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GeForce Now has had a free tier for a long time, allowing users to stream their PC games over the cloud at limited quality settings. Free tier users also typically sit in a queue for a server slot, while paid subscribers can get straight in. In an update soon, the GeForce Now free tier will soon include ads that play during the server queue process.
Speaking with The Verge, Nvidia has confirmed that the GeForce Now free tier will soon include video ads. These advertisements will play for up to two minutes while the user sits in the queue for server access. The hope on Nvidia's side is that this new system will help “reduce average wait times” for free tier users.
While the GeForce Now free tier is good for being able to quickly test cloud streaming across your devices, the limitations are fairly significant. You don't get the same number of quality settings as a paid subscriber, you do usually have to wait a short period of time for a free server slot to open up and your cloud game time is also limited to one-hour sessions.
By comparison, the GeForce Now Priority and Ultimate tiers offer much longer online play sessions, a broader range of quality settings for those with the connection to support higher resolutions and frame rates, and you get access to more powerful server hardware for playing games. If you haven't used one of Nvidia's premium tiers, I must say they are very impressive, particularly the RTX 4080 servers, which offer the best cloud streaming experience currently on the market.
Those who are signed up for GeForce Now's free tier can expect an email from Nvidia this week confirming the new video advertisement system.
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KitGuru Says: Do you use GeForce Now's free tier? How do you feel about the addition of ads to the service? While I wouldn't blame anyone for feeling disappointed, the reality is these datacentres cost money to run and by monetising the free tier servers, Nvidia should be able to provide quicker and broader access.
