Nvidia’s GeForce Now is live with a free option

Cloud streaming video games service or as many like to call it, Netflix for Video Games, is probably the next big thing in gaming. Google had big plans for Stadia, but a buggy release and laggy gameplay coupled with a very mediocre gaming library caused it to tank. Now Nvidia has released their own streaming service, called the GeForce Now. 

GeForce Now was earlier available in Beta, but today it is now available to the general public. Unlike stadia though, it is different in certain ways. There are two membership tiers available right now; free membership and the Founders membership, which costs $5, which is half the price of Stadia. 

Both the tiers will only be allowed to play for a limited time during one session. Which means after the session, the players will have a queue in again, as only a finite number of players will be able to play at once. Where free members will only be allowed to play for 1 hour in each session, Founders members will get 6 hours each session, along with priority in the queue.  

Also coming to the games themselves, GeForce Now supports over a 100 games. Any game you have bought from Steam or Epic or any other platform will be available to be played on GeForce Now. GeForce Now is available on PC, Mac, Linux, Android and Shield TV. 

Requirements for GeForce Now: 

PC 

INTERNET REQUIREMENTS 

GeForce NOW requires at least 15Mbps for 720p at 60fps and 25 Mbps for 1080p at 60fps.

You’ll need to use a hardwired Ethernet connection or 5GHz wireless router. 

KEYBOARDS AND MICE 

Most built-in or USB keyboards work fine.

We recommend a USB gaming mouse for PC and Mac.

GAMEPADS 

Sony DualShock 4 controllers (USB wired and Bluetooth) 

Logitech Gamepad F310/F510/F710 

Note: you must change the controller to work in (Direct input mode) 

Note: The nano-receiver must be connected to a USB port that delivers enough power, such as a powered USB hub or an iMac/MacBook USB port. 

Microsoft Xbox 360 and Xbox One controllers (USB wired) 

PC HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS 

Dual core x86-64 CPU with 2.0GHz or faster 

4GB of system memory 

GPU that at least supports DirectX 11

NVIDIA GeForce 600 series or newer 

 AMD Radeon HD 3000 series or newer 

Intel HD Graphics 2000 series or newer 

 Mac OS 

MAC OS 

Your macOS must be 10.10 or better. 

INTERNET REQUIREMENTS 

GeForce NOW requires at least 15Mbps for 720p at 60fps and 25 Mbps for 1080p at 60fps.

You’ll need to use a hardwired Ethernet connection or 5GHz wireless router.

If your MacBook or notebook doesn’t have an Ethernet port, you may need to use an Ethernet adapter. 

 

KEYBOARDS AND MICE 

Most built-in or USB keyboards work fine.

We recommend a USB gaming mouse for PC and Mac. Mac users should look for a dedicated gaming mouse as the Apple Magic Mouse doesn’t have dedicated left/right buttons and a scroll wheel, which are usually needed for games. 

GAMEPADS 

Sony DualShock 4 controllers (USB wired and Bluetooth) 

Logitech Gamepad F310/F510/F710 

Note: you must change the controller to work in (Direct input mode) 

Note: The nano-receiver must be connected to a USB port that delivers enough power, such as a powered USB hub or an iMac/MacBook USB port 

Microsoft Xbox 360 and Xbox One controllers (USB wired)

 

MAC HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS 

Following Macs have sufficient video decoding performance to stream GeForce NOW. 

iMac 20” Late 2009 and newer 

iMac 21.5” Late 2009 and newer  

iMac 27” Late 2012 and newer 

MacBook 2008 and newer 

MacBook Retina Mid 2017 and newer 

MacBook Air 11” Early 2015 and newer 

MacBook Air 13” Late 2008 and newer 

MacBook Pro 13” Early 2015 and newer 

MacBook Pro 15” Late 2008 and newer 

MacBook Pro 17” 2009 and newer 

Mac Pro Late 2013 and newer 

Android 

An Android phone with 2GB with Android 5.0 (L) or later, and OpenGL ES3.2 support or higher. 

A gamepad including: 

SHIELD Controller (2017) 

Razer Raiju Mobile 

Razer Junglecat 

Steelseries XL 

Steelseries Stratus Duo 

Sony DualShock 4 for PlayStation 4 USB wired gamepad with optional gamepad clip to attach to your phone. If you are connecting the gamepad using USB, you need to use a USB on to go (OTG) cable to connect the gamepad to the phone, which can be purchased on Amazon.    

Xbox 360 wired gamepad with optional gamepad clip to attach to your phone.  You need to use a USB on to go (OTG) cable to connect the gamepad to the phone, which can be purchased on Amazon. 

Xbox One Bluetooth wireless gamepad with optional gamepad clip to attach to your phone 

You must own a supported game from a digital store such as Steam, Uplay, or Epic.