Blade's Shadow Cloud gaming service ($34.95 /mo) launched in California today:
https://shadow.tech/usen/
They claim to deliver the performance of a high end gaming system, through any old computer you have. They also offer a "Box" ($139) that is supposed to deliver the best experience for their service:
https://shadow.tech/usen/box
This is actually the only way I'll likely be PC gaming anytime soon. Building a rig just isn't in the cards nowadays. Looks like it's the equivalent of a virtual machine with a dedicated GTX card and 12GB of RAM.
I'm gonna need to take this for a test drive.
https://shadow.tech/usen/
They claim to deliver the performance of a high end gaming system, through any old computer you have. They also offer a "Box" ($139) that is supposed to deliver the best experience for their service:
https://shadow.tech/usen/box
This is actually the only way I'll likely be PC gaming anytime soon. Building a rig just isn't in the cards nowadays. Looks like it's the equivalent of a virtual machine with a dedicated GTX card and 12GB of RAM.
I'm gonna need to take this for a test drive.
17 Comments
Active today
Comment
easily done, nVidia Tek!
I can play Games streamed from my PC, on my TV! (Samsung) via WiFi, so with the bandwidth into the modern home....
nVidia and a few UK companies tried this 6 years ago in the UK....take-up was not good, and the service died...
Steam have the Steam-Box, and it sort of died a death....
Gamer's just love to have bare metal....
and then there was nVidia Shield...
I can play Games streamed from my PC, on my TV! (Samsung) via WiFi, so with the bandwidth into the modern home....
nVidia and a few UK companies tried this 6 years ago in the UK....take-up was not good, and the service died...
Steam have the Steam-Box, and it sort of died a death....
Gamer's just love to have bare metal....
and then there was nVidia Shield...
The part I'm most curious about is how bad the latency is with this. Usually you experience lag, even with a local machine. Couple that with the machine being remote and it could be unplayable for certain pvp/fps games. Those are the games I'm most interested in, so the jury is out.
@andrew the nVidia Shield uses Geforce Now for the gaming side of their product. That service is still in beta though, so I imagine the experience is wonky. I haven't heard much of Shield post-launch so afaik it's dieing on the vine.
I'm not interested in shelling out $ for a gaming rig, and I really don't have room for one in my house TBH. This option to me is a step above a Steam Machine, and about 10 steps above a full blown rig, at least as far as convenience goes. Actual performance though...
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@andrew the nVidia Shield uses Geforce Now for the gaming side of their product. That service is still in beta though, so I imagine the experience is wonky. I haven't heard much of Shield post-launch so afaik it's dieing on the vine.
I'm not interested in shelling out $ for a gaming rig, and I really don't have room for one in my house TBH. This option to me is a step above a Steam Machine, and about 10 steps above a full blown rig, at least as far as convenience goes. Actual performance though...
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Active today
Comment
Depends if you are playing TF2 or Crysis!
and what 4K experience, and FPS you want.....
even the latest and greatest nVidia GTX 1080Ti, with HTC Vive, have latency... [VR]
with the best gaming rigs that you can purchase!
and what 4K experience, and FPS you want.....
even the latest and greatest nVidia GTX 1080Ti, with HTC Vive, have latency... [VR]
with the best gaming rigs that you can purchase!
Comment
Depends if you are playing TF2 or Crysis!This.
In my mind, its cheaper to just pay for a gaming rig because a monthly subscription I may not even touch one month, not use it at all. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (shamelessly stolen from your comment)
@Andy my issue/concern is with the network latency (lag) between all of the users and the game servers -- coupled with the added latency of using a virtual machine that most of the people you are competing with, wouldn't be dealing with.
Getting shot when you're standing behind cover (lag) will be twice as frustrating if your attempt to go behind cover is delayed (due to latency between you and your VM).
Getting shot when you're standing behind cover (lag) will be twice as frustrating if your attempt to go behind cover is delayed (due to latency between you and your VM).
its cheaper to just pay for a gaming rig because a monthly subscription I may not even touch one month, not use it at all.
You can turn off a monthly subscription.
For example, this month I could pay $34.95 to play games on a high end machine at max settings with no struggles with drivers, etc. Next month I could turn off the subscription if I'm not going to be. Extremely low investment, if the experience is actually good.
Alternatively, if I shelled out $2k for a gaming rig and don't use it for a month. That's a depreciating asset that I'm effectively losing money on, by the day. No way to turn that loss off without selling the entire rig.
Not to mention, at $34.95 a month, I'd be using the top of the line gear every single month. It would take 57 months (almost 5 years) before I would reach the $2k that I'd have paid for a gaming rig -- a rig that would be outdated 5 years later.
