Skip to main content

Nvidia’s GeForce Now aims to be the Netflix of video games starting on Oct. 1

As bandwidth has improved, an increasing amount of the media we consume has moved onto the cloud for convenient streaming, anywhere. Services like Netflix and Hulu for movies and TV, or Spotify for music, have caused major tremors in the established media empires.

Gaming, however, has thus far resisted this trend. Although digital distribution is supplanting physical media as the chosen format for acquiring games, the unavoidably larger amounts of data throughput required to run games remotely, in contrast to traditional media, has kept cloud gaming largely out of reach.

Nvidia plans to change that, with the launch of its GeForce Now game streaming service on Oct. 1, 2015. Available only on Nvidia’s Shield family of Android-based tablets and set-top boxes, GeForce Now will stream major contemporary games at up to 4K resolution and 60 frames per second. The service will be available at launch in North America, most of Europe, and Japan/South Korea, costing $8 per month after three free months for all new users.

Users will be able to start playing within 30 seconds of selecting a game from over 50 that will be available for no additional charge to members at launch. The launch titles include recent hits such as Middle-earth: Shadow of MordorLego Jurassic Park, and the Batman: Arkham series. New games will be added in regular updates.

All of the features we have come to expect from streaming services, such as recommendations, most popular, and recent searches, will be integrated into the service, along with voice search. There will also be a storefront for new releases available to purchase at the same price as other digital retailers. A game purchase for streaming on GeForce Now also includes a PC download code, should you decide you want a local copy.

Beta tested as “Grid,” Nvidia opted to change the service’s name for its official launch in order to leverage the GeForce brand, which is well known and respected within the PC gaming community. GeForce Now joins nearly 1,000 other apps for Shield, such as HBO Now and CBS All Access, giving it a unique edge among Android set-top boxes for gamers who don’t necessarily want to deal with the hassle of a full PC or console. We will be getting some hands-on time with GeForce Now on Shield in the next few days, and will have our impressions for you then.

Editors' Recommendations

Shredder’s Revenge plays even better on mobile via Netflix
An image of the TMNT in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge.

Netflix's gaming library expands today with another hit, last year's excellent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge. If you have a Netflix subscription, you can download the retro beat 'em up (which we awarded a rare five-star review) for no additional cost right now on iOS and Android.

What's more exciting, though, is that the mobile port might be the best version of Shredder's Revenge out there.

Read more
CES 2023: Razer Edge 5G is an impressive (and misguided) gaming handheld
Razer's Edge 5G gaming device sitting on a table.

Razer is tapping into the cloud/mobile/handheld gaming craze with the Edge 5G. It's a unique device, packed with a powerful Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 mobile chipset for native Android gaming, as well as 5G and Wi-Fi 6E support for on-the-go cloud gaming. I had a chance to try it out at CES 2023, and it's the best iteration of this type of device we've seen. But it still loses on principle.

If you're unfamiliar with the Razer Edge, it's basically a phone that you can't call or text with combined with Razer's Kishi V2 Pro controller. The controller isn't the same as the $100 Kishi V2 you can buy now -- it's almost identical, but Razer added haptics for the Edge. You can't buy this updated version, but when I asked Razer if it planned to bring the Pro to market, the company left the door open.

Read more
Sony’s Project Leonardo controller is only compatible with PS5
A close up angle of the Project Leonardo controller shows off its button panels.

Sony's new adaptive controller, codenamed Project Leonardo, will only be compatible with PS5 when it launches. In a statement to Digital Trends, the company confirmed that the accessibility-focused tech won't work with PS4 or PC.

Project Leonardo was announced at Sony's CES 2023 showcase. The unique controller aims to let more players experience PlayStation games thanks to its highly customizable design and functionality. Digital Trends reached out to Sony following the presentation to ask if the controller would work with PS4. In its response, Sony confirms that it's built to work with PS5 exclusively.

Read more