Nvidia GeForce Now RTX 5080 (Blackwell) Review: RTX 5080 in a MacBook

It breaks unfastened nan doors of support. Instead of games that are installed and fresh to go, you tin instal them connected a GeForce Now lawsuit (the machine you're connected to for crippled streaming). Even massive, 100-plus GB games instal successful a fewer minutes. It turns retired Nvidia has beautiful accelerated net astatine GeForce Now information centers.

I2P only useful pinch Steam games correct now, but Nvidia has built it uniquely. With a Performance aliases Ultimate membership, you get 100 GB of single-session storage. You tin instal a crippled and play it, but erstwhile you adjacent nan session, your crippled goes distant (games pinch unreality saves still sync). You tin bargain other persistent storage, and here's what they cost: 200 GB for $3 per month, 500 GB for $5 per month, and 1 TB for $8 per month.

This other retention doesn't conscionable springiness you much space. It's persistent, truthful your installed games will proceed betwixt sessions. Nvidia moreover keeps your saves safe successful persistent retention if nan title you're playing doesn't support Steam Cloud saves. It's for illustration having your ain small (but highly powerful) gaming PC successful nan cloud.

The Gold Standard of Cloud Gaming

Nvidia has, slow but surely, cemented GeForce Now arsenic nan de facto unreality gaming service. Google's Stadia bombastically failed, Amazon's Luna slowly flopped, and Microsoft and Sony's efforts, although ongoing, are mostly focused connected gamers who already person a console. GeForce Now has persisted, and aft testing nan Blackwell update, it's easy to spot why.

There's a ruthless pursuit pinch crippled support, which is only bolstered by I2P titles. Steam is there, but Nvidia besides supports astir games connected Microsoft's PC Game Pass, on pinch a wide swath of titles connected nan Epic Games Store, Ubisoft Connect, and nan EA app. There's moreover a autochthonal Steam Deck app.

Cloud gaming issues still apply. Particularly connected Wi-Fi, I'd occasionally stumble connected dropped packets and brief, aggravated stutters. In 1 specified case, while playing Silksong, I was midway done a dense platforming conception erstwhile nan packet nonaccomplishment sent maine to my death. There are definite realities of streaming a crippled complete nan net that an RTX 5080 can't solve.

But this is an upgrade that still showcases really acold GeForce Now has come. No, I can't cram an RTX 5080 into a MacBook. But GeForce Now gets beautiful darn close.