Guide

Xbox Cloud Gaming, Geforce Now or PS Now: a comparison of cloud gaming services

21.9.2020

Translation: machine translated

With the launch of Xbox Cloud Gaming, Microsoft is now also offering game streaming. There is plenty of competition, but the offerings could hardly be more different. An overview.

Playstation Now, Steam Link, Stadia and what they are all called. Cloud gaming is increasingly moving from a niche product into the limelight. Xbox Cloud Gaming, one of the most promising offerings, has recently become officially available. Time to take a closer look at the various services.

Xbox Cloud Gaming

Game selection: over 150
Platform: Android
Price: 14.99 CHF/month - from 9.99 EUR/month
Trial period: First month for 1 CHF/EUR

Xbox Cloud Gaming is currently only available as part of Game Pass Ultimate. This offers you almost 400 games for free. Almost 250 of them on Xbox One, over 200 for PC and 170 for streaming from the cloud. Not every new game is available immediately or ever via the cloud. For example, you can currently find "Resident Evil 7" or "Wasteland 3", but "Flight Simulator" is missing. However, games from Microsoft Studios should generally be available at launch. In addition, EA Play is now bundled with the Game Pass. This includes numerous EA games, some of which can also be streamed.

Due to Apple's stubbornness, Xbox Cloud Gaming, like most other offers, is not available on iOS or iPadOS. Currently, only Android users can enjoy Microsoft's game streaming service.

Games are currently streamed from servers based on the Xbox One S. Microsoft plans to upgrade the hardware to the Xbox Series X in 2021. Whether you can see the benefits of ray tracing on the small smartphone display remains to be seen. The more important criterion is the lag-free gaming experience and this is not quite the case at the moment. Even with fast Wi-Fi, there is a noticeable lag in the controls. Nevertheless, the experience is visually and playfully impressive. Thanks to Cloud Save, you can start a game on your PC or console and continue playing on your smartphone.

Games do not start immediately. It quickly takes 30 seconds before you can get started. You also need a controller for practically all games. Touch is only supported in very few cases - such as "Minecraft Dungeons".

Xbox Cloud Gaming is worthwhile if you also play on your PC or console. If you also have a "fable" for the growing portfolio of Microsoft games ("Halo", "State of Decay" or "Forza"), there's almost no reason not to get it.

Pro:

Large selection of games
- Many new games
- Easy operation

Contra:

Only for Android
- Only as part of the Game Pass Ultimate
- Performance has potential for improvement

Playstation Now

Game selection: over 800
Platform: PC, PS4
Price: 10.90 CHF/month, 26 CHF/3 months, 63 CHF/year - 9.99 EUR/month, 24.99 EUR/3 months, 59.99 EUR/year
Trial period: 7 days

Playstation Now offers the largest selection of all game plans. Over 800 titles from the PS2, PS3 and PS4 libraries are available. You can play them not only on the PS4, but also on your PC with the corresponding app. The games are streamed in 720p resolution, which you can clearly see from the quality. The controls are almost lag-free, but PS4 games look more like PS3 games.

PS4 and PS2 games can alternatively be downloaded to the PS4 and played offline. Then you have the full picture quality again. Incidentally, you can not only use the Dualshock controller on the PC, but also an Xbox controller.

You won't find the latest PS4 games on Playstation Now, nor many Sony-exclusive titles such as "The Last of Us 2". "Control" is probably the latest blockbuster on sale at the moment.

If you are not dependent on the latest titles and can live with a certain loss of quality, Playstation Now is definitely worth a try.

Pro:

Large selection of games
Comparatively inexpensive
- PS2, PS3 and PS4 games
- Also available on PC

Contra:

No brand new games
- Only 720p
- Only for PC and PS4
- Games are often not available for long
- Not usable on mobile devices

Geforce Now

Game selection: your PC games
Platform: computer, laptop, Android device, Nvidia Shield
Price: free of charge, Founders 6 CHF/month - 5.49 EUR/month
Trial period: none

Geforce Now is not a typical subscription service. It allows you to stream your own PC games over the internet to a device of your choice. This can be your PC, your smartphone or your TV if you own an Nvidia Shield.

