Gone are the days when you needed to pay a huge sum of money for buying a video game. With the help of game streaming or better known as “Cloud Gaming”, one can remotely stream and play a video game without having to pay a huge amount of money. The real game is stored on the server of game companies and a live broadcast is streamed to the user’s screen. Though the user needs to have a stable and fast internet connection. Here we will see about Best Streaming Gaming Services
There are a few cloud streaming gaming services like Amazon Luna, Xbox Game Pass, GeForce Now, PlayStation Now, and Google Stadia. Each of them has its own merits and demerits.
Let’s take a brief look at these popular gaming streaming services.
Amazon Luna
Introduced and operated by Amazon, this cloud gaming platform offers multiple channel-based streaming with a starting price of $5.99 per month. It had an early access system available to subscribers by invitation when it was launched. If you are an Amazon Prime member, you can get free access to a few games at Amazon Luna every month without paying any extra penny. It is recommended to buy Amazon Luna Controller (price $49.99), which comes with built-in wi-fi and improves performance, and increases your gaming experience.
Merits
- Easy setup
- Supports many devices
- Great performance
- Rarely lags
- Free games are available for prime members.
Demerits
- Graphics resolution can’t be higher than 1080p
- Controller quality doesn’t stand up to its price
- Need to pay more and subscribe to a different channel (because all good games aren’t available on only one channel)
Amazon Luna is available on Windows, iPhone, Mac PCs, Android phones, and Fire Devices. It also supports other controllers like Xbox One, PlayStation 4, etc.
Xbox Cloud Gaming
Launched in November 2019, Microsoft Xbox cloud gaming was introduced as a beta version. Later, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate was released for its subscribers. One can unlock more than 100 games with a price of $14.99 per month that can be accessed through Xbox or Windows 10.
Merits
- Access to unlimited games
- New games are added every month
- No need to pay extra for the games that are added later
Demerits
- The Cloud gaming service is still in the Beta version
- It’s expensive compared to other gaming service platforms
- Lack of family access
Xbox Game Pass is also available as an app version for Android and Samsung devices. It supports android, iPhone, IOS devices, Mac Pcs, and Windows Pcs. Xbox’s Cloud gaming is still in beta version, but they’ve become popular because of the wide variety of games available.
Nvidia GeForce Now
A cloud gaming service that was launched as a brand of Nvidia in 2013. Slightly different from other game streaming platforms, it doesn’t provide its users with games. Instead, it lets you stream the game you already own or you’re going to buy in the future. It does so by linking to the user’s Epic Games or Uplay online accounts.
Merits
- There’s a free version available that lets the user play a game for one hour at a time
- You can play any game from your library
- Helps to play your game in higher resolution than you may have played with lower quality in the past.
Demerits
- Not all of your games might be available. Only 1000 games can be accessed.
- Needs a fast internet connection
It can be accessed through its Shield TV set-top boxes, and apps available for Windows PCs, Mac, and Google Chromebooks. It also supports Android devices with version 5.0 and RAM up to 2GB. Though you may need a separate controller for Android TV devices.
Why use Streaming or Cloud Gaming Services?
Taking a look back, cloud gaming services have been used by many users ever since they were launched. But why did they become so popular? The reasons are quite simple.
- No need to download gaming software to your device. With the introduction of Cloud Gaming, users found a way to save their device’s storage. There was no need to buy or download a game as streaming platforms provide access to hundreds of games at a low price.
- No need to stay in one place to play games. As these services can be accessed through most devices like Android or IOS phones or tabs. So, no need to carry your PC if you’re traveling as you can play the game on a portable device like a smartphone.
- No need for Hardware. The greatest merit of cloud gaming is that you don’t need any special software. As the game runs on the hardware of a streaming company. You only need the controllers and even they are optional.
- Several devices are available for streaming. Most streaming platforms support almost every type of device like Android, IOS TVs, smartphones, Windows PCs, Mac Pcs, etc.
Conclusion
Streaming devices are a good option for those users that don’t usually play video games every day and don’t want to buy an expensive game. Although, there isn’t such a thing called the best streaming platform as each of them has its own merits and demerits. It depends on the user’s preference and what kind of platform they’ll like. So, if you’re trying a streaming platform for the first time, then choose one that is according to your preferences or try a free version before buying the subscription.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
- Is Cloud Gaming expensive?
Some might find Cloud gaming expensive but it is much better than buying and downloading large-size games.
- Does Cloud Gaming consume a lot of data?
Yes, cloud gaming requires a stable and good data connection as streaming high-resolution videos consumes a lot of data.
- Is PS Now free?
PS Now has a recurring subscription fee that changes every month. So, it’s not free.
- Is a 4G network good for gaming?
4G network is good for gaming and streaming as it has more bandwidth than 3G networks.
