Have you experienced more lag with xCloud VS GeForce Now?

Gamezone

Gamezone

Gold Member
I've just started experimenting with cloud gaming. First I tried GeForce Now, and it's an absolutely smooth experience where I live (way up in Norway). xCloud on the other hand was another experience. I know that their hardware is based of the old Xbox One S series, so I didn't expect smooth performance hardware wide when going into the service. That's ok, but xCloud ran way worse from the server side. Stuttering and lagging much worse compared to GFN. It could be a result of where I live, but they did make it available here.

What's your experience?
 
I actually have same experience with briefly testing both services (Prague, Czech Republic), there is presumably one xCloud server in the city, based on some friend's info.
 
M1chl said:
I actually have same experience with briefly testing both services (Prague, Czech Republic), there is presumably one xCloud server in the city, based on some friend's info.
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Ok, good to know. I thought it was my connection, but GFN shouldn't be running smoothly if it was that.
 
I haven't encountered any stuttering or lag with xCloud. Blessed are those who live in the Netherlands, where you trip and fall over all the data centers per square meter. There's some sporadic controller drifting, but it's rare (once every hour or so, for 2 seconds). The only way to notice is if you're specifically looking for issues.

What's your setup anyway? I use the 8bitdo xCloud controller with a Galaxy A50 on 5 GHz wifi. Asking because most issues stem from the home network, not the ISP or data center.
 
I've been playing a fair old bit of Xcloud the past few days, tried it back in the beginning of the year on my old S9+, it ran ok, not great just ok.

Got an S20 Ultra 5G a few months back and fired it up again and it was flawless almost, absolutely great experience. Now this was on a mix of both 5G data and a 5G band wifi router and only around my home and yard but being able to close down my PC and play a bit more in the bedroom under the covers has been fun. I have both a One X and a gaming PC so Ultimate is worth it for me but I actually think if I had neither I still may subscribe.

This is UK.

I've actually got a Razer Kishi arriving sometime today as although I've been playing with an Elite 2 and phone clip, the S20 gets a little lopsided.

Very impressed.
 
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spons said:
I haven't encountered any stuttering or lag with xCloud. Blessed are those who live in the Netherlands, where you trip and fall over all the data centers per square meter. There's some sporadic controller drifting, but it's rare (once every hour or so, for 2 seconds). The only way to notice is if you're specifically looking for issues.

What's your setup anyway? I use the 8bitdo xCloud controller with a Galaxy A50 on 5 GHz wifi. Asking because most issues stem from the home network, not the ISP or data center.
Click to expand...

As I said, GFN is smooth, so it probably hasn't anything to do with my home network.

Anyway, I have a brand new OnePlus 8 Pro and a brand new AX86U router. 5Ghz of course. Everything running on WiFi 6. I've even used WiFi Analyzed to pick a channel without interference. Can't get much more modern than my setup.

I'm curious if the 6Ghz band will offer any improvements when it's available.
 
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Has anyone here experimented with shadow gaming?
Their offer to have a cloud pc is interesting but I have no idea about their latency.
 
Gamezone said:
As I said, GFN is smooth, so it probably hasn't anything to do with my home network.

Anyway, I have a brand new OnePlus 8 Pro and a brand new AX86U router. 5Ghz of course. Everything running on WiFi 6. I've even used WiFi Analyzed to pick a channel without interference. Can't get much more modern than my setup.

I'm curious if the 6Ghz band will offer any improvements when it's available.
Click to expand...
Sounds good to me! I usually check for issues in my home network first when problems arise. Glad you do too, because most people don't.
 
I've also noticed that some games on xCloud has more lag than others. Forza Horizon was pretty unplayable due to lag on my phone. Halo 5 was very decent. I don't get it.
 
Of all the cloud services I have tried in Mexico, GeForce Now is simply unrivaled. On a 3 MB/s DSL connection, the lag is so minimal it doesn't bother me. It's a shame companies want it dead, or perhaps it is because their tech makes everything else a joke.
 
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Wonko_C said:
Of all the cloud services I have tried in Mexico, GeForce Now is simply unrivaled. On a 3 MB/s DSL connection, the lag is so minimal it doesn't bother me. It's a shame companies want it dead, or perhaps it is because their tech makes everything else a joke.
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Because every publisher want their own cloud service. Remember when movie makers ditched Netflix in order to go their own path? How many of those services are available today? It's a nightmare.
 
I just tried out Geforce NOW for the first time today and was really impressed! I have an ancient gaming pc from 2013 with a GTX 680 classified and was playing assassins creed origins and getting solid 60 fps and no noticeable lag. Also I have an HDMI running to my TV so can play there as well.