Remeber before Netflix when we had DVD players? Then Blu-Ray players? Now you just stream through your TV/Phone/Tablet. Companies like Blade and Nvidia are doing the same thing to the pc gaming hardware industry. The writing is on the wall. The days of massive, power sucking PCs in your home are numbered.
Imagine being a parent with a kid who wants to play a new PC game but doesn't have a PC:
Option A - pay a couple grand for a rig, hope they don't get bored with it (side bonus, power bill spike if they love it)
Option B - pay $35 for a subscription, cancel if they get bored
I'd take B every time.
Active today
Comment
@Andy my issue/concern is with the network latency (lag) between all of the users and the game servers -- coupled with the added latency of using a virtual machine that most of the people you are competing with, wouldn't be dealing with.
Getting shot when you're standing behind cover (lag) will be twice as frustrating if your attempt to go behind cover is delayed (due to latency between you and your VM).
I think you will be surprised, if there is lag - then their service is very poor!
Latencies in virtual machines - sized correctly no issues!!!!
Not heard of Shadow, but this is an area we work in Commercially for Commercial Simulators!
I'm not going to call it a game! But they have a Sister company which is a Game!
Comment
Lucas, you will have to update us on your experience if you give this a test drive. Really curious to see how this one pans out.
I did some digging to see if I could track down gameplay footage over the weekend. Here's a pretty convincing video of someone playing Farcry 4 on a GPD Win, using Shadow's service:
https://youtu.be/2qKRBGvEkMw
https://youtu.be/2qKRBGvEkMw
Active today
Comment
I've also been doing some digging, and what surprises us (in a Gaming Department at the University, which develops 3D gaming), this company I think is based in France, and this service was released in Europe and UK, in 2016!!!!
now to be launched in the US...
and we've not heard anyone using it.....after speaking with 1,000 Students! (that all use Steam and play games on PC's!)
It's a bit odd, it's gone completely off the radar, and none of our Students or Lecturers' or our nVidia contacts have mentioned this!
now to be launched in the US...
and we've not heard anyone using it.....after speaking with 1,000 Students! (that all use Steam and play games on PC's!)
It's a bit odd, it's gone completely off the radar, and none of our Students or Lecturers' or our nVidia contacts have mentioned this!
Here's their French Twitter account:
https://twitter.com/Shadow_France
I don't know what they're saying, but they are very active on there.
https://twitter.com/Shadow_France
I don't know what they're saying, but they are very active on there.
I can't tell what kind of cans those are, but it looks like they have subwoofer ports on the side XD
Active today
Comment
ah, not cans!!!!
project a screen direct onto your retinas!
I've always wanted to look like Geordi La Forge , Star Trek - Next Gen!
project a screen direct onto your retinas!
I've always wanted to look like Geordi La Forge , Star Trek - Next Gen!
Oh wow, have you taken those for a test drive? The way the image is beamed to your eye with those things is hard to comprehend. Would love to hear your experience.
Active today
Comment
they've just arrived and on charge.... these were purchased for FPV drone flying, as I already have VR head sets from Oculus and HTC!
So these are NOT VR headsets.
and what I do like, is they can be setup for IPD and can be setup for the correct eyesight +/-... shift like you find on proper bins and scopes!
So these are NOT VR headsets.
and what I do like, is they can be setup for IPD and can be setup for the correct eyesight +/-... shift like you find on proper bins and scopes!
Recommended Posts
So this year I decided it was really about time I applied for the
@vExpert subprograms, and guess what! I'm in! So Thanks to our Programme Manager![2024-vExpert-PRO.png]()
![2024-vExpert-vSAN.png]()
![2024-vExpert-vSphere.png]()
![vexpert-badge-stars-2024.png]()
![vexpert-badge-year-2024.png]()
@vCommunityGuy and Sub Programme Business Units!
@vExpert subprograms, and guess what! I'm in! So Thanks to our Programme Manager
@vCommunityGuy and Sub Programme Business Units!
Exchange Server Roadmap Update.
MS have moved the release date for the next version of Exchange Server to the second half of 2025.
It requires Server and CAL licenses and will be accessible only to customers with Software Assurance,
https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/exchange-team-blog/exchange-server-roadmap-update/ba-p/3421389
MS have moved the release date for the next version of Exchange Server to the second half of 2025.
It requires Server and CAL licenses and will be accessible only to customers with Software Assurance,
https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/exchange-team-blog/exchange-server-roadmap-update/ba-p/3421389
