Microsoft Welcomes Nvidia GeForce Now on Xbox.com Game Pages

Microsoft has updated its game pages on Xbox.com to give players the ability to launch select cloud-enabled games on Nvidia GeForce Now rather than Xbox Cloud Gaming. This new choice of streaming platforms is available on the pages for games like Starfield, where the “Play with Cloud” button now opens a pop-up window with a choice between Xbox Cloud Gaming and GeForce Now.

As you may remember, Microsoft has already partnered with Nvidia to make some of its PC games on the Microsoft Store, the Epic Games Store, and Steam available to stream on GeForce Now. The company also did the same with a portion of the PC Game Pass catalog, which can also be streamed via GeForce Now.

Play your games the way you want, where you want!

Starting today, we’ve enabled GeForce NOW integration which allows you to launch supported games on GeForce NOW via https://t.co/Nf3xumC9vw game pages: https://t.co/rNVwXNU6gw pic.twitter.com/TBrfsiDoCe

— Xbox (@Xbox) July 17, 2024

Unlike Xbox Cloud Gaming, which requires an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription that will soon cost $19.99/month, Nvidia’s GeForce Now has a free tier that anyone can use, though it has some restrictions: Gameplay sessions are restricted to one hour, and there’s a waiting queue with pre-roll ads. However, the $9.99/month Priority membership offers an ad-free experience with 6-hour sessions at up to 1080p/60FPS, while the $19.99/month Ultimate membership supports 4K gameplay at up to 240FPS.

Among all cloud gaming services on the market today, Nvidia GeForce Now currently offers the best graphics settings if you have an Ultimate membership, as well as the lowest latency. For the same monthly price, Xbox Cloud Gaming is restricted to a 1080p stream with a low bitrate, and as Digital Foundry previously reported, you’re actually getting the Xbox Series S versions of cloud-enabled games instead of the better-looking Series X versions.

It’s interesting to see Microsoft promote Nvidia GeForce now on Xbox.com game pages, and the company may not want to stop there. Boosteroid is another third-party cloud-gaming service where Microsoft started to make its PC games from the Microsoft Store and Game Pass available to stream. However, the library of supported games on Boosteroid is currently more limited compared to GeForce Now.