Google Stadia has gained a lot of buzz as a cloud-based service for gaming streams but in many ways, it’s still the most limited video game streaming service on the market. If you’re considering signing up for game streaming which allows you to play your games on almost any PC, check out the options before you commit.
Game Streaming Services
Game streaming is the latest advance in the move to bring gaming online to more people. Online casino gamers have been playing slots and table games at Springbok mobile for years but now video gamers can also play video games online by accessing hardware on the streaming service’s servers, logging into the game on the web, and running the game on a PC. The player doesn’t need his/her own hardware so there’s no requirement for a console or an especially powerful computer set-up.
Via the client, there’s a live feed of the video and the audio as it streams into the device. The player’s own inputs are translated into gaming commands so it’s possible to play any of the most popular video games online including first-person shooters, role-playing games, simulation games, and others.
Streaming services are applicable to gaming for those who have a fast network and consistent connection. Within the streaming games sector, however, there are differences in the services’ quality, effectiveness, lag time, and connection supports. Some game streaming services are available as a dedicated app while others play in a web browser. Most services, but not all, run on mobile devices though it’s necessary to check to see whether a specific service has an Android app, an iOS app, or both.
An additional consideration involves the type of streaming service that is needed. Some services, like GeForce Now, support streaming games that are already owned while the other type, like Google Stadia and PlayStation Now, allow the gamer to choose games from their library.
All of these considerations are important when making a decision on a streaming game service that will suit the gamer’s individual needs and expectations.
Some of the best gaming services of 2021 include:
GeForce Now
GeForce Now by Nvidia isn’t the most comprehensive streaming games service on the market but it’s a solid flexible solution for playing PC games you already own on non-gaming-PC devices. There are two membership tiers for GeForce Now Free and Founders. Founders is a low-cost service that gives users priority access to gaming sessions of up to six hours each with streaming RTX ray-tracing. The free service can be used for an hour at a time.
GeForce plays on PCs, Macs, Androids, and Nividia Shield TV, and newer MacBook Pros and iMacs.
The service supports free titles such as Fortnite, Path of Exile, and Destiny 2 but has no library of its own games – players can bring in their own digital games libraries or link into their Epic, Battle.net, steam or uPlay accounts to play games that they own on those platforms. It’s important to note that, while the service supports many major titles, it doesn’t work with all games – there’s a search engine on the site where you can check to see if your preferred game is one that is supported on GeForce Now.
GeForce Now is probably most appropriate for gamers who have their own large libraries of PC games that they want to play when they’re not sitting next to their console.
Xbox Game Pass
Xbox Game Pass is widely acknowledged as the game streaming service that gives users the biggest bang for their buck. The Xbox Game Pass offers access to all Xbox game studios games totaling more than 100 games for both Windows 10 and Xbox. The subscription service is a multi-tiered service including Xbox Game Pass for PC and Xbox Game pass for Console. The EA Play service features additional free games. Game Pass Ultimate is an additional level that combines both the PC and the Console game passes into one service and adds features like Xbox Live Gold that enables online multiplayer for Xbox consoles.
An additional valuable feature is the addition of the Microsoft cloud gaming option that gives users the chance to play the service’s games on an Android device.
Amazon Luna
The biggest difference with Amazon’s Luna for game streaming is that you need to purchase its gamepad but once you do, you’ll have access to one of the most economical streaming services for gaming on the market. You need to buy the Luna Controller gamepad ($49) because it uses a separate WiFi connection but the upside is that it reduces input lag to make the service highly responsive. Those who use it say that the controller is worth the investment.
A highlight is an ability that it offers gamers to switch between Luna-compatible devices. Also, it’s one of the most inexpensive gaming streaming services on the market so you can’t go too wrong, even though, at present, there are only a few dozen games (sometimes, less is better – the Luna games library includes AAA titles and some top-tier indie games) but if you’re willing to experiment, you might find that you appreciate access to games like Grid, Castlevania and the s VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana that you can’t get anywhere else.
Luna is supported by both the Safari and Chrome browsers
Sony PlayStation Now
Even though the Sony PlayStation Now doesn’t feature any PlayStation 5 games, its solid selection of PS4 and PS 3 games makes it a good choice as a gaming streaming service. There are more than 800 games that can be streamed to a PS4, PS5, or to a PC device with no game download required – though many of the games can be downloaded.
There are multiple subscription tier choices including different time commitments. All of the games play 4K streams and the service supports cloud saves and multiplayer games. Subscribers have access to many popular titles including Street Fighter V, The Elder Scrolls Online, and Bloodborne plus exclusives such as Horizon Zero Dawn, Journey, Batman: Arkham, Infamous, and the entire God of War series.
There are several PC controller options – while a DualShock or a DuelSense controller is suggested, other controllers can be used without any issue.