Cloud gaming is getting more and more viable every year, even in Australia. We’ve already got Xbox’s streaming service, and by October Aussies can add another provider to that list: GeForce Now.
Nvidia has been looking at ways to make its cloud platform available in tier-2 regions like Australia for a while now, and earlier this year the company announced it was working with Pentanet to make it happen. In a livestream earlier this week, Pentanet managing director Stephen Cornish provided firmer timelines on the Australian rollout.
After stressing that the full service won’t launch until the experience is satisfactory, it was revealed that GeForce Now will be first playable to the public via a beta (run through Pentanet’s Cloud.gg web portal) from September. Users will be selected after a mix of completing various quests through the portal, which at the time of writing include things like answering reader surveys, watching videos through the site, and so on. (The launch video below indicated that more quests will be added on a weekly basis as the portal grows and more games become accessible.)
“A staged release to Beta Play will see a limited number of players onboarded in September 2021, with new users added to the testing pool every week,” the Cloud.gg portal says.
If the beta runs according to plan, the full GeForce Now service should go live in Australia sometime in October. That’s a malleable date though: if the beta phase reveals more testing or work is needed to shore up the service’s infrastructure, then the public release could be pushed back.
It’s worth adding that Pentanet are still working out what the cost for GeForce Now will be in Australia as well. “The upcoming Beta Play program will give us the insight we need to deliver GeForce NOW Powered by Pentanet in the most cost-effective way for all Aussie gamers,” the site’s FAQ adds.
“We intend to release plan options in the coming months, including options for casual play and subscription bundles.”
For those interested, a full list of games compatible with the GeForce Now service through Australia can be found on a separate page here. Pentanet recommends users play via an Ethernet connection or a 5GHz capable router, with an internet connection of at least 25Mbps for a 1080p/60 FPS experience. And, as has always been the case with Nvidia’s cloud service, GeForce Now can only play free-to-play titles or games that you currently own through a platform like Steam (provided game publishers are OK with it, which hasn’t always been the case).
Leave a Reply