For many months now, finding a PS5 or Xbox Series X has been difficult. Scoring even the venerable, but aging, Nintendo Switch can be tricky. Fortunately, if you have a fast internet connection, it's now possible to enjoy the latest video games without a console or powerful PC. That's because you can now stream video games just like you can movies.
Microsoft, Nvidi and even Google, among others, offer streaming game services. First, they run video games on their servers, which are essentially large, powerful computers, that can do the heavy lifting of rendering graphics and running the game. Next, the game is piped to your smartphone, computer or TV. This means you don't need powerful consoles and graphics cards at home. The only real requirement is a fast internet connection of about 10 megabits per second (or more).
With Nvidia, you can take your game library on Steam or GoG, connect them to the GeForce Now network and stream them. Microsoft takes a different strategy with its Xcloud gaming service. Paying $15 a month for an Ultimate Gamepass subscription gets you access to 100-plus streamable games, no additional payment needed.
That said, streaming doesn't work well for every game. For now, high latency makes competitive gaming, such as first-person-shooters like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, uncompetitive. High latency means subtly slow response times and with many multiplayer games, even a mere fraction of a second lag makes it hard to compete.
Keep in mind, however, that if your internet connection drops, the streaming stops. Not only will this disrupt the fun, but you might also lose progress and achievements.
