Cyberpunk 2077 is Coming to GeForce NOW

[Cheeseball]

Except there is no requirement with GOG that I use their service to play the game. Once I download the game and install directly on my computer I am under no obligation to ever go back to GOG and I can keep playing. Not so with Steam, where you cannot in perpetuity ignore them.

No, I agree with you on what you wrote, but that statement was for if GOG.com ever does close up. They don't have any legal text that says you're allowed to keep the game if the service you purchased it from goes away. If it falls back to the publisher's/developer's original EULA (which may be the case as per the "inconsistency or dispute" line mentioned above), you may be liable to their rules after. Besides, in most countries that have digital distribution (especially the US), there are government-mandated consumer laws that protect users from "shops that close up", so this is not really something to worry about and quite commendable of GOG.com.

There was non-official verbiage more than 10 years ago (I heard about it in 2009) that Steam would just release patches to all the customers who bought software to remove the dependency on the Steam client, but that was never set in stone anywhere. Valve is a 100% privately-held, unlisted company (cannot be publicly traded) that is still highly successful, so there aren't any signs they would be closing up shop any time soon to confirm this.

Anyways, on topic, Geforce Now does work well (if you're in the US with a competent ISPs & equipment, at least, in my opinion). It's extremely better than Stadia and makes perfect use of Steam's Big Picture Mode. If you don't have a gaming PC, but own a modern streaming device (like the Shield)/mid-to-high range Android phone and don't really want to spend making or upgrading a rig, this is a good alternative to a dedicated gaming console if you want a PC-like experience.

Just don't expect to:
1. Competitively game - There is still a minimum amount of input lag, so don't expect to click heads faster than a native PC player who has a 75 Hz monitor and up
2. Have higher refresh rates - It is still technically streaming video (which is HEVC/H.265, I believe), so the maximum frame rate is still 60 FPS
3. Save data on your metered internet connection - Unless you have 4G+/LTE-A and true unlimited bandwidth, avoid using your mobile data. If you're one of the ones who is cursed with a data-capped landline ISP, this service is not for you
4. Have long-ass gaming sessions - The limit (if you're paying) is 6 hours straight. After that you have to reconnect to a new session.
5. Modify games - Even though you're technically remotely accessing another Windows PC, you only have access to the game launchers

I'm trying out the service because it allows me to access my own Steam/uPlay library from nearly anywhere with a decent connection without having to use up my own resources (keeping the gaming PC on and using my home bandwidth). I only need a small keyboard, mouse and/or gamepad and either of my laptops (I hate carrying the G5 5587) or phone and I could casually play anywhere. I was not excited or expecting to sign up to this at all, to be honest.

TL;DR: It's a good supplement to your current gaming PC, especially if you move around a lot. A huge convenience factor. Streaming is NOT meant to succeed playing on a PC natively, especially in terms of quality and latency. $5/month is not bad if you want to continue core gaming on-the-road.

 

[Vayra86]

Everything you wrote is true. This is the inherent problem with most software licensing models in that they are proprietary by nature (copyright).

Currently, it is not clear what would happen if Steam would end up closing up. There is currently no legal text I can find that states if we can keep the games or not. None of the 3rd party EULAs state anything about their own software's licensing if Steam is gone. (Please take note that this is the same for GOG.com.)

Steam legally binds you once you start using their service (regardless if you pay for any goods or not), so basically you become a subscriber.

Steam is the middleman, which is why most publishers also include their own EULAs on the store pages.If they don't include them, then they are relying on the Steam EULA (as they would be considered as an affiliate):



Example 3rd party EULA (Paradox Interactive, the ones who made BattleTech and Stellaris) that is on the Steam storefront:

EULA's... haha. Yeah. They're good fun indeed

Here is what wiki says - and note the link above it where, if you click on 'Worldwide views' you immediately drop on a page about Systemic Bias... Nuff said.

End-user license agreement - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Here's the real world, outside the US where consumer rights are, well.... not as backwards, to say the least.

This is also a good read

Dangerous Terms: A User's Guide to EULAs

February 2005 By Annalee Newitz We've all seen them – windows that pop up before you install a new piece of software, full of legalese. To complete the install, you have to scroll through 60 screens of dense text and then click an "I Agree" button. Sometimes you don't even have to scroll through...

www.eff.org

 

[BiggieShady]

Is ping all that matters?

