Asked Sergei Epishin, senior in the gaming club , is it possible to play βon a remote basisβ, being hundreds of kilometers from Moscow, how much traffic will go, what is with the quality of the picture, how playable is it all and is there any economic sense. However, the latter is already decided by everyone for himself. And this is what he replied...
Given the current situation, even the World Health Organization games as one of the possible activities in isolation. It would seem, sit and play. But we all understand that modern 3D games are very demanding and do not work well on systems with weak processors, and even without a video card of at least an average level, it is better not to approach them at all.
If you don't have a powerful gaming system, the easiest option is to subscribe to a game streaming service that allows you to play modern games even on weak systems without losing image quality.
First, about the freebie
Many companies have similar services, ranging from console manufacturers to mobile operators. Each has its own nuances. I decided to experiment with the partner GFN.RU, which differs from the others in the official support of NVIDIA. Especially since this game service is free for all users for the entire "quarantine" period. Moreover, no hidden payments or linking a bank card is required, just register.
How it works
The GFN.RU service allows you to turn even an old laptop into a powerful gaming PC. Like other cloud services, it works like this - the company's servers have virtual configurations that correspond to high-performance gaming computers on which the game is running. A high-quality video stream with a minimum delay in 1080p resolution with a frequency of up to 60 FPS is transmitted from the server to the user via the Internet, and control commands from the gamepad, keyboard and mouse go in the opposite direction.
Server GFN.RU based on NVIDIA solutions
Will all old laptops fit?
The system requirements of GFN.RU are low. You will need Windows 7 or newer, but be sure to be 64-bit. In terms of hardware, you need: any dual-core processor with a frequency of 2 GHz or higher, 4 GB of RAM, any graphics card that supports DirectX 11 (NVIDIA GeForce 600 or later, AMD Radeon HD 3000 or later, Intel HD Graphics 2000 or later), and also a keyboard and mouse, preferably with a USB connection.
In addition to Windows devices, Apple computers are also supported. The macOS version must be 10.10 or later. It also requires a keyboard and mouse with left and right keys and a wheel. There is also support for smartphones running Android 5.0 and higher with 2 GB of RAM, but with additional restrictions. In addition to the mouse and keyboard, game controllers are supported: Sony DualShock 4 and Microsoft Xbox One gamepads, as well as other models.
Network requirements - a high-speed connection of 15 Mbps or more is required. The recommended speed is 50 Mbps. But more importantly - minimal delays. It is better to use a wired Ethernet connection, and for a wireless connection, it is recommended to use Wi-Fi in the 5 GHz frequency band.
The service supports several hundred games, and their list is constantly expanding. I note that you can only play games purchased in digital stores (the same Steam). And there is a plus here - the system supports cloud saves, synchronizing them with digital store accounts, so that after playing, for example, on a laptop in the country, you can easily continue playing at home on a powerful PC.
However, in addition to purchased games, you can also play free ones - the same World of Tanks.
How to practice
To play, you need to create two accounts: NVIDIA and GFN.RU. Both of them are needed for the service to work. During the initial setup, it is not always clear where and what login and password to enter, but then everything falls into place.
GFN.RU offers two access options: free and paid. You can pay in several ways, including . It is clear that a free account has limitations. For example, before the start of the game, you will be put in a queue, and you will have to wait for the release of server resources. In addition, free sessions are limited to one hour, after which you will be kicked out of the game. Due to the influx of βself-isolatedβ people, you can play freely from morning until 16-17 or at night, but in the evenings you will have to wait about half an hour.
Service access options
Lucky owners of premium subscriptions are in standby mode for no more than a minute and can play up to six hours in a row. And the premium account also has support for NVIDIA RTX ray tracing (read more about it here). video), which was previously only available to owners of expensive video cards, and now you can try it even on a laptop! True, only in rare compatible games, including Battlefield V, Wolfenstein Youngblood and five others.
Wolfenstein: Youngblood
After authorization, you need to find all your games by searching in the application. There is no list of supported games on the site. This is not very convenient, but not critical. All the same, you will play mainly those games that you yourself have previously purchased. There is also some confusion about digital distribution services - Wolfenstein: Youngblood is available on both Steam and Bethesda.net, and The Division 2 is on Epic Games and Uplay - and you must be sure to indicate the platform where the purchase was made.
Library of games in the GFN.RU client
Some time ago, some publishers, including Bethesda, Take Two and Activision Blizzard, decided to abandon the GeForce Now service, and now you canβt play their games in GFN.RU. Some of them have entered into agreements with competing services or are planning to launch their own cloud service. NVIDIA continues negotiations with them, and we can only wait for news.
First start
After starting the game, the download process follows - first the launcher starts, and with it there are sometimes delays in entering game services. At the first start, you will have to enter passwords and logins from the platforms (Steam, Uplay, EGS, etc.) where you bought the games. Installing the game in the GFN.RU library is instantaneous, as well as updating it. Driver and digital store updates are also installed automatically.
