Nvidia ‘s GeForce Now, like Google Stadia, lets you stream PC games to your PC, even if it’s not powerful enough to run the games natively. Nvidia’s data centers stream content from the cloud, which means you can play high-end games on machines like thin and light Windows laptops or even MacBooks. And at a time when looking for a modern GPU feels like looking for a unicorn, the idea of game streaming is starting to make even more sense.
Of course, there are some caveats. Some lag is inevitable, be it latency, internet connection issues, or bandwidth overruns. And while gaming services like GeForce Now aim to make it easier to run PC games on Mac, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro users have had to make another sacrifice: resolution.
Other resolution
The MacBook Air has a native resolution of 2560×1600, just like the 13-inch MacBook Pro. If this seems like an odd resolution, it’s because laptops use a 16:10 aspect ratio. 16:9 is still the most common aspect ratio among laptops, which also makes 2560×1440 more common. GeForce Now subscribers with a MacBook Air or 13-inch MacBook Pro were forced to resort to using this resolution, which is technically less sharp than the Mac’s native resolution (4,096,000 vs. 3,686,400 pixels).
On Thursday, Nvidia announced version 2.0.36 of its game streaming service, and among its updates is the ability for Macs to play at 1600p. Of course, there is one more nuance. You must subscribe to the highest level of GeForce Now.
The RTX 3080 tier costs $100 for six months, compared to $50 for six months or $10 for one month on the Priority and Free tier, which limits you to hour-long gaming sessions. However, we tested the GeForce Now RTX 3080 in October and found the performance to be impressive even at higher resolutions.
In addition to MacBook 1600p gaming, the RTX 3080 Tier offers the longest gaming session (eight hours), claimed frame rates of up to 120fps, and 4K support, although the Tier is at ‘pre-order’ status at press time. Nvidia is also currently offering a copy of Crysis Remastered.
Nvidia’s announcement did not mention the 2021 MacBook Pros, which are 3024×1964 (14-inch) and 3456×2234 (16-inch), respectively. For those who’ve been following this, that’s roughly a 15.4:10 aspect ratio, making it slightly smaller than the M1 MacBooks GeForce Now that just got an upgrade.
New games too
The latest GeForce Now update also added several games to the service:
- Anno 1404, historical edition
- A-Train: All aboard! Tourism
- Monopoly Madness
- prison architect
- Super Mugbot
- nameless goose
- white shadows
Green’s team noted that they plan to add Syberia: The World Before at some point after its March release.