The video announces the native release of Nvidia GeForce Now for Linux, allowing users to stream high-end games from the cloud without needing expensive hardware or Windows, with support for features like ray tracing and high frame rates. The presenter highlights the service’s ease of use, strong performance, and accessibility on modern Linux systems, making advanced gaming more attainable for Linux users.
The video discusses the arrival of Nvidia GeForce Now as a native application for Linux, marking a significant step forward for gaming on the platform. The presenter highlights that while Linux gaming has improved thanks to efforts from Valve, Steam OS, and better Nvidia support, hardware costs like high-end GPUs and RAM remain a barrier. GeForce Now, Nvidia’s cloud gaming service, offers a solution by allowing users to play their existing game libraries (from Steam, Epic, etc.) on powerful cloud-based RTX rigs, eliminating the need for expensive local hardware upgrades.
GeForce Now works by linking your game libraries to the service, enabling you to stream games rendered on high-end Nvidia RTX servers directly to your Linux machine. This setup provides access to advanced features like ray tracing and DLSS, with high frame rates and minimal lag thanks to adaptive bitrate streaming and efficient video encoding (H.264, H.265). The service supports over 4,500 games, with automatic updates and cloud saves, ensuring a seamless gaming experience across devices.
There are three membership tiers for GeForce Now: a free tier with basic access and standard visuals, a Performance tier offering priority access, RTX features, and up to 60fps at 1440p, and the Ultimate tier, which unlocks the latest RTX 5080 servers and streaming up to 5K 120fps or 1080p at 360fps. Notably, all these features are now available natively on Linux, starting with Ubuntu 24.04, making high-end gaming accessible without Windows.
To use GeForce Now on Linux, users need a relatively modern GPU (GeForce 10 series or newer, or supported Intel/AMD GPUs with Vulkan drivers) and modest CPU/RAM requirements (dual-core at 2GHz, 4GB RAM). Connecting game libraries is straightforward within the app, and the presenter reports impressive performance—60fps at full HD out of the box, with the potential for higher frame rates depending on hardware and settings. The service is described as fast and low-latency, with about half the games available for instant play and the rest requiring a virtual install (using up to 100GB of cloud storage for paid tiers).
The presenter shares a positive hands-on experience with the beta version of GeForce Now for Linux, noting its stability and ease of use. No significant issues were encountered during testing, and the free tier makes it easy for anyone to try the service. The video concludes with an invitation for viewers to share their thoughts on native GeForce Now support for Linux and encourages them to subscribe and support the channel.