14 DAY TRIAL // While Apple’s walled garden makes it really difficult for companies to bring cloud gaming to iPhones and iPads, alternative solutions keep being discovered, and NVIDIA just came up with a very simple approach.
GeForce NOW, the cloud-powered gaming service that wouldn’t otherwise be allowed in the App Store, is now available on iPhone and iPad thanks to the miracle called web streaming, so users can now play games through Safari.
So instead of having to download the app from the App Store, which as we told you isn’t possible because of Apple’s restrictions, users would just have to run GeForce NOW in the browser and thus play games in Safari.
The service is currently available as a beta for iOS users, and NVIDIA is offering a free tier for testing purposes, while Founders memberships are available for $4.99 per month or as part of a six-month promo for $24.95.
“Once logged in, you’re only a couple clicks away from streaming a massive catalog of the latest and most played PC games. Instantly jump into your games, like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Destiny 2 Beyond Light, Shadow of the Tomb Raider and more. Founders members can also play titles like Watch Dogs: Legion with RTX ON and NVIDIA DLSS, even on their iPhone or iPad,” NVIDIA says.
So with this announcement, NVIDIA pretty much brings the power of Windows gaming right to your iPhone, all by sidestepping the controversial restrictions that Apple has implemented. Worth knowing, however, is that playing GeForce NOW games on iPhone requires a gamepad, and NVIDIA explains that you won’t be able to play with a mouse and keyboard because of hardware limitations.
It recommends the Razer Kishi for a full experience, but any gamepad that’s compatible with GeForce NOW should be able to do the job.
And now, another big announcement.
While Fortnite has until now been an Android exclusive, the Epic Games hit will soon become available on the iPhone too, again through GeForce NOW, again through the browser. So despite the legal battle between Epic and Apple and the limitations that Apple has put in place in the App Store, Fortnite would still land on iPhones, only that users would have to play it from Safari.
There’s no ETA right now as to when Fortnite is supposed to go live on GeForce NOW, but it shouldn’t take too long before this happens, NVIDIA says.
“Alongside the amazing team at Epic Games, we’re working to enable a touch-friendly version of Fortnite, which will delay availability of the game. While the GeForce NOW library is best experienced on mobile with a gamepad, touch is how over 100 million Fortnite gamers have built, battled and danced their way to Victory Royale,” the company announced today.
“We’re looking forward to delivering a cloud-streaming Fortnite mobile experience powered by GeForce NOW. Members can look for the game on iOS Safari soon.”
So there you go, despite Apple’s walled garden and its obsession for restrictions, services like GeForce NOW and games that wouldn’t otherwise be allowed in the App Store unless parent companies agree with Apple’s requirements still find a way to launch on the iPhone.
The debut of GeForce NOW on the iPhone is likely to be just the beginning of browser-based cloud-powered gaming in the iOS world, so don’t be too surprised if more companies follow in NVIDIA’s footsteps with a similar approach.
It’ll be interesting to see how and if Apple responds to this approach, but the good news is that iPhone users would still have access to the games they always wanted to play on their smartphones.