Cheapest laptop could now challenge PS5 and Xbox Series X thanks to GeForce Now

Cheapest laptop could now challenge PS5 and Xbox Series X thanks to GeForce Now
GeForce Now could be a truly disruptive technology in the gaming warfare. With Nvidia's remote streaming technology, you can use the Internet to remotely access a powerful gaming PC and run the latest games, rather than the power of your hardware determining your gaming experience. It is the quality of your internet connection. Basically, that means you can buy the cheapest Windows 10 laptop that can run the GeForce Now app, and it should be able to play games that would normally require extremely expensive hardware to run. Take a look at the minimum specs you need to run GeForce Now:

The only slightly demanding thing is the fact that you need a 64-bit operating system and a DirectX 11 GPU. On the GPU front though, integrated Intel HD Graphics 2000 graphics are supported, which means the latest laptops will meet these specifications. Compare that to the minimum specs for Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, which is playable via GeForce Now: That's a big difference in requirements, and if you go with the recommended specs, the gap is even bigger. Another thing to keep in mind is that if you want to play Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus locally, you also need 55 GB of storage. On cheap old laptops this is huge. With GeForce Now, the game is installed remotely, so all you have to do is download and install the GeForce Now client, which is 70MB.

Why buy an expensive gaming laptop?

The hardware of the remote PCs you connect to via GeForce Now is powerful enough to play games at high graphics settings, and if you opt for the Founder's subscription ($4.99 per month), you'll also get support for plotting. of lightning: something that the latest (and most expensive) GPUs can usually handle. In theory, then, for $4.99 a month and a cheap laptop, you could have a gaming device that would seriously challenge the PS5 and Xbox Series X. It's a really exciting proposition. So does it work? A few years ago I played the aforementioned Wolfenstein II on a laptop, with a XNUMXth generation Intel processor and only integrated graphics. While it's still a passable laptop for word processing and web browsing, it generally can't play games, especially a graphically demanding title like Wolfenstein II.

Games like this can now be played on older laptops

Games like this can now be played on older laptops (Image credit: Bethesda) It also uses Wi-Fi, certainly not optimal conditions for streaming a game. And even if it wasn't as immediate and responsive as playing the game locally, I was still pretty impressed. The fact that it can also run GeForce Now on Mac means that Apple PC owners can finally play games previously reserved for Windows. With GeForce Now, you may no longer have to miss out on some of the best PC games just because you're using a MacBook. I actually played BattleUnited Playergrounds on a MacBook in the GeForce Now beta, and again, I was impressed, especially since it was a game you shouldn't be able to play on a MacBook. So does GeForce Now mean I'll never buy another GPU, gaming laptop, or game console? Well I guess I will never stop gaming on a desktop. I love having a powerful machine that can game at 4K resolutions without worrying about my internet speeds or paying for a subscription.

GeForce could now solve my problems with gaming laptops

GeForce could now solve my gaming laptop woes (Image credit: amazon) But I was never really sold on a gaming laptop. They are too big and bulky, or just too expensive, with hardware that will be outdated and not easily scalable (unlike desktop computers). Plus, the less we say about poor battery life, the better. GeForce Now has the potential to address many of these complaints. Since Nvidia takes care of the remote hardware, I'm sure it will keep PCs feeding games on the updated service. And, because you're streaming the game, rather than playing it locally, it means your laptop isn't working as hard, and therefore much longer battery life. But what about the PS5 and Xbox Series X? I'll probably still get a PS5 in the future; after all, no matter how good GeForce Now is, Sony exclusives won't be in service. And I never miss Last of Us 2 and the next Uncharted. As for the Xbox Series X, if all the games Microsoft is making for its next-gen console are also coming to PC, and probably GeForce Now (especially if they're also on Steam), why would you want to buy a new Xbox console? When can I stream to my existing Nvidia Shield console, which is also compatible with GeForce Now? Not long ago, Microsoft's Phil Spencer said that Google and Amazon are now Xbox's main competitors, not Sony and Nintendo. I think Microsoft should now be more concerned with Nvidia.

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