GeForce NOW (Sort Of) Available On iOS

One of the big issues underlying the massive court case that is Apple v. Epic centers around how Apple determines what apps are permitted on the App Store. For example, Apple heavily favors its own Apple Arcade app for games and routinely denies apps from companies like Nvidia and Microsoft, who offer game streaming apps like GeForce NOW and Project xCloud (respectively).

Apple’s argument has always been that they personally need to vet every game which is playable through those apps. And up until recently, it seemed game streaming from anybody other than Apple on iOS devices was going to be nothing but a fond and unfulfilled wish. However, it seems Nvidia has found a loophole. In a blog post today, Nvidia announced that GeForce NOW would be accessible through the Safari browser as part of a beta test.

Because Nvidia is streaming through a browser, there’s not an app to go through the App Store process. Nvidia went on to announce the existing and upcoming games which will be playable through the service, such as new releases like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Watch Dogs Legion, and Destiny 2: Beyond Light. There are a couple of limitations, however. Keyboard and mouse inputs are not supported, and not every game is playable currently through touch controls. Nvidia recommends a GeForce NOW compatible game pad to be used.

Nvidia took the time to mention that they were working with a couple of big names to help bring game catalogs to the service. The company is in talks with GOG.com to help establish a connection with GeForce NOW so that players can access their library of good old games in that fashion on top of playing on a PC. And, more interestingly, Nvidia is working with Epic Games to help bring Fortnite to the service and getting a touch-friendly version of the game ready to go. There’s no word yet on when exactly this will be coming out, but “soon” is the general time frame.

Food For Thought

While this is unlikely to have any direct impact on the Apple v. Epic case, it’s definitely a shot across Apple’s bow. The questions that come to mind are how well Nvidia can get the service to work through Safari (which is part of the whole beta test process) and how hard Apple will be trying to alter Safari’s functionality to prevent it from working.

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