It’s clear that Microsoft’s objectives are to get as many people playing Xbox games as possible, regardless of whether it’s on the company’s hardware or an alternative platform. If this modus operandi wasn’t already obvious, the appearance of Nvidia GeForce Now riding alongside Xbox Cloud Streaming on store pages only serves to further illustrate this strategy.
Powerful as the server racks behind Xbox Cloud Streaming are, derived from Series X consoles, they can pale in comparison to GeForce Now. After all, the latter’s ‘Ultimate’ tier gives access to rigs boasting some of the best graphics card performance around, via the power of GeForce RTX 4080. PC Game Pass games have been accessible via Nvidia’s service for a while now, but Microsoft is seemingly keen to make it more convenient to play on Team Green’s turf.
In a post on X, Xbox shared news that Xbox.com game pages now feature Nvidia GeForce Now integration. Following this update, the website presents Game Pass Ultimate subscribers with two choices of streaming platform, the other of course being Xbox Cloud Gaming.
Frustratingly, though, Microsoft has seemingly neglected to curate the ideal experience for desktop users. Rather than direct curious clickers to the Nvidia GeForce Now download page or an already-installed app, the link pictured above instead takes users to the decidedly less feature-rich browser version. This comes at the expense of some settings, which can make it easier to curate the right experience for your system.
The current implementation is also bizarrely limited to store pages on the Xbox website. There’s no sign of a GeForce Now option within the Xbox app on Windows, which is where most Game Pass members go to play games. I know when I subscribe to these services, I don’t rush to the website to see my available library. But that’s not to take away from it being a step in the right direction, as choice is a great thing.
It pleases me that Microsoft is making attempts to make it easier for users to access their libraries across a plethora of platforms. This feeling rings especially true as Xbox Cloud Gaming falls behind the pack, much as it’s more value-oriented as part of a Game Pass subscription. Still, there’s room for improvement here.
