Cloud gaming is a type of online gaming that streams a particular game running from a remote server to a user. Usually, these services are subscription-based, and cloud gaming companies require users to pay a monthly subscription fee. Cloud gaming is perfect for people who don’t have powerful PCs to run the game flawlessly.
The Best Cloud Gaming Service Providers 2022
In this article, we’ll be looking at the best cloud gaming services today and some of the pros and cons of their services. Let’s get to it!
What Is Cloud Gaming?
We’re pretty sure most of us have Netflix or any other streaming services. Cloud gaming is similar to that, however, instead of streaming a movie or a video into your computer, cloud gaming services will stream games to your PC as if you’re playing them in real-time!
Here are some of the reasons why people choose cloud gaming services:
People don’t have a high-end gaming PC to play the latest video games with acceptable performance.Gaming on the go with your laptop, tablet or phone.No downloads mean that you’ll instantly be able to play and access your games.Accessible to anyone who wants to try out gaming for the first time.
1. NVIDIA GeForce Now
Credits to NVIDIA Compatibility with MAC, IOS, Android, and NVIDIA Shield Provides a limited Free Trial Has advanced technology like Raytracing You still need to own the games to play them with this service. NVIDIA GeForce Now does not support every game you own. Limited to PC-only games NVIDIA GeForce Now
NVIDIA GeForce Now provides a seamless gaming experience requiring only a strong internet connection. A significant setback for NVIDIA GeForce Now is that you need to own the games to play them from their server. Unlike other cloud services, NVIDIA will not provide you with a game library.
Here are the pros and cons of NVIDIA GeForce Now!
NVIDIA GeForce Now is an excellent cloud game streaming service that offers options for users depending on their budget and even supports multiple platforms. The caveat, however, is that the price is a bit steep and you have limited gaming sessions; although you can rejoin a session again, there’s no guarantee that you’ll be the first in line.
2. Google Stadia
Credits to Google Offers 4k streaming at 60 FPS Compatible with MAC, Windows, Android, and IOS The Google Stadia Pro subscription offers a variety of games Relatively cheap Smaller array of games compared to competitors. TVs require Chromecast Ultra and a Stadia Controller Google Stadia
Although many fans hyped Google Stadia at its launch, it failed to meet user expectations. However, Google has continued to improve on Google Stadia ever since. There are a few games included in the Google Stadia library, and Google also provides you the option to rent games per month.
Google Stadia is almost three years old now, and Google is still trying to keep it alive despite its low user count. If you’re looking for a cheap option for a Cloud Gaming Service Provider, Google Stadia might be for you.
3. XBOX Cloud Gaming
Credits to Microsoft and XBOX Exclusive XBOX Game Library Day-one game releases Low input latency Available at 1080p 60 FPS Only access games available within the XBOX Game Pass Library Higher price XBOX Cloud Gaming
Fans highly anticipated the XBOX Cloud gaming service, which Microsoft officially launched on September 15, 2020. With this game streaming service, XBOX fans will now be able to stream over 100 XBOX games through Android phones, tablets, IOS devices, and PCs. However, even after two years, this cloud service is still in Beta.
Overall, Microsoft made a great product out of the XBOX Cloud gaming. If you have a decent PC or at least an XBOX Console, you’ll be able to access all of the games on the XBOX Game Pass. If you’re looking for a great Cloud Gaming Company, look no further than Microsoft!
4. Playstation Now
Credits to Playstation A wide array of games spanning from PS2 to PS4 Games Very cheap It supports 1080p at 60 FPS on some selected games Noticeable Input Lag Sony removes some of the games from time to time. PlayStation Now
Playstation Now is probably the oldest Cloud Gaming service as of this date. Sony launched this program back in 2014 and is available on the Playstation Consoles and the PC. However, this service is not available on mobile phones. There were rumors that Sony planned on bringing this service to mobile devices, but we still don’t have any updates regarding this news.
Although Playstation Now has been one of the best cloud gaming services with its vast selection of exclusive Playstation games, it still falls short on the PC due to its technical difficulties. Then again, if you want to check on the exclusive Playstation games, you can do so by subscribing to Playstation Now.
5. Shadow
Credits to Shadow.Tech Supports 4k at 60 FPS or 1080p at 144 FPS Unlimited time during your gaming session Low input latency High cost Lack of servers makes access for other countries difficult. Dated hardware
Shadow is a bit different from your typical cloud gaming service. It’s more of borrowing an entire computer and streaming it to your PC, a cloud computing service. Here are the PC specifications they’ll lend to you once you acquire their services.
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 or something equivalent |
| Processor | 4 Cores/8 Threads |
| Memory | 12 GB |
| Storage | 256 GB SSD + Secured Storage, upgradeable to 2 TB HDD |
| Operating System | Windows 10 64 Bit |
PC Specifications offered by Shadow.Tech
All of those sound a bit dated, and you’re right that hardware is severely outdated. However, Shadow makes up with the unlimited time you get while renting their PCs.
Although Shadow’s services are not ideal for cloud gaming, it still is one of the best options if you want to get a cloud computing PC for your own needs.
6. Amazon Luna
Credits to Amazon Supports 4k Twitch integration support Currently offers 1080p at 60 FPS streaming. Relatively cheap Very low input lag Still relatively new, expect bugs and disconnects. Windows 10 application has a few issues Amazon Luna
Amazon Luna is one of the recently launched Cloud Gaming Services from Amazon themselves. From what it currently is, it seems that Amazon Luna is a direct competitor to Xbox’s Cloud Gaming platform that offers a catalog of games under a much cheaper monthly subscription fee. It is currently available on Fire TV, PC, Mac, Android Phones via web applications.
Here are the pros and cons of using Amazon Luna
Amazon is new in the Cloud Gaming Companies; however, they have a bright future. Amazon Luna is a great contender if the developers correctly support this platform. Seeing now that Amazon openly launched this program, we expect a few hiccups since this service was only available via invite-only prior to its full release.
Game streaming will most likely take off in the future, considering the inflated prices in GPU we are currently experiencing. The real winner here in this list would be the XBOX Cloud Gaming, which offers a decent amount of games for the price, a seamless gaming experience, and the added feature of the XBOX Game pass accessible to consumers.
We have to give an honorable mention to the Amazon Luna; while it is relatively new, based on the reviews, it looks like this Cloud Gaming Service would have a bright future ahead of its release.
Source: whatifgaming
