Top video game streaming services of 2021: Who is the Netflix of Gaming
It’s no secret that the gaming industry is rapidly positioning itself as yet another online service. Gone will soon be the days you took a trip to your local GameStop or Best Buy to pick up the latest FIFA or Call of Duty game.
While we enjoy our final days of actually seeing a disk in our consoles and PCs, we want to look at a few of the currently available services. These consist of what we expect video game streaming service should be when it’s eventually the best – or the only – way to play video games.
And in case you were wondering, the Stadia didn’t make the list. If you’re here for the Stadia, go somewhere else.
Top video game streaming services of 2021. Who is the best?: Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass
The clear winner of the day is none other than the studio devourer itself, Microsoft. Microsoft is on a rampage acquiring all these developer studios and publishers, but it is paying off because their library is quickly growing beyond competitors’ reach.
The good
- There are over 100 games from which to play on your Xbox or Windows 10 machine.
- You get immediate access to games released by Xbox Game Studios.
- You don’t have to pay extra for Xbox Live Gold; online access included.
- Data can be automatically stored in the Cloud for easy access between devices.
- Big gaming studios are being acquired including powerhouses like EA and Bethesda.
The bad
- $15 bucks a month may be out of some people’s budget range.
- Cloud gaming is fairly new and kinks are still being worked out.
If you are on the Xbox side of the console world, this is a no-brainer, ESPECIALLY if you are paying for Xbox Live.
Top video game streaming services of 2021. Who is the best?: Shadow by Blade
Your traditional video game streaming service requires you to be connected to a random server of the particular game running in the cloud. That is the main reason Shadow is currently considered the top video game streaming service on the market.
Shadow instead gives you full access to a dedicated remote PC with a Windows 10 desktop that you can download games to straight from any store.
The good
- As mentioned above, you’ll get full access to a Windows 10 PC.
- Powerful gaming with a respectable 15mbps internet speed requirement
The bad
- It’s super expensive compared to competitors. Subscriptions can cost anywhere from $15 a month to $50 a month, depending on your storage and graphics demands.
If you spend $25 a month for 60 months, you would have saved enough for a general gaming PC powerful enough to run most games appropriately. However, you could have had yourself a pretty respectable machine that you don’t even have to build or set up yourself in that time. We can respect the trade-offs.
Top video game streaming services of 2021. Who is the best?: Honorable mentions
Amazon Luna
As crucial as this corporation is to the world, Amazon doesn’t get an automatic pass in the gaming community. We will keep an eye out since there haven’t been many automatic “nopes” to speak of yet from critics. Here are a few things they are doing right so far:
- The program holds up well in browsers.
- Pricing for the controller and Luna+ Channel is fair.
- Performance is doing well and low latency for the most part.
Nvidia GeForce Now
Nvidia’s public stake in the tech and gaming communities has advanced exponentially in the last decade. That’s why whatever they provide involving video games demands our respect. We are on the lookout for more widespread acceptance. That’s when we’ll know for sure how well their video game streaming service holds up to competitors.
- There has been no noticeable input lag on a fast connection.
- 1080p 60fps are always good numbers, especially coming from a streaming service.
- Games on Steam, Battle.net, Epic, and Uplay are supported by the service.
Top video game streaming services of 2021. Who is the best?:Which gaming “Netflix” are you subscribed to?
As mentioned before, the gaming industry is making strides toward its haven in the clouds. We have no control over it, so it’s wise to buy a ticket to the best ship, grab a drink, and enjoy the ride.
Are you subscribed to any of these services? If so, tell us why you like it if you’re staying and why you hate it if you’re leaving.
Also, the trend with all these services is pretty apparent. It would be best if you had a stable connection. The faster, the better.
If you stop by Nerdy Ape Gaming, you’ll find an array of technology like routers and extenders to optimize the internet you have. You still require a great ISP, though.
There are other items on the site for all gamers, so click on over to the store today to make your next online video game stream that much juicier.