Connection quality test result
Each time you start the game, the network connection speed is evaluated. Based on the results, two warnings may be issued: red - connection parameters do not meet the minimum requirements; yellow - connection parameters meet the minimum requirements, but not recommended. It is better to provide ideal conditions (shake your provider).
The game server is located in Moscow, and the network delay for most places in the European part of Russia should be low. I tried to play from the capital itself, the Moscow region and from a large city 800 km from Moscow - and in the latter case, the delay was only 20 ms, which is great for playing dynamic 3D shooters.
Π’ΡΠ°ΡΠΈΠΊ
The traffic consumption per hour approximately corresponds to what the GFN.RU client predicts - it took me about 13-14 GB, which gives an average flow of 30 Mbps. But you can always lower the connection settings if you need to save money:
Video broadcast settings
GFN.RU broadcasts a 1920Γ1080 resolution video stream at up to 60 FPS. This is the maximum, and the actual characteristics depend on the quality of the connection and the game. For all games, comfortable graphic settings are selected that provide the best quality with acceptable performance. Although NVIDIA itself does not recommend changing the settings, the options they choose are not always optimal, and you can set the quality a step or two higher. Unfortunately, the service cannot measure FPS in games without built-in benchmarks. In the ones I tested, the frame rate was always above 60 FPS, while the user always gets exactly 60 frames per second (unless you set a lower value).
Personal impressions
I tested the service using a lightweight 14-inch laptop with an average Intel Core i5 6200U processor with integrated graphics, 4 GB of memory and a wired network connection. Internet access at 100 Mbps with the settings as in the screenshot gave very smooth and stable gameplay in the tested games: Metro Exodus, Wolfenstein: Youngblood, Control, World of Tanks and F1 2019. The picture was, albeit slightly worse than the one what happens locally, but in general the quality is very good if you use a small laptop screen, and acceptable when connected to a 55-inch TV - it shows some imperfections better.
Screenshot from Metro Exodus via GFN
The connection speed can greatly affect the picture when video compression artifacts become visible. Also, the image quality deteriorates in dynamics - when moving quickly in the game or making sharp turns, which can be seen in the example of two frame fragments. In such cases, video compression does a worse job, and the picture is blurry:
A fragment of a frame from The Division 2 with increased network delays (drop in detail, shadow quality and blurring)
A fragment of a frame from The Division 2 with a high-speed connection
But this rarely happens, and in general the feeling of the game is excellent. You can't set records for accuracy in multiplayer games: aiming with a scope has become more difficult, but the same headshots are quite real. Games designed for gamepads are generally ideal to play, but first-person shooters are also very playable. Only sometimes, when network delays increased, a warning appeared on the screen, but no slowdowns were observed.
About money
For those who want to drive some devils in the next new 3D action for a month, there is no need to count the benefits. Everything is clear here - paying rubles, you kind of rent a very cool computer and play on it without queues.
But if you play more than once a year, the question arises. It is hardly possible to spend less than 50-60 thousand rubles on a modern gaming PC today. A subscription to a gaming service for 5-6 years will cost the same amount. In addition, this period is just about the time of the final obsolescence of the gaming PC. The price of the games in both cases will be the same, since they need to be purchased separately. In the end, there is no obvious solution. Here everyone decides for himself.
I'm jokingly counting the cost of electricity. A modern gaming PC is unlikely to consume less than 400-450 Wh, while an old laptop will be exactly an order of magnitude more economical. If you play 10 hours a week, the difference will be approximately 4-5 kWh. With a conditional price of 5 rubles. for 1 kWh per month, ~100 rubles will run up, which can be regarded as an additional 10% discount on cloud gaming.
Total
In fact, there were no surprises. GFN.RU allows you to safely play modern technological games without a powerful computer. The main condition is a stable and fast internet connection.
The network delays measured by me in different locations indicate that through the service you can successfully play multiplayer shooters from all major cities in the European part of the country. If the connection quality is poor, the picture quality may deteriorate somewhat, but video compression artifacts are not too noticeable on small laptop screens.
Other advantages of GFN.RU include the ability to play projects purchased on Steam, Epic Games Store, Origin, Uplay, GOG, as well as popular free games, including World of Tanks and League of Legends. Alas, some of the games are missing from the library due to complex relationships with publishers (Bethesda, Take Two, Activision Blizzard). Among other rough edges of the service, I would like to point out not the most convenient registration process with two accounts, but I have no other complaints.
Pros:
- top graphics on the screen of an old laptop
- low price compared to gaming hardware, plus the possibility of a free game
Cons:
- you need a stable connection speed of 30+ Mbps
- making headshots will be a little more difficult
- you need to register two accounts: on GFN and NVIDIA
Source: habr.com