Nvidia offers access to almost 600 games via the Geforce Now platform. Not all games from Steam and the like are supported, but more are added every month. You play via a virtual PC on which the most popular games are pre-installed. You have to download others before you can play - and you have to do this every time. What's more, you not only have to be logged into Geforce Now, but also into Steam afterwards. In the worst case, such as with "Warframe", which has its own launcher, you have to enter your user data a third time.

The image quality is limited to 1080p and 60 fps. Input lag is noticeable with a mouse and keyboard, especially in online shooters, but is bearable. It is less noticeable on a smartphone with a controller - assuming a stable Wi-Fi connection.

Geforce Now is available in a free version, which is limited to one hour of playtime at a time. After that, you have to log in again. With the paid version, which currently costs 6 francs, you can play for up to six hours at a time and your virtual PC can even handle ray tracing.

If you have a large collection of PC games, your PC or laptop is underpowered or you want to play on your TV or smartphone, then give Geforce Now a try. In theory, it's the most promising service for PC gamers, but it's often a little awkward to use.

Pro:

There is a free version
- Large selection of games
- Games do not have to be purchased additionally
- Available on many devices

Contra:

Use not always smooth
- Limited to 1080p and 60 fps
- Performance could be better

Steam Link

Game selection: your PC games
Platform: Android, iOS, Smart TV, Computer
Price: Free of charge
Trial period: None

With Steam Link (not to be confused with the device of the same name), you stream the games from your own PC. This means it must be switched on for the duration of the stream. You then connect to your PC via the Steam Link app and have access to your games. This works both via WLAN and via the mobile network. This means you don't have to be on the same network as your gaming PC. As with the other streaming services, the connection via 4G is subject to the greatest fluctuations. Unless you're playing a multiplayer game like "Sea of Thieves", this is bearable.

Depending on the device, the app supports resolutions of up to 3480 x 2160 pixels and 60 frames per second. This is primarily intended for your SmartTV, which is connected to the internet via Ethernet cable. Even then, you should be prepared for somewhat spongy control. On a laptop, the whole thing works directly from the Steam app via the Remote Play option in the settings. Instead of "Install game", you will then be given the option "Streaming".

Since your own PC is the server with Steam Link, the performance is heavily dependent on your setup. However, because the service costs nothing and works surprisingly well, it's still worth giving it a try for all PC gamers.

Pro:

Free of charge
- All your games to choose from
- Works on many devices
- Very good performance at home
- Up to 4K resolution

Contra:

Your PC must always be switched on
- Heavily dependent on your network
- Performance outside the home fluctuates greatly

Stadia

Game selection: Over 100
Platform: Android, computers with Chrome, Chromecast Ultra
Price: Free, Stadia Pro 10 CHF/month - 9.99 EUR/month
Trial period: 3 months
Note: not officially available in Switzerland

With Google's game streaming service, you have to buy games before you can stream them. However, many AAA titles such as "Marvel's Avenger" or "Hitman 3" are available directly at launch or even earlier in some cases. Similar to PS Plus or Xbox Gold, the Stadia Pro subscription gives you free games every month. Substantial discounts are also part of the Pro version. In addition to these benefits, the free standard subscription does not include 4K, surround sound and HDR.

Stadia scores highly when it comes to use. Games start with one click, it works on practically all Chrome-enabled devices and performance has also improved since the launch. Unlike the competition, all games can be played by touch. A controller or mouse and keyboard are still the better choice.

In Switzerland, Stadia can unfortunately still only be used via VPN. However, this works better than I expected.

Stadia is recommended if you don't want to buy a powerful PC or console, but still don't want to miss out on new games.

Pro:

Easy operation
- Ordinary performance
- Many new games
- Cross-platform
- Theoretically 4K

Contra:

Not officially available in Switzerland
- No games flat rate
- Smallest selection of games

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Philipp Rüegg

Senior Editor

Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.ch

As a child, I wasn't allowed to have any consoles. It was only with the arrival of the family's 486 PC that the magical world of gaming opened up to me. Today, I'm overcompensating accordingly. Only a lack of time and money prevents me from trying out every game there is and decorating my shelf with rare retro consoles.

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