04 January 2023 , 15:34
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If you've always wanted to game on the go, then Nvidia has you covered, because GeForce Now technology is coming to cars.
At the Nvidia CES 2023 keynote, the tech company announced that it will be bringing its famous GeForce Now cloud gaming service to cars. This technology allows you to play games without the need for a console or PC, and instead stream gameplay straight to your device, in this case, your car, remotely.
Right now, only certain automakers are offering this option in their smart cars, however, Nvidia hinted that more cars will be added to the list soon. If you own a smart car from Hyundai Motor Group (including Hyundai, Kia and Genesis), BYD and Polestar then you're in luck. I guess it's time for me to put off getting a PC and get a smart car instead.
If you're not familiar with GeForce Now, it's a cloud gaming service which allows you to play a range of games on any device by streaming the gameplay from an Nvidia machine. There's a massive library of games which are supported, but you need to own them in order to play. The free version of the service limits you to 1-hour sessions, but the Ultimate version, which costs £17.99 / $17.99 / AU$19.99 per month, allows you to play for up to eight hours. In order to play in your car, you'd need to have a controller or if you're ambitious, a keyboard and mouse, with you.
Players in the driver or front passenger seat can only play when the car is parked as with all in-car entertainment. However, players in the backseat are able to play at all times.
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Who on earth is going to use this?
Realistically, anyone who is able to afford a smart car can likely pick up a Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck or similar portable device to use, rather than playing in their car. This would also save the cost of the GeForce Now subscription if you're hoping for longer play sessions and means you don't have to carry around a controller with you.
Nvidia GeForce Now is coming to... your car. (Jasmine Mannan)Another use case which Nvidia showed off in its stream was that it would allow people in the backseat to play on the go, which can be handy for long drives or road trips. Honestly, for me, the point I made earlier still stands. When I was a kid in the backseat of my mum's car, my sister and I would just take our Nintendo DSes with us and have the best time.
Don't get me wrong, it's a cool idea, but I'm not sure I see people using it over portable consoles on the go. Even if you had a dedicated car controller which you left in your vehicle, you would still need to think about keeping it charged which is just another hindrance you don't face when using a portable console.