GeForce Now Comes To Chrome Browser And macOS To Democratize Cloud Gaming For All

When GeForce NOW launched, NVIDIA's cutting-edge gaming service supported streaming games that were rendered in cloud data centers to devices running a dedicated app. Over the course of 2020, the company opened up its cloud gaming service to browsers, starting with Chrome on ChromeOS. Adding GeForce NOW support to Safari on iOS devices also allowed NVIDIA to skirt Apple's apparent ban on game streaming subscription services that might compete with Apple Arcade subscription services. NVIDIA seems to be getting the hint that more users is always better, as the company has now opened up support for Google's Chrome browser on Windows and macOS. 

Providing browser-based solutions for traditional desktop platforms like Windows allows users who don't want to install another app to get in on the action, and more importantly, add some additional revenue to NVIDIA's bottom line. Streaming services like GeForce NOW are the only way to get high-detail graphics in the latest high-budget games on many notebooks and desktops with integrated graphics solutions. GeForce NOW also allows gamers to play games direct from their own libraries on the service, although throughout much of 2020, NVIDIA did lose access to some of those. Not everyone wants to download yet another application or have another startup process just to play some games. However, NVIDIA says that playing in the browser may not provide the best experience, and still recommends using its app for top performance. 


Speaking of the dedicated app, NVIDIA also announced several enhancements in the latest version of its service. The Mac version of GeForce now has support for Apple Silicon Macs with M1 processors (via Rosetta), like the 2020 Mac mini, and the app will then start to auto-update itself properly in the future on macOS Big Sur. NVIDIA has also expanded its game sharing and invitation options by adding a dedicated button on each game. This affects the desktop app as well as browsers. The Share button lets iOS and Android devices to send a link to any game through the devices Share panel, so it can be sent via SMS, WhatsApp, Signal, or any other messaging service or by email. 

NVIDIA also announced several bugfixes to GeForce NOW. The company says that non-English keyboards will now function as expected while streaming. Devices that lose their network connection will no longer see an infinite spinner on a feedback page, but instead will be notified of the loss. NVIDIA's FreeStyle mode will now apply the correct filters when switching from Ansel. NVIDIA also says that several freezing issues have also been resolved. Those who are using the desktop app can download the update directly from NVIDIA, or just jump into a game right in Chrome.