Horror descends from the cloud this GFN Thursday with the arrival of publisher Capcom's iconic Resident Evil series. They're part of nine new games expanding the GeForce NOW library of over 1,600 titles.

New RTX 4080 SuperPODs are now live in Miami, Portland, Ore., and Stockholm. Follow along with the server rollout process, and make the Ultimate upgrade for unbeatable cloud gaming performance. The Resident Evil series makes its debut on GeForce NOW with Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3 and Resident Evil 7 Biohazard.

The United Kingdom Competition and Markets Authority (UK-CMA) on Wednesday blocked the proposed $68.7 billion merger of Microsoft and Activision-Blizzard. In its press-releasing announcing its final decision into an investigation on the question of how the merger will affect consumer-choice and innovation in the market, the CMA says that the merger would alter the future of cloud gaming, and lead to "reduced innovation and less choice for United Kingdom gamers over the years to come." Cloud gaming in this context would be games rendered on the cloud, and consumed on the edge by gamers. NVIDIA's GeForce NOW is one such service.

Microsoft Azure is one of the big-three cloud computing providers (besides AWS and Google Cloud), and the CMA fears that Microsoft's acquisition of Activision-Blizzard IP (besides its control over the Xbox and Windows PC ecosystems), would "strengthen that advantage giving it the ability to undermine new and innovative competitors." The CMA report continues: "Cloud gaming needs a free, competitive market to drive innovation and choice. That is best achieved by allowing the current competitive dynamics in cloud gaming to continue to do their job." Microsoft and Activision-Blizzard are unsurprisingly unhappy with the verdict.

GFN Thursday rolls up this week with a hot new deal for a GeForce NOW six-month Priority membership. Enjoy the cloud gaming service with seven new games to stream this week, including more favorites from Bandai Namco Europe and F1 2021 from Electronic Arts.

Starting today, GeForce NOW is offering a limited-time discount sure to spark up gamers looking to skip the wait and jump right into their games. Through Sunday, May 21, get 40% off a six-month Priority membership for $29.99, normally $49.99. It's perfect for those looking to try out GeForce NOW or lock in a lower price for another half-year with one of GeForce NOW's premium membership tiers. Priority members get higher access to GeForce gaming servers, meaning less wait times than free members, as well as gaming sessions extended up to six hours. Priority members can also stream across multiple devices with beautifully ray-traced graphics with RTX ON for supported games.

A new adventure with publisher Bandai Namco Europe kicks off this GFN Thursday. Some of its popular titles lead seven new games joining the cloud this week. Plus, gamers can play them on more devices than ever, with native 4K streaming for GeForce NOW available on select LG Smart TVs.

Bandai Namco is no stranger to delivering hit games. And GeForce NOW delivers high-performance cloud game streaming, making it the ultimate way to play the publisher's high-quality titles. "Our collaboration with NVIDIA will allow more players to enjoy Bandai Namco titles like "Little Nightmares" across their devices, thanks to the power of the GeForce NOW cloud," said Anthony Macare, senior director of digital business and customer experience at Bandai Namco Europe.

New "Marvel's Midnight Suns" reward is now available along with 11 new games this week, plus an update on the GeForce NOW partnership with Microsoft. It's another rewarding GFN Thursday, with 23 new games for April on top of 11 joining the cloud this week and a new Marvel's Midnight Suns reward now available first for GeForce NOW Premium members.

Newark, N.J., is next to complete its upgrade to RTX 4080 SuperPODs, making it the 12th region worldwide to bring new performance to Ultimate members. GeForce NOW on SHIELD TV is being updated for a more consistent experience across Android and TV devices. Update 6.00 has begun rolling out to SHIELD TV owners this week. Plus, work is underway to bring the initial batch of Xbox first-party games and features to GeForce NOW.