I already have CP2077 preordered for series x, but thinking about double dipping on pc so i can play with rtx and all the pc goodness.

from Nvidia :

If you lack a GeForce RTX PC or laptop, or are away from your gaming system, you can play RTX-enhanced Cyberpunk 2077 at release via GeForce NOW, our cloud gaming service. GeForce NOW gives your low-end rig the power to stream Cyberpunk 2077 with RTX ON. Explore the streets of Night City across all your devices, streaming from the cloud. And instantly play your existing PC library from stores like Steam, UPlay and the Epic Games Store.

EDIT: So I have been testing both Stadia and GeForce NOW for a couple of days and just want to update my findings:

I just ran a speed test on my internet and I am getting 615/540 with 2ms latency. I have been playing on a desktop pc with a HDMI cable going to my 1080p TV and a wired ethernet connection and using a wired 360 controller, playing through a browser window. I did this to try to eliminate as much latency as possible which you would normally get if you were using wireless options such as the Chromecast and the wireless stadia controller.

Stadia:

Pros

  • Better server reliability - Can Google's global infrastructure really be beaten. Even when using their Stadia Speed Test Tool I get over 600Mbps
  • Proprietary versions of games - I guess this can go both ways, but I see this as a plus as you will not have to worry about fiddling too much settings and such. They "just work".
  • Locked 60FPS - at least from my limited testing, games were locked at 60 FPS, it never seemed to dip.
  • Easy to use - assuming you already have a Google account, all you need to do is visit https://stadia.google.com/home and you're there, ready to go. If you use Google Pay/Wallet, it's fully integrated for purchases
  • Guaranteed Access - When you purchase a game to own, you can play it whenever you want. Granted, without the monthly subscription, you are limited to 1080p and stereo sound. With the subscription, you get 4K, HDR and 5.1 surround
Cons

  • Limited selection of games - While the selection of games on GeForce NOW is nothing to write home about, it is much better than Stadia's. Should note that Google has announced that more than 300 titles are currently in development for Stadia
  • Graphical fidelity - While the games look pretty good on stadia, they will not match the quality you get on GeForce NOW. For example, with Cyberpunk 2077, I think it is unlikely that the stadia version will have ray tracing, while Nvidia has already confirmed GeForce NOW will.

GeForce NOW:

Pros

  • Graphical fidelity - The GeForce NOW servers use Nvidia Tesla GPU's on their "rigs" and allow you to tweak all the same settings as you would if you were playing a locally installed copy of a game installed on your gaming PC
  • Selection of games - Rather than buying the games from Nvidia, you buy them from other online vendors such as Steam, Uplay, Epic Games Store and GeForce will link with those storefronts to play the games you own. The list of supported games isn't that great, bit it's better than Stadia.
Cons

  • Server Availability - The way GeForce now works is that they have multiple servers that are referred to as "Rigs". Think of it as Nvidia has a bunch of gaming PC's setup somewhere and you are just remotely connecting to them to play your owned games. The problem is, there is a finite amount of rigs, and you have to wait in a queue to use them.
  • Subscription practically required - GeForce NOW does offer a free option, however you will have to wait in queue, and you session length is limited to 1 hour. Also you will not have access to RTX while using the free option, as according to the GeForce NOW reddit, you are playing on the weaker "rigs". With the Founder's membership, you get Priority Access, RTX and Extended Session Length. What this means is even though you are paying a monthly fee, there is still a possibility you may have to wait in queue to play the games you own. Also, with the "extended session" feature, it does not specify that you can play indefinitely. I didn't get cut off when I was playing(I did subscribe for these tests) but who's to say they won't limit playing time if the servers become overloaded like many believe will happen next week when Cyberpunk 2077 launches?
  • Server reliability - Even though I have good internet, I was constantly getting an onscreen indicator that my connection was spotty. Apparently, this is a bit of a meme on the subreddit as it happens to everyone
  • Managing all the store fronts - to play your games, you need to have the storefront installed(e.g. Steam, Epic Games Store, Uply, etc...) and the GeForce NOW client connects to the storefront to launch your games. The biggest problem for me was that I have 2-Step Verification enabled for everything, so when I would launch a game, that storefront would send me a code to enter to just launch the game. All of the store fronts had an option to remember this device, BUT IT NEVER WORKED!
  • Rig performance can vary - I have been hanging around a bit in the GeForce NOW subreddit and apparenly not all rigs are equal. There are some thta perform better than others depending on the game and your membership level. Other people are saying that some will be upgraded to run CP2077 next week with RTX. I bought Assassins' Creed Origins to test GeForce NOW and put the settings to ultra-high as I thought these would be top of the line PC's but I had performance that dipped below 60 FPS. Not sure how it will perform for CP2077.
This is all I can think of, off the top of my head. If I think of anything else, I will update the post.
 
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