GeForce Now comes to Google Chrome following Safari in November
posted Saturday Jan 30, 2021 by Scott Ertz
Videogame streaming services have become the gaming industry's version of video streaming subscriptions. There are a lot of companies getting involved, and not everyone is having a good go of it. While Microsoft and Google's services have been met with mostly positive responses, other companies have not been quite as lucky. Every service has to go out of its way to separate itself from the pack. Microsoft has its Xbox game catalog and Xbox Game Pass to draw gamers in. Google has a strong ecosystem, and the ability to create bundles. Nvidia's GeForce Now service set itself apart by allowing you to play any PC game you already own through the service.
Like all of the other streaming services, GeForce Now has fought the ability to reach gamers where they want to play. One of the challenges, of course, has been Apple. The company has worked hard to ensure game streaming platforms have a hard time on their devices. Microsoft has fought the policies publicly, with slight success.
In an attempt to get around this, services, including GeForce Now, have resorted to building web versions of their interfaces. In November 2020, the service released a Safari-compatible version of their software, and this week, the service is officially available in Chrome as well. It can be used on Windows and Mac and allows for some app-style features. The most interesting is the ability to add a desktop shortcut for games from the app. The service is currently in beta but seems to be fully functional.
The service, which was in beta for a long time, finally released to the public in early 2020. But, the service hit speed bumps quickly, as publishers contested the service's tenant of streaming their games without their knowledge. Nvidia believed that by essentially providing a remote desktop interface that they would be able to do this without a contract, but after a few days publishers pulled access to their games. They have since managed to stabilize the catalog and win back the support of gamers.