AT&T Corp. and NVIDIA today announced a collaboration in which AT&T will continue to transform its operations and enhance sustainability by using NVIDIA-powered AI for processing data, optimizing service-fleet routing and building digital avatars for employee support and training. AT&T is the first telecommunications provider to explore the use of a full suite of NVIDIA AI offerings. This includes enhancing its data processing using the NVIDIA AI Enterprise software suite, which includes the NVIDIA RAPIDS Accelerator for Apache Spark; enabling real-time vehicle routing and optimization with NVIDIA cuOpt; adopting digital avatars with NVIDIA Omniverse Avatar Cloud Engine and NVIDIA Tokkio; and utilizing conversational AI with NVIDIA Riva.

"We strive each day to deliver the most efficient global network, as we drive towards net zero emissions in our operations," said Andy Markus, chief data officer at AT&T. "Working with NVIDIA to drive AI solutions across our business will help enhance experiences for both our employees and customers." "Industries are embracing a new era in which chatbots, recommendation engines and accelerated libraries for data optimization help produce AI-driven innovations," said Manuvir Das, vice president of Enterprise Computing at NVIDIA. "Our work with AT&T will help the company better mine its data to drive new services and solutions for the AI-powered telco."

In the space of two days, Microsoft has announced long term partnerships with two different cloud gaming services. It is posited that the technology giant is rolling out a wide-ranging strategy to make good with regulators, who hold the keys to the clearance of an Activison Blizzard acquisition worth a reported $68.7 billion. Microsoft is facing significant push back from numerous international regulatory bodies, due to fears of anti-competitive impacts from a possible Activison Blizzard purchase.

Xbox Gaming CEO Phil Spencer today tweeted about the deal with the Taiwan-based company Ubitus K.K: "A leading cloud gaming provider, have signed a 10-year partnership to stream Xbox PC Games as well as Activision Blizzard titles after the acquisition closes. Our commitment is to give more players, more choice."

It's a thrilling GFN Thursday with GRID Legends racing to the cloud this week. It leads a total of eight new games expanding the GeForce NOW library. New content for Rainbow Six Siege is also now streaming. Plus, two new cities are now online with GeForce RTX 4080 performance for cloud gaming. Chicago and Montreal have completed upgrades to RTX 4080 SuperPODs, delivering next-generation cloud streaming to GeForce NOW Ultimate members.

While AMD Radeon PC discrete GPUs have a lot of catching up to do against NVIDIA GeForce products in terms of market-share, the two companies' quarterly revenue figures paint a very different picture. For Q4 2022, AMD pushed $1.644 billion in GPU products encompassing all its markets, namely the semicustom chips powering Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 consoles; and AMD Radeon products. In the same period, NVIDIA raked in $1.831 billion in revenues from semicustom chips powering Nintendo Switch console, GeForce NOW cloud-gaming service, and NVIDIA GeForce products. In purely revenue terms, AMD is bringing in 89% the revenue of NVIDIA from client graphics IP, which begins to explain how AMD is a major player in this market.

On Tuesday, Microsoft and NVIDIA announced the companies have agreed to a 10-year partnership to bring Xbox PC games to the NVIDIA GeForce NOW cloud gaming service, which has more than 25 million members in over 100 countries. The agreement will enable gamers to stream Xbox PC titles from GeForce NOW to PCs, macOS, Chromebooks, smartphones and other devices. It will also enable Activision Blizzard PC titles, such as Call of Duty, to be streamed on GeForce NOW after Microsoft's acquisition of Activision closes.

"Xbox remains committed to giving people more choice and finding ways to expand how people play," said Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer. "This partnership will help grow NVIDIA's catalog of titles to include games like Call of Duty, while giving developers more ways to offer streaming games. We are excited to offer gamers more ways to play the games they love."

Samsung Electronics today announced the global launch of Odyssey Neo G7 (Model name: G70NC), the company's first flat Mini-LED model, adding a new form factor to the industry-leading Odyssey lineup. The new monitor delivers a large screen designed to give gamers a more comprehensive range of vision and details—inviting them to the worlds of their games with lifelike picture quality.