Mostly it is ... all changes in available bandwidth are handled by varying video encoding quality on their end, so you may see mpeg blockiness sometimes ... but varying latency is much more immersion-breaking than that

 

[notb]

It undermines gaming in a big way, this is not a feasible model to support an industry.

Why don't you let the industry decide for itself?

Ownership of content is a big thing. You've got the law at your back. In a service, all you got is a temporary arrangement 'as long as it lasts'. Its like the stock market, who knows what tomorrow might bring.

Ownership of content?
You don't own the games. I can't believe we're still having this discussion on a forum that calls itself "for PC enthusiasts".

But more importantly: GeForce Now is not about owning games. It's about owning hardware. You bring games.

Only partially true. You own the game on GOG. That’s the beauty of non-drm. I download the game files, keep them forever, and install whenever I feel like it and I never lose my right to install and play the game whenever and wherever I want.

As above. You don't own the games you "buy". You only own the right to play them.

But seriously. This is a topic about a streaming platform. Let's not flood it with another "I don't understand software licensing" discussion.

 

[Vayra86]

Why don't you let the industry decide for itself?

Ownership of content?
You don't own the games. I can't believe we're still having this discussion on a forum that calls itself "for PC enthusiasts".

But more importantly: GeForce Now is not about owning games. It's about owning hardware. You bring games.

As above. You don't own the games you "buy". You only own the right to play them.

Just because some random nutcase writes some legalese saying 'this is what it is' does not make it any more true. Like I pointed out, there is no precedent for this sort of thing and there is a serious discrepancy about the views on ownership when it comes to software licensing. It is for all intents and purposes a license that does not expire. A product was bought. Not a service. And that is where it begins and ends, sorry. It has already been ruled in several cases that a EULA is not legally binding in the sense of a contract, even if simply because of the fact it can only be agreed to after initiating the actual contract - the purchase.

Don't mistake the ideal situation of some spreadsheet heroes in big corporations with reality.

 

[notb]

Just because some random nutcase writes some legalese saying 'this is what it is' does not make it any more true. Like I pointed out, there is no precedent for this sort of thing.

What? There is no precedent for people being convicted for using illegal software?

 

[Vayra86]

What? There is no precedent for people being convicted for using illegal software?

Ehhh, read back. Clearly you're missing something here.

We will not agree on this, let's prevent the back and forth of several pages, I think we know where we stand, at least its clear where I stand on this

 

[notb]

Ehhh, read back. Clearly you're missing something here.

We will not agree on this, let's prevent the back and forth of several pages, I think we know where we stand, at least its clear where I stand on this

This is not a matter of interpretation so there's nothing to agree on or not.

You don't understand or can't accept how software licensing works.
I bet it's the latter since you've already shown general hostility towards monthly plans, cloud platforms etc.
End of story.

Let's get back to GeForce Now, which is about infrastructure - not software.

 

[Xaled]

So if I have a GeForce card, can I play NOW?

Lol. İt is coming to Geforce Now, then.

 

[Vayra86]

This is not a matter of interpretation so there's nothing to agree on or not.

You don't understand or can't accept how software licensing works.
I bet it's the latter since you've already shown general hostility towards monthly plans, cloud platforms etc.
End of story.

Let's get back to GeForce Now, which is about infrastructure - not software.

Law is always about interpretation, especially in court.

But let's get back to Geforce NOW. What is there to say about it? Go ahead.

 

[twicksisted]

A real feather in their CRAP!

 

[Lindatje]

GeForce Now? No thanks, it`s already EOL.

 

[medi01]

That’s a pretty big deal for CDPR and Nvidia. A real feather in their caps.

It could be a big deal for NV GFN, which have ran into major bad news days after release, but how is it anything significant, let alone big deal, for CDPR?

It's extremely better than Stadia

Is it? Could you elaborate.

 

[Cheeseball]

Is it? Could you elaborate.

The problem with Stadia (I've tried it with the controller and my Samsung phone) is actually this weird rubber-banding/lag that occurs even though the latency shows that its not bad (average of 23 to 30 ms) on the previously mentioned Comcast line. Couple that with the usual video artifacting and current licensing model, GeForce Now is currently the much more attractive game streaming service.