GeForce Now RTX 3080 Cloud Review vs xCloud/Stadia - The Best Streaming Solution?

Game streaming services have come on leaps and bounds since the early days of OnLive, Gaikai and even PlayStation Now. In this video, we take a look at the new RTX 3080 tier for GeForce Now, putting the service through its paces against Microsoft's xCloud and Google in terms of image quality, latency and more. On top of that, native PC and local Xbox Series X comparisons also feature.

[HDRcade]

Would be nice to see an updated version of this video in 2023 with the 4080 results.

[George-gpbw]

I love this comparison. You should compare the 3 tiers of GeForce now. See how much they degrade or improve the experience for each. Please please please!

[schumachersbatman]

I'd really love for you to periodically continue testing cloud, in addition to native platforms of course. More and more I play on cloud. The Game Pass library being as good as it is, if DF could keep their feet to the fire about latency I think it might get Xbox off their butts.

[cousinchris]

Xcloud is just so damn convenient. I play on my phone and laptop. Plus, the game library is immense. It would be nice if they improved on latency and image quality once its out of beta. I love the competition regardless

[SaviorInTheSun]

Amazing video! I can't imagine how much work this took to put all of this information together. Thanks Tom!

[Shkki]

The RTX3080 Server is super close to my location. (<1km) i have always a latency of 5 and below and its absolutely a game changer for me.

[igoresque]

6:47 well, i9-109000k is a few generations ahead of current Intel offerings, so not surprising


🤭

[zipobob]

I've played Cyberpunk and Destiny 2 on Stadia with chromecast ultra and wired internet, both 1080p and 4k version from Pro. I had zero issues with responsiveness, however, in darker scenes, image noise would be visible and overall it didn't seem as sharp as on PC or console.

I think the streaming platforms are good substitutes until you can find a GPU or new gen consoles.

[Mark-hbzy]

If you've got a shield, fibre direct to the home (not fibre to the cabinet then copper to the home, that's very different!), Then the geforce now 3080 tier is an outstanding deal. I get a ping of 4ms on the 3080 tier and it's an amazing experience

[YoctoYotta]

I tried Xcloud about a month ago on a One X (which I don't use anymore, PC here) to play some Fallout 76 with my brother. It was pretty great. I figured it would be a better alternative than dealing with loading on a spinning HDD. FO76 isn't a twitch reaction sort of game, so latency issues were forgiving anyhow, but honestly felt great on the controller. I quickly forgot I was playing through a stream. Edit: I'm also on gigabit internet in a metro area so YMMV.

[bleeb]

You should talk about pricing more though, purely from a value perspective. Example, GeForce Now allows you to play some (very few) games unless you own then with the base subscription.

XCloud with Game Pass? IMO it’s the best value in gaming right now. You can play any game on the list for the base price, so you don’t have to “already own” the games.

With some tweaking and improvements, cloud gaming looks like a good contender in the future. Some of the mining farms in China could start building their own cloud gaming servers and services with all the hardware they have laying around.

[thestepback]

Mind telling us what nominal latency is reported within GFN's (ctrl+alt+f6) on PC, or network test, and by Stadia Enhanced Chrome extension? Nominal values are quite important, as you may have one service around the corner, and another one on other continent. That's not the case here, sure. But still adds to transparency of the piece.

[jeffcarrier]

Stadia definitely holding its own in the latency test (11:30). Probably less latency using CCU / GoogleTV as well with Stadia controller. Honestly I'm just happy to see you guys looking at Stadia again :D

[xemtra]

game availability is a problem with these services. stadia especially

[zaidlacksalastname]

200 bucks a year seems like a lot, but it would take 4 years of the 3080 tier to cost as much as 3080s did at launch near MSRP. Many people pay more (thanks to scalping) for less.

[benclaughlind]

GeForce Now is amazing. Have been using it a while with great performance and no issues. For people who play the games on it, it's a chance to not have to worry about having the newest hardware. Windows gaming is VERY expensive with having to constantly replace hardware and getting a new system to stay up with the newest games. I definitely recommend. Even the GTX 3080 option is way cheaper than Windows gaming.

[ALEXX]

It’s all about internet and how far away you are from a data center. GeForce now feels a bit sluggish for me, while stadia feels like I’m playing local because there is a data center an hour away from me.

[devvie_hu]

It's crazy to think about the fact, that for the price of my PC with an actual 3080 in it, I could run everything the same way on GFN for 12 YEARS!!

With the current GPU prices, making full builds are just a waste of money, this is definitely is a good alternative to chose atm.

[simpleton]

I think this is the first time I've heard macs mentioned on digital foundry. There are dozens of us!

[asmodeusml]

Okay, maybe an obvious thing, but it would have been better if the local machine was running a similar Ryzen CPU to exclude it's influence.