Nvidia GeForce graphics cards now allow faraway friends to play your games
The free GeForce Experience PC beta software now includes GameStream Co-op, which lets another PC user stream the gameplay remotely over the Internet. That user can than take over the main controls or act as a second controller for same-screen multiplayer. Nvidia first announced these features last month, while Sony offers a similar feature on PlayStation 4 consoles.
To use GameStream Co-op, the host PC needs an Nvidia GeForce GTX 650 or higher desktop graphics card or a Non-Optimus GeForce GTX 660M laptop card (with Optimus support coming later), a Core i3-2100 or higher CPU, at least 4 GB of RAM, and an 802.11 a/g router with at least 7 Mbps of upstream bandwidth. The guest PC has all the same system requirements minus the graphics card, and needs 7 Mbps of downstream bandwidth. After receiving an invite from the host, the guest can launch the stream using a Google Chrome extension.
As noted in Nvidia’s FAQ, GameStream Co-op is designed for DirectX 9 games or higher, and only works if a game runs in full screen mode. Streams are currently capped at 720p and 30 frames per second, and co-op sessions are limited to 60 minutes at a time before the host must send another invite. The list of potential issues and fixes is fairly long, which is to be expected when you’re streaming live games over the Internet.
In addition to GameStream Co-op, the new GeForce Experience beta also adds an overlay with shortcuts for capturing gameplay video and streaming to Twitch. This menu is also where users can send invites for GameStream Co-op, and is accessible by pressing Alt+Z.
Why this matters: The new Co-op features are an extension of Nvidia’s existing GameStream functionality, which lets users access their PC games over a local or remote network on an Nvidia Shield Portable, Tablet, or Android TV console. It’s one way that Nvidia hopes to get an edge over rival AMD, even if the battle for speeds and feeds rages on indefinitely.