"The gaming monitor market is only going to get bigger, and gamers are now seeking more out of their monitors," said Hoon Chung, Executive Vice President of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. "We are not just delivering better gaming experience—we are rebuilding new smart capabilities into our screens that give gamers an all-in-one place for technology and entertainment. Our innovations are enabling gamers everywhere to stay absorbed in their games with visual performance that enhances the intense emotional experiences."

NVIDIA today announced GeForce NOW is going beyond fast, delivering GeForce RTX 4080-class gaming to billions of devices—available exclusively in the new, high-performance Ultimate membership tier. Powered by the NVIDIA Ada Lovelace architecture, upgraded GeForce NOW RTX 4080 SuperPODs will deliver over 64 teraflops of graphics horsepower to an individual user, which is more than 5x that of an Xbox Series X and nearly 1.75x over the previous-generation SuperPODs.

The GeForce NOW Ultimate membership raises the bar on cloud gaming, bringing it closer than ever to a local gaming experience. With GeForce RTX 4080 performance, Ultimate members will be the first to experience true PC gaming—streaming at up to 240 frames per second from the cloud with full ray tracing and DLSS 3, in hit games like Portal With RTX. With the addition of NVIDIA Reflex, GeForce NOW achieves click-to-pixel latency below 40 milliseconds—another first in cloud gaming.

NVIDIA today kicks off the 2023 International CES with a special event for the PC community, particularly gamers. As part of the CES 2023 GeForce Beyond presentation, NVIDIA is expected to introduce additions to the desktop GeForce RTX 40-series "Ada" series, such as the RTX 4070 Ti, and also debut the RTX 40-series Laptop GPU series, powering the next-generation of gaming notebooks through this year.16:01 UTC: The show is about to begin, with Jeff Fisher taking centerstage.

16:02 UTC: 20 million NVIDIA GeForce GPUs sold in 2022.

Come mid-February 2023, NVIDIA will be ending its GameStream feature on its Shield TV products. The GameStream feature has allowed owners of the Shield TV to stream games from their PC to their Shield TV. It might not have been the flagship feature of the Shield TV, but it has been popular enough that the cancellation has caused quite some stir on the internet. NVIDIA didn't provide any reason as to why the company is ending the GameStream feature, but one could potentially imagine that the company wants to push its customers to use its GeForce NOW paid streaming service instead.

However, NVIDIA does suggest that users could use Steam Link instead, to stream games from their PC to the Shield TV. That said, this would limit users to games found on Steam, which doesn't seem like a great compromise. For those that stream their games, NVIDIA Share is compatible with Steam Link, so there shouldn't be any problem continuing to stream games when playing on the Shield TV.

Samsung Electronics announced exciting new ways for gamers to experience game streaming with the addition of new partners and the introduction of game streaming to select 2021 Samsung TV models and 4K games, further delivering on its promise of bringing the future of gaming to consumers across the globe.

Antstream Arcade is the world's largest cloud gaming service that provides players access to over 1,500 iconic games and weekly new multiplayer challenges and tournaments. Select Samsung TV owners will soon be able to battle their friends and the global community at the best games from the 80s, 90s and 00s, from Pac-Man to Mortal Kombat and Metal Slug.

NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) today reported revenue for the third quarter ended October 30, 2022, of $5.93 billion, down 17% from a year ago and down 12% from the previous quarter. GAAP earnings per diluted share for the quarter were $0.27, down 72% from a year ago and up 4% from the previous quarter. Non-GAAP earnings per diluted share were $0.58, down 50% from a year ago and up 14% from the previous quarter.

"We are quickly adapting to the macro environment, correcting inventory levels and paving the way for new products," said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA. "The ramp of our new platforms - Ada Lovelace RTX graphics, Hopper AI computing, BlueField and Quantum networking, Orin for autonomous vehicles and robotics, and Omniverse-is off to a great start and forms the foundation of our next phase of growth.

