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Cloud Gaming Explained

Everything you want to know about Cloud Gaming here.

Have you ever been unable to fully enjoy a game you wanted to play because your PC wasn’t good enough, you didn’t have the money to upgrade it at the time, or you wanted to have access to a larger library at the press of a button, unrestricted by hardware specifications or game catalogs? The solutions to those problems are much closer than you might realize through the power of cloud gaming.

In order to better appreciate the power and potential of cloud gaming as well as why it’s so important, we’ve put together this quick rundown to help get you up to speed.

What is Cloud Gaming?

If you find yourself asking what exactly is cloud gaming, you’re not alone. The concept of cloud gaming is not new. Over the past decade many different companies have attempted to create a mass market cloud gaming solution, but they were ahead of their time and ahead of available infrastructure.

The basic idea is that the game engine processing happens on a powerful server and the video stream is sent to any computer using nothing other than the power of the internet. Using any PC you have at home you could stream a game just like you would a TV show on Netflix and play it immediately. That means a powerful PC is no longer needed to do the heavy lifting.

Using Shadow, you can instantly transform just about any laptop, Mac, smartphone or tablet into a powerful gaming device.

How does cloud gaming work?

Cloud gaming is a streaming service that provides high-quality content at the cost of internet bandwidth and server capacity. Cloud gaming companies typically operate on a subscription basis., with users pay for access to advanced hardware to stream content.

There are multiple types of subscription models for cloud gaming services. Many cloud-gaming providers limit the games you can play based on what's available in their catalog. Some services charge you by the hour, or even by the minute to access their remote hardware.

There are no limits to what you can play or do with Shadow. Your subscription gives you access to a remote high-performance gaming computer, capable of playing any PC game from any catalog. Whatever games you purchase from popular clients like Steam, Origin, The Epic Store, or any other game provider, are yours forever even if you cancel your Shadow subscription.

because Shadow is a full, Windows 10 PC, you can use it for any purpose.

Example of things you can do on Shadow
  • Play your favorite games
  • Video Editing
  • 3D rendering
  • Homework
  • Sound editing
  • Computer Assisted Drafting (CAD)
  • Watching Netflix, Hulu, etc.
  • Alternative to your computer

For companies like Shadow, that means gamers have access to a high-end gaming rig without having to spend thousands of dollars. And since you’re not the one maintaining the hardware, you don’t have to worry about upgrading any of the components over time -- that’s all covered as part of your subscription keeping the technology up-to-date and future proof.

Why is cloud gaming Important?

Cloud gaming poses a ton of advantages not only for gamers, but for publishers and developers as well. For starters, cloud gaming removes a lot of the up-front cost of buying and maintaining a powerful gaming PC or game console. Instead, you can pay a small monthly fee to stream content or gain access to a high-powered gaming PC.

Some services also require you to purchase games individually, but either way cloud gaming will wind up saving you cash and time in the short and long-term.

On top of that, you get access to your games and your saved data no matter where you are since it’s all stored in the cloud. As long as you have access to a strong internet connection you’ve got instant access to your games on any device you’re using.

From the publisher and developer side of things cloud gaming is a big win because it all but eliminates the potential for pirating and need for DRM since users aren’t actually downloading the game at all. It’s just streaming access instead. Plus, cloud gaming ensures that players have equal access to the same hardware and performance, which can be a big benefit for online and competitive gaming and it helps publishers lower development costs.

Why is Cloud Gaming popular now?

Streaming services such as YouTube, Netflix, Hulu and many others are just as popular (if not more popular) than non-streaming counterparts such as cable and broadcast television. The phone in your pocket is an instant portal to far more video content than you could ever hope to watch in a lifetime -- so why not bring that technology to the gaming world?

The reality is that until now, streaming technology just wasn’t good enough. But now internet speeds are faster and more accessible to larger groups of people and hardware is good enough to deliver high-fidelity content. It’s really like the perfect storm of features building up to cloud gaming finally getting the primetime treatment it deserves.

As internet speeds continue to get better and cheaper, so too will cloud gaming.

What to do next?

Cloud gaming is here and it keeps getting better every single day. Instead of recommending that you wait a bit longer for the technology to be ready, it’s already here and available as soon as you’re ready to jump on board.

With Shadow, you can stream content over the internet by syncing up access to the service of your choice such as Steam, Origin or Epic Games Store and hopping into your favorite games at up 4K resolution and 60 frames-per-second. If you own a mid-range PC, low-end PC or other smart device, it’s the perfect time to subscribe to Shadow to improve the look and feel of your gaming experience.

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