

The only non-PlayStation machine that PlayStation Plus Premium works on is PCs. It's still not a great option, however, if you live in or travel to places somewhere with poor connectivity or if your broadband costs are exorbitant.īut from a gamer's perspective, there are really only four major options dedicated to gaming, as opposed to general PCs-as-a-service, like Shadow, or closed-network solutions, like console remote play or Steam Link, Those four are: Xbox Cloud Gaming (part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, one of our top game subscription services), Nvidia GeForce Now, PlayStation Plus Premium and Amazon Luna.Īnd of those four, only Xbox and GFN really deliver on the promise, though Luna has its high points. Network issues remain, but Wi-Fi 6 and 6E and 5G cell service have helped smooth over the rough spots.

There's still no guarantee that you'll have a seamless, consistent experience, but it's reached the point where it feels like you can sit down and start playing without getting bogged down by glitches - at least most of the time. Thanks to the power of the cloud, games can be streamed instantaneously without you needing to worry about updates, patches or upgrades.Ĭloud gaming has come a long way since the hype train left the station in 2018. Our guide to cloud gaming explains things in more detail.Cloud gaming has revolutionized the way we play games, allowing audiences to bring their favorite games anywhere, regardless of their hardware's power. In most cases, video game streaming services offer mobile apps, meaning you can enjoy AAA games on almost any device. Typically, you'll get a few free games while some require dedicated devices, these are cheaper than a current-gen games console. Mac owners can potentially play PC games that aren't released on their platform.Ĭloud gaming services rely on a monthly subscription for access. It might be a phone or tablet, a netbook, or an older laptop or PC. A fast broadband internet connection is required the higher the better.Ĭloud gaming essentially lets you play games on any device. Instead, the games are streamed to you over the internet, much like a movie is on Netflix.

With cloud gaming, expensive hardware is no longer required. This might be a games console, a gaming PC, or a set-top box (such as Amazon Fire TV or Android TV). Traditionally, gaming requires expensive hardware.