Verizon, the Network America relies on, together with Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, today unveiled the Razer Edge 5G, the ultimate 5G handheld gaming device during the keynote address of RazerCon 2022. This groundbreaking collaboration will bring to market the world's first dedicated 5G handheld console—equipped with the world's most advanced display of any gaming handheld, powered by the latest Snapdragon G3xFort Gen 1 Gaming Platform, and running on Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband, the 5G network for gaming. It is specifically engineered to provide the best gaming performance while on the go.

"The core concept of every product we put out always boils down to one thing, our 'For Gamers. By Gamers.' motto," said Richard Hashim, Head of Razer's Mobile & Console Division. "With the Razer Edge, we've created the ultimate handheld gaming platform. Together with Verizon and Qualcomm, we designed the Razer Edge 5G to be a true gamer device, capable of supporting gamers' entire catalogs of AAA games or allowing them to stream endlessly online, taking their gaming experience on the go with low latency."

Today, Lenovo unveiled the newest addition to its gaming portfolio that comes with a novel twist. Designed for a wide audience of gaming enthusiasts across varying skill levels, the 16-inch Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming Chromebook is the company's first ever cloud gaming laptop. Delivering more power, faster speeds, and stunning visuals, this device also comes with new ChromeOS software features, including the ability to easily find and access the latest games while enjoying an elevated gaming experience.

Much like the rest of the tech industry, gaming has surged in popularity over the last few years with the number of online gamers increasing by more than 32%, currently making up over one-third of the more than 3 billion total gamers worldwide. The droves of people who flocked to gaming as an outlet during the pandemic have diversified the space, as well, with people of all ages taking up the hobby. The IdeaPad Gaming Chromebook is built for a broad spectrum of players across generations and skillsets, offering an enhanced yet simple gameplay experience, as well as the device features that support productivity - all at an accessible price point.

ASUS today announced ASUS Chromebook Vibe CX55 Flip, engineered with a striking aesthetic and powerful components for nonstop cloud gaming—with an immersive 144 Hz FHD display, accurate anti-ghosting keyboard and ultra-fast WiFi 6 technology. According to Gartner, "The rise of cloud gaming, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30% from 2019 to 2025, will motivate many gamers to offload hardware to the cloud and rely on CSPs to provide the infrastructure to deliver these games." When emergent cloud-gaming services are factored in, it is clear that a vast and significant market is just waiting to be tapped—and that's where ASUS Chromebook Vibe CX55 Flip makes its bold entrance.

The fresh, vibrant design features a dynamic, distinctive and daring look that's both stylish and durable, with exclusive color-blocked WASD keycaps to bring flair to online play. Coupled with access to leading cloud-gaming services, including NVIDIA GeForce NOW, Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) and Amazon Luna, ASUS Chromebook Vibe CX55 Flip is set to energize this underserved audience—ready for all-new gaming adventures. Powering all the entertainment is up to an 11th Gen Intel Core i7 processor, 16 GB of memory and immersive Harman Kardon audio.

Acer today debuts its first Chromebook optimized for Cloud gaming - the Acer Chromebook 516 GE. With it, customers can enjoy a top-tier gaming experience with instant access to full PC and console games powered by the cloud. The new Acer Chromebook 516 GE is powered by the latest technology and features that matter most to gamers - 12th Gen Intel Core processors, a fast 120 Hz display, an RGB keyboard with anti-ghosting technology, advanced DTS audio, and most importantly, support for leading cloud gaming platforms including the highest performance tier of NVIDIA's GeForce NOW, Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta), and Amazon Luna.

"The Acer Chromebook 516 GE sets the stage for a new era of Chromebooks with the focus squarely on gaming; it combines the ideal collection of gaming hardware, game-streaming support for NVIDIA GeForce NOW's top tier and easy access to popular game titles from the leading cloud gaming platforms," said James Lin, General Manager, Notebooks, IT Products Business, Acer Inc. "Chromebooks have secured their position as an indispensable tool for education, work, entertainment and personal productivity, so now it's time to have more fun."

