Nvidia announced a new membership tier for its GeForce Now cloud gaming service that promises to deliver 1440p gaming at 120Hz straight from the cloud. Refresh rate is quickly surpassing resolution as the key spec for graphical quality, and Nvidia is the second to market with a 120Hz option — following hot on the heels of Xbox Game Pass Cloud.
The new plan provides access to servers powered by an Nvidia RTX 3080, which you can fully utilize with features like RTX ray tracing and Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS). Pre-orders begin Thursday, October 21, for Founders and Priority GeForce Now members in North America and Western Europe, and if Nvidia has enough capacity, the plan will be available to everyone the following week.
For pricing, Nvidia is asking $100 for a six-month RTX 3080 subscription. Unlike the Priority tier, you can’t pick up a month-to-month subscription; you have to purchase six months upfront. In addition to 120Hz support on PC, Mac, and Android, as well as 1440p streaming on PC and Mac, the plan features eight-hour session lengths and 4K HDR streaming on the Nvidia Shield TV. If you’re using a MacBook, you can even stream at 1600p.
If you purchased a Founders plan, you’ll still keep your “Founders for Life” status with Nvidia and receive a 10% discount on the new plan. Founders also have the option to pre-order the new tier early.
High refresh rates introduce some problems for cloud gaming, though. That’s twice as many frames being streamed to your device, which could spell disaster if you don’t have a fast, reliable internet connection. For that, Nvidia has Adaptive Sync, which syncs frames from the server to your device to keep your frame rate smooth and reduce latency.
Nvidia says that GeForce Now members on the RTX 3080 tier can experience as little as 60 milliseconds of total latency, which is just over the controller latency on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
“We have dedicated the past decade to refining and expanding GeForce Now cloud gaming to bring the best gaming platform to anyone with a computer,” Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said.
The GeForce Now library is now up to 1,100 games, including Destiny 2, Apex Legends, and Far Cry 6. Keeping with its GFN Thursdays, Nvidia announced 10 new games joining the service, including New World, The Forgotten City, and Riders Republic. Throughout the rest of the year and into 2022, you’ll be able to play Dying Light 2 and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy as well.
Pre-orders are available now if you already have a paid GeForce Now subscription. Nvidia says the plan will roll out to North America first in November, with Western Europe following in December. We’re not sure what day pre-orders will be available to everyone, but Nvidia says they’ll begin the week of October 25.
