GeForce NOW vs Tencent START

GeForce NOW streams PC games from the cloud to supported devices. Users connect supported game stores and subscriptions to stream games they already own; listed stores include Steam, Epic, GOG, PC Game Pass and Ubisoft Connect. More than 4,500 PC games are available to stream, and cloud downloads and updates let play start without waiting for those tasks on the device. Supported devices include Windows, macOS, ChromeOS, Linux, web browsers, Android, iPhone and iPad, handhelds, SHIELD TV, select smart TVs, Android TV, Fire TV and VR headsets. The free plan provides ad-supported access with basic cloud gaming rigs. Performance costs $9.99 a month and includes 100 hours of monthly playtime, up to 1440p and 60 FPS. Ultimate costs $19.99 a month and includes 100 hours, up to 5K and 120 FPS. Premium members can jump to the front of the queue. Ultimate also lists up to 360 FPS in demanding games and up to 90 FPS streaming to Steam Deck through its native client. Performance and Ultimate include Install-to-Play, which adds more than 2,000 games.

Tencent START streams games rendered on cloud servers to supported devices, so players can start supported titles without downloading them. The app listing says progress can continue across devices when players log in with the same account. Its library includes online, single-player, and independent games, organized with personalized categories and recommendations. Listed devices include iPhone, iPad, mobile devices, tablets, computers, and TVs; the iPhone app requires iOS 14.0 or later. Tencent describes START ENGINE as supporting real-time biological and dense plant rendering, dynamic tree simulation, and GPU-accelerated fluid simulation. Tencent Cloud says streaming uses Tencent-RTC and Tencent Mingmou encoding technology, and documents JavaScript, Android, and iOS SDKs and APIs. Its Game Streaming product is a PaaS solution for PC and mobile games, with functions migrated to application cloud rendering. Each concurrent cloud gaming instance supports one player at a time. A free plan is listed, and named paid options include a STARTvip student monthly card at 28 CNY a month, an eight-hour package at 28 CNY, paid once, and a VIP monthly card at 29 CNY a month. Other listed plans have no prices shown.