NVIDIA GeForce Now has long been available on Android and computers, but iOS was a pending issue, as it is for Google Stadia and Microsoft xCloud. At least until today. NVIDIA just announced that GeForce Now, its streaming video game platform, is coming to iOS in beta today. It does not do it with a native app, but instead NVIDIA has opted for a strategy similar to that of Amazon Luna : the service is accessed through the browser, specifically from Safari.
That way, starting today, players who bet on GeForce Now will be able to access their library of titles from an iPhone or iPad as can already be done on Android. The platform is compatible with PlayStation and Xbox controllers, but not with keyboard and mouse, so those games that depend solely and exclusively on these peripherals will not be available.
Video game streaming comes to iOS
As any gamer who has tried streaming the game will know, GeForce Now lets you access games from Steam, Epic Games, Ubisoft + and, soon, GOG, directly from the cloud. The game runs on NVIDIA machines and the user simply downloads the image in real time. One of the keys to GeForce Now is ray tracing support, although this requires a Founders subscription.
The advantage of GeForce Now is that it allows us to play titles that we have previously purchased. It is not necessary to buy them again or buy them within the platform as it happens in Google Stadia. We simply launch Steam, Epic, or Ubisoft +, choose the game, and it runs on NVIDIA’s servers. Among the titles that are available are ‘ Watch Dogs: Legion ‘, ‘ Assassin’s Creed Valhalla ‘ and, soon, will come ‘ Cyberpunk 2077 ‘ with ray tracing included. In total there are around 750 games available, 75 of them free to play.
Unlike what happens on Android, where platforms like Google Stadia or Microsoft xCloud are natively accessible, iOS / Apple has much more restrictive policies. For example, that each game must be reviewed by Apple and that it must also be published as a separate application on the App Store. That has caused the streaming game not to take off on iOS, although Apple has not closed the doors completely.
In its own policies, Apple explains that companies and developers always have the browser at their disposal, so they can develop webapps that replace native applications in some way. This is exactly what Amazon Luna has done during the testing period that is now taking place in the United States and that is exactly what NVIDIA has done. Instead of launching an app, you have created a web client accessible from Safari that works the same for all practical purposes, and avoids having to submit to the requirements of the App Store.
On the other hand, from NVIDIA they have wanted to tackle the problem of ‘Fortnite’ and Apple and have advanced that they are working so that there is a tactile version of the famous battle royale, which “will delay the availability of the game in GeForce Now.” The idea is to bring the experience of the native ‘Fortnite’ app for iOS to GeForce Now. We will have to wait to know more details about this launch.
A refresher on GeForce Now iOS pricing
GeForce Now can be played in two ways: free or paid, with more or less limitations. Free access allows you to play for one hour, without ray tracing and without priority access (without going through a virtual queue). Founders access, meanwhile, allows ray traced gaming in sessions of up to six hours and offers priority access. The price of this subscription is 5.49 euros per month.