For once, rather than talking about games, we're going to take a few minutes of your time to talk about the arrival of a long-awaited service on the Steam Deck. So, no videos on the menu today, but a few Gamersyde images (in 800p, obviously, keep in mind that the games look a lot more impressive on the Deck) and a short article to share our feedback on our experience. Enjoy your reading!
To install the application, you'll first need to switch your Steam Deck to desktop mode, install a web browser if you haven't already done so, and then go to the GeForce NOW website to download the installation script dedicated to Valve's device. It's all as simple as it is quick, and once the application is ready, all you have to do is exit desktop mode via the icon provided. Back in Game mode, you can now launch GeForce NOW by going to the non-Steam Games tab of your library, and that's it. Before launching your first game, we'd still advise you to go through the application's settings menu, to decide on the resolution to use (you won't be able to select those beyond the one selected there in the games' graphics options), the image refresh rate, or any bitrate limits to impose, for example. Of course, if you decide to stream your games in 4K, you'll need a faster, more stable connection than if you're content to stream in 800p or 1200p. If you've got fiber optics, and a good Wifi signal, you shouldn't have any problems with fluidity at the highest resolutions, but be aware that using GeForce NOW on the move, in a car or on a train, will depend on the network in the area where you are and we all know how it can vary. As a reminder, even though basic access to GeForce NOW is free (at 1080p and with advertising), you'll need to get a subscription to enjoy a more comfortable experience (sessions are limited to one hour when you're not paying), higher resolutions and RTX, all without having to wait to launch a game. There are currently two ad-free paid packages, one called Performance (and currently offered with a 40% discount for the first six months - 32.99€, then 54.99€ for subsequent months), enabling 1440p play and giving access to six-hour sessions and short queues; the second is called Ultimate (this is the one we use, at 109.99€ per six months), and gives access to 4K gaming, DLSS 3, NVIDIA Reflex, G-Sync cloud (not on the Deck though), with a cumulative playing time of eight hours straight and even shorter waiting times. Admittedly, the prices are high, but that's the price you have to pay for the best-performing streaming system on the market.
We were already perfectly happy with NVIDIA's streaming service via our aging PC, and we were delighted to discover titles such as Alan Wake 2 or Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny running with path tracing, all with a decent frame rate. However, we can't hide the fact that playing these same games (and so many others) on the superb Steam Deck screen, with astonishing image quality and fluidity that we'd never have been able to achieve running these titles natively on Valve's device, was particularly thrilling. Quite simply, we couldn't wait to play the many games we took the time to try out. We even found ourselves putting several hours into some of them, taking the opportunity to advance the games we had started on the PC. With the exception of one or two minor connection problems on Assassin's Creed Shadows and South of Midnight, where we even preferred to relaunch both games to get back to a stable experience, everything ran perfectly smoothly, without us feeling any excessive latency (even in a fast-paced game like DOOM: The Dark Ages). We even think that, for those willing to pay the price, this native GeForce NOW support will be a real asset to the Steam Deck. However, we wouldn't necessarily go so far as to say that this will enable it to compete with the Switch 2, which is aimed at a much wider audience, but there's no doubt that the service gives Valve's machine a strong argument in its favor. That said, with NVIDIA and Nintendo working hand in hand for several years now, we can legitimately wonder whether GeForce NOW won't end up being integrated into the Switch 2's ecosystem, thereby opening the doors to cloud gaming. Some would argue that this would enable console owners to enjoy more demanding games without having to go through in-house streaming versions of them (as Capcom and Square-Enix have already done with the Resident Evil series for one, and Guardians of the Galaxy or the Kingdom Hearts franchise for the other). However, there are still reasonable doubts about this hypothesis, starting with the fact that Nintendo probably couldn't claim to earn as much from it as it would from the sale of games destined for release on its console. That being said, you never know!
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On a side note, you're welcome, translating many of the latest articles did not take me any time, so I really appreciate that the only comment I got in the past few weeks would be about something we did not cover despite our many attempts at doing so. Not to mention the many videos we have posted over the past few months, so the many games covered, for which I don't recall getting much reaction from this side of the website. I know you guys are very few now, and I'm well aware we can't make everybody happy, but I find it a bit harsh to see a comment that, not only has nothing to do with the news article I took the time to translate on the weekend, but is also basically a form of reproach for something we are not even responsible for (not that I expect you to guess that, but come on, you should know by now that when highly anticipated games are not covered, it's rarely our decision).
It is a french movie, well kinda. It is a canadian movie but the original language is french. Last christmas I bought this movie 7 times becauce I gifted seven people with that very movie. Why? Because I liked that movie so much :) The french title is "Vampire humaniste cherche suicidaire consentant". Now go and watch that trailer! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfNlE9sq1X4