LG Electronics (LG) is expanding the gaming experience on its latest TVs, adding new cloud-gaming services to give users more choice, and a UI update that makes it easier to get in the game. These latest upgrades are representative of LG's continuing commitment to bringing gamer-centric content and capabilities to its industry-leading TVs.

Requiring no PC, console or game installations, cloud-gaming platforms make gaming more accessible than ever. Blacknut and Utomik Cloud, arriving on LG TVs in September and November, respectively, deliver a wealth of titles spanning classic AAA games, indie favorites, story-driven adventures, sports, strategy and more. Via monthly subscriptions, the two apps offer users the ability to select and instantly play any game from their extensive catalogs - both of which welcome new titles monthly.

Today, Logitech G and Tencent Games announced a partnership to bring a cloud gaming handheld to market later this year that will combine Logitech G's expertise in hardware with Tencent Games' expertise in software services. The new device will support multiple cloud gaming services, and both companies are working with the Xbox Cloud Gaming and NVIDIA GeForce NOW teams, so gamers can play AAA games when they are away from their console or PC.

Logitech G and Tencent Games share a mutual vision of the future of gaming and are committed to ensuring the quality of experience comes together seamlessly to deliver on the exciting promise of gaming from the cloud. Cloud gaming utilizes data center servers to stream video games to consumers. There's no need to download or install PC or console games. Instead, games are rendered and played on remote servers, and users interact with them locally on their devices.

Samsung Electronics, today announced that Xbox is joining Samsung Gaming Hub, a new game streaming discovery platform available on 2022 Samsung Smart TVs including Neo QLED 8K, Neo QLED 4K, QLEDs and 2022 Smart Monitor Series. Samsung Gaming Hub will become the world's first Smart TV platform to include the Xbox app on Smart TVs. With this partnership, Samsung Gaming Hub users are now able to stream over 100 high quality games, through the Xbox app, including blockbuster titles like Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5. Moreover, they can play new games on day one of release from Xbox Game Studios and enjoy iconic franchises from Bethesda Softworks and more.

Powered by Tizen, Samsung Gaming Hub is a new game streaming discovery platform bridging hardware and software for a better player experience on 2022 Samsung Smart TVs, enabling gamers to instantly access the games they love from industry-leading content partners. In addition to the Xbox app offering hundreds of their favorite games via Xbox Game Pass, gamers can also look forward to an amazing gaming experience with minimized latency and amazing visual graphics thanks to advanced motion enhancements and game-play performance technology across Samsung's 2022 Smart TV lineup and 2022 Smart Monitor Series.

NVIDIA today announced Omniverse Cloud, a suite of cloud services that gives artists, creators, designers and developers instant access to the NVIDIA Omniverse platform for 3D design collaboration and simulation from up to billions of devices. Among Omniverse Cloud's services is Nucleus Cloud, a simple "one-click-to-collaborate" sharing tool that enables artists to access and edit large 3D scenes from anywhere, without having to transfer massive datasets. It also includes Omniverse Create, an app for technical designers, artists and creators to interactively build 3D worlds in real time; and View, an app for non-technical users to view Omniverse scenes streaming full simulation and rendering capabilities using the NVIDIA GeForce NOW platform, powered by NVIDIA RTX GPUs in the cloud.

NVIDIA appears to be preparing to launch a one month subscription option for their highest RTX 3080 tier of GeForce NOW. The RTX 3080 tier is currently only available as a 6 month subscription for 99.99 USD ($16.67/month) but according to marketing material obtained by VideoCardz the release of a monthly option should be imminent. The slide didn't contain any pricing information for the subscription but it would likely be a higher cost possibly 20 USD a month. The RTX 3080 tier offers a higher maximum resolution of 1440p (4K when used with NVIDIA Shield TV) and frame rate of 120 FPS for game sessions up to 8 hours long.

Update Mar 11th: NVIDIA has now officially launched GeForce NOW RTX 3080 Tier monthly subscriptions for $19.99/month.