will have to wait in line for access. You can only use a session for a certain amount of time. Priority access and session length will depend on your membership. Some games will be available on the service but you will need to install them each time you want to play that game. Games can also disappear from the library and sometimes the installation can turn into a nuisance. The bugs in service can get on your nerves.

Like any other Cloud Gaming service, GeForce Now depends on your internet connection. Every aspect of it will depend on your speed and type of internet connection. Even with Ethernet connection and perfect conditions, it can’t compete with onboard gaming PC. For perfect condition, you would need to stay in one place and use a high-speed Ethernet connection. That’s the same as using a gaming PC with less performance. The cost will shift to the internet for most people but that’s a cloud gaming problem, not GeForce Now.

Paid Version and Free Version Makes an Impact

GeForce Now has two different types of memberships. Free Membership and Paid Membership, known as Founders. You will need to pay $4.99 for Founders but the first 90 days are free. If you don’t like the service then you can cancel after 90 days. It seems like a sweet and cheap deal but how long will this price last? It is a limited time offer after all. The Founder is only valid for 12 months after that nothing is sure.

Free membership will give you standard access to the service. It means that every Founder member will be preferred over you even if you are ahead in line. The session length will also be an hour. Such a small amount of session time can get annoying. After every one hour, your session will expire and you will have to wait again in the line for the next session.

With Founders, you will get priority access to service. It means that you don’t have to wait as much as free members but you have to wait. Your session length will be four hours and just like free users, the drill will start against. The session can even interrupt competitive games. One other perk that you get is RTX ray tracing, now that is something that no other service is offering. It’s not as good as onboard ray tracing but its cloud so this is the best they can do.

Is it Your Types of Service?

GeForce Now is a typical cloud gaming service with standard performance. The things that make it unique are the lack of Store, RTX, Large game library, the choice of free membership and low premium membership fee with 90 days return policy. No other cloud gaming service is offering this kind of flexibility. Trying it won’t cost you a cent even if your internet is slow because it is free. Just play a free game such as Fortnite or Destiny 2 on it, if you are not PC owner. If you are a PC owner then all you need to download the app and play. Even if Nvidia decides to stop the service you will still have all your games because they are in other trusted stores.

Is GeForce Now worth it? Now let’s get to the answer to this question. If you are a PC gamer than there is no harm in trying it. You will already have at least one game in a store that you can play on the platform. Even if you don’t own a game you probably would have a Steam or Epic account just select a fee game from one of these stores. If you are not into cloud gaming then it’s totally up to you but there is no harm in trying.

In case you are a console owner then you can still try it on any other device that you have. All you need is a Steam or Epic. There are lots of free games on these stores just try one. In short, it is a service with a free membership that does not have a store. So, anyone can try it out.


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