What you need to know
- NVIDIA announced major changes to its GeForce Now memberships today.
- The Priority membership will be renamed to the Performance membership.
- That membership will see an elevation of streaming from 1080p to up to 1440p resolution.
- Performance members will also gain support for ultrawide resolutions and saving in-game graphics settings across streaming sessions.
- Anyone who signs up as an Ultimate or Performance member on or after January 1, 2025 will be limited to a monthly playtime max of 100 hours.
- Those with active NVIDIA GeForce Now memberships will continue to be able to play without time limits until January 1, 2026.
NVIDIA GeForce Now has some major changes on the way, and only some of them are good. NVIDIA will rename its "Priority" membership to "Performance." The newly named Performance membership will get a couple of handy boosts, including support for streaming up to 1440p resolution and ultrawide resolutions. Performance members will also gain the option to save in-game graphics settings across streaming sessions. But the news that may outshine the renaming and upgrade to the now-known Priority membership is the fact that NVIDIA is introducing playtime caps on its GeForce Now subscribers.
My kneejerk reaction is to assume that playtime caps will be received poorly. But NVIDIA claims only 6% of members will be affected by the change. It will be interesting to see how those unaffected by the change react to the concept of playtime caps. I'll start with the good news about Priority memberships, since it's nice to have something positive to nibble on. I'll then take a closer look at how playtime caps will work and why NVIDIA will use them.
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What is NVIDIA GeForce Now?
Big changes are on the way to NVIDIA GeForce Now, but what is it? Simply put, it's a game streaming service that lets you play games you own through the cloud. Those games run on powerful NVIDIA hardware and are sent to your device. GeForce Now delivers best-in-class performance when it comes to cloud gaming.
Unlike some streaming services that provide you with a rotating library of content, GeForce Now is the engine that drives your streaming experience. You take the games you purchased or have access to from a variety of storefronts, such as Steam, Epic Games, Ubisoft, and Microsoft, and then can stream them to a wide range of devices. GeForce Now isn't quite available on any device with an internet connection, but it might as well be. The service is on iOS, Android, many smart TVs, and is playable on Windows, macOS, and ChromeOS.
NVIDIA renames GeForce Now membership tier
NVIDIA will rename its Priority membership for GeForce Now to "Performance membership." The name change will roll out alongside several enhancements to the tier, including higher resolution support and the ability to use ultrawide resolutions. With the new features in place, the "Performance" name is more fitting. The specs of the Performance tier are still below those of Ultimate (obviously), but they're impressive. Some of the best gaming handhelds have a resolution of 1440p or below, making 4K gaming overkill for some gamers. Quite a few of the best gaming monitors are 1440p or below as well, so even desktop gamers may prefer the GeForce Now Performance membership.
Here are the main highlights of what's on the way to Performance subscribers, as outlined by NVIDIA:
- Performance members will elevate their streaming experience with updated 1440p resolution, an upgrade from the previous 1080p limitation.
- Ultrawide resolutions will also be supported, previously only available for Ultimate members.
- Performance members can save their in-game graphics settings across streaming sessions, including for NVIDIA RTX features in supported titles.
All those changes make the tier a better bargain. That's especially true since the jump in performance does not come with a price increase. There are limits I'll discuss below, but $9.99 per month gets you a lot.
Why is there a playtime cap on NVIDIA GeForce Now?
NVIDIA GeForce Now subscribers who are either Ultimate or Performance members will soon have a monthly playtime max of 100 hours. The change will go into effect on January 1, 2025 but only for new members who sign up for Ultimate or Performance. Those with an active paid subscription as of the end of 2024 will continue to have playtime uncapped until January 1, 2026.
NVIDIA explained that the change is to enable prices to remain stagnant. Instead of raising the cost of NVIDIA GeForce Now Ultimate or Performance, the company decided to cap playtime. "Rather than increasing prices for everyone, the implementation of a high monthly max playtime will keep pricing the same for the foreseeable future," said NVIDIA.
Only 6% of members will be affected by the change, according to NVIDIA, but I wonder how a playtime cap will be received. The whole thing feels a bit like using phone minutes a couple decades ago. That feeling is magnified further by the fact NVIDIA is introducing rollover minutes, at least in spirit. Up to 15 hours of unused time will roll over to the next month automatically.
If you need additional playtime, it can be purchased as needed, though NVIDIA has not shared pricing for additional playtime.
Is the price of NVIDIA GeForce Now going up?
No, the price of NVIDIA GeForce Now will remain the same for the foreseeable future. NVIDIA chose to place a cap on max playtime rather than increase the price of its service.
