Nvidia’s video game streaming network switches from a free beta to a full subscription service under a new name Thursday as the graphics chipmaker tries to increase sales of its Shield home TV console.
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Nvidia is finally ready to release its highly capable Android TV set-top-box in the United Kingdom and Europe, with the Shield TV being available from tomorrow, 1 October.
£7.49/month gives you access to a well-stocked catalogue of games which can be played as often as you like and Nvidia’s throwing in your first three months for free as a taster.
Tech company Nvidia has announced that its media streaming device, the Nvidia Shield Android Box, will be available to buy here in the United Kingdom from tomorrow.
NVIDIA wanted to strengthen SHIELD’s position as the ultimate, all-in-one device for all of your entertainment and will be enabling hardware acceleration for VC-1, MPEG-2 and WMV9 with a new codec! Currently, the GeForce NOW experience provides for game streaming at up to 1080p60 at 25 Mbps, while a 720p30 stream at less than 10 Mbps is also available for users with limited bandwidth. First, you’ll need an NVIDIA SHIELD Android TV, SHIELD portable, or SHIELD tablet (with the latest software updates installed) and a SHIELD-approved 5GHz router. By comparison, the rival Sony PlayStation Now cloud gaming service costs $19.99 per month.
Triple-A releases such as The Witcher 3, Saints Row: Gat out of Hell and Resident Evil: Revelations 2 are available to purchase digitally from its online store. NVIDIA is hoping that GeForce NOW will become the de-facto service for consumers looking to stream games.
It can be used to stream TV shows, films, music and a range of popular apps, but perhaps most interestingly brings gamer-friendly features such as GeForce Now (explained below) to the living room. That price gets you unlimited access to most of the games you’ll see in the GeForce Now part of the Shield TV, which now has many more titles added from the beta, with a few AAA titles available for their full purchase price.
NVIDIA has been testing the service for months, but until recently it was called GRID.
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The 16GB SKU will retail for £149.99 while the 500GB SKU will cost £219.99. The remote and stand are optional accessories, priced at €49 (£39.99) and €29 (£24.99). Along with offering better on-screen image quality that other game streaming services and up to 1080p / 60 FPS, one of GeForce NOW’s key differentiators is that it’ll allow game streaming nearly instantly. For those looking for multi-player action, then additional SHIELD Controllers can be picked up for £49.99 each.
