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My computer's not so great and I wanted to see about buying a monthly service to use as a virtual PC for playing games without buying a new rig. Here are the options I found out about. Google Stadia - I can't figure out what it is or what it does from the website. Also somebody told me they suck. No go Amazon AWS workspace thing - priced around $10/mo plus 20c-$2/hr, or higher flat monthly with no hourly: oriented toward office work. Would be okay for gaming if you wanted to pay the higher rates which are simply not worth it. Nvidia Geforce service - not a virtual pc, just a virtual shell for Steam. Does not work with licenses I bought from GOG or elsewhere, does not work with local exes etc. Also does not work with titles I own through Steam, either. So it didn't work at all for me. I'm glad I was able to figure that out without paying. (A pro of this one is they make it very easy to get started for free w/o a credit card or anything so you can figure out if it works for you) Xbox remote play - for tablets and phones, I guess. I didn't look into it cause I want to use PC. Shadow - virtual PC thing marketed for gamers. Available in most US states. Looks like they give you enough computing power. You can use your own games or any program however you like. They go cheap on the storage: only like 250GB unless you pay extra. It's $15 monthly or less yearly. I have a feeling it might be a PITA to get it set up... but I think I might give it a shot. The ease of use probably won't be optimal... I'll have to install an uninstall games on it, do second installs on thing I have already... Steam might not care for me using two computers with my acct, I don't know. But if it works well for me it will be cheaper than buying a gaming computer. Post your opinions on these things
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Jan 4, 2021 23:43
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ErrEff posted:Yeah, it was very promising while in beta but there's now a significant hole. It's neat if you play a lot of Ubisoft or Square-Enix games or mid-size indies on Epic and Steam, and that's about it. Games from Capcom, 2K, WB Games, EA and others are not available. After I couldn't make it work my SO gave me a Steam key for Hitman 2 because it was specifically listed as working on Geforce, and it didn't. Edit: I bought a game recently on GOG because I want to be able to use it any way I want, outside of Steam's ecosystem... and the Geforce thing doesn't let me use my games how I want, it just wants to squeeze me into steam's universe entirely. Mescal fucked around with this message at 00:30 on Jan 5, 2021 |
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Jan 5, 2021 00:28
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Ok so I signed up for Shadow thing. It wasn't super clear about availability until I gave them my credit card... seemed like I could have it immediately, but it looks like they'll have it ready for me by the 21st. If you're in Texas or Chicago you can get it next day, though. I'm impatient but if it works well I'll be happy with it at the price they're offering.
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Jan 5, 2021 01:49
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Oh Jesus, Shadow doesn't recognize USB devices (my controller) on Windows older than Win10. THEY COULD HAVE TOLD ME THAT BEFORE. It's responding somehow... in shadow, I can scroll on screens with the sticks, but the OS doesn't see the thing.
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Jan 19, 2021 05:14
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I found a way to make my controller work: if I launch the shadow app through steam it works. That's my pc -> steam -> shadow launcher -> virtual computer -> other copy of steam on that computer -> game ->  Edit: and they seem to have done something to fix it after I talked to their support people? It recognizes my controller now when I launch it normally. Mescal fucked around with this message at 03:00 on Jan 20, 2021 |
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Jan 20, 2021 02:53
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Just figured I'd give an overall update since I started the thread on the topic: Shadow has occasional, rather rare actually, stability problems. I'm not happy that they weren't totally clear on what the compatibility would be. I found a way around them: launch Shadow through Steam for controller compatibility, and restart the stream (not the app or the OS, but the stream) when the audio stops working. The storage, again, is very stingy in my opinion and that's where they'll be getting their "and-a-glass-of-Coke" profits I think. The tech support's attentive when I need them. Generally, it works quite well--better than expected. And I use it for most of my computing now, not just games. If it continues being cheap, I will probably never buy a gaming PC and I'll use this or a similar service. I'd call it a great value on the lowest tier of service, and a not-great value with the extras. I like it. I recommend it if you're on a fully-supported OS and within their good service areas. I'd recommend paying yearly, because at some point or another they'll increase the price, and that way you can bonus time at the current rates.
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Feb 1, 2021 09:27
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Lib and let die posted:I'm not even on a supported OS (Gallium on chromebook) and my only complaint about Shadow is...Comcast. Comcast bandwidth-shamed me after about a week lol. I assume I'll be fighting with them about it for a while. It's probably advisable to throttle the bandwidth limit all the way down when you install, then increase it until it looks good.
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Feb 1, 2021 21:23
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The REAL Goobusters posted:Is this the new stadia thread? Lol Stadia failed the "wtf is this and how do I use it" test for me. Not surprised it's shutting down. Shadow is not longterm viable in its current form, but at least they're taking themselves seriously and trying. They have tech support, for example. I'm sure stadia didn't. anatomi posted:The only real downside to Shadow, for me, is the 30 minute inactivity time limit. I understand why it's in place, Me too, and I hope people aren't abusing it yet. When I lock the OS it doesn't ever time out. Try that
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Feb 1, 2021 21:45
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Lib and let die posted:I took the Shadow "chromebook" "app" for a test drive yesterday and...wow, what a disappointment. It's not a Chrome-installable app, they just fussed around the edges of the Shadow Android app to make it work "better" on a chromebook. Wow, that sucks. I would send them some feedback telling them how bad it is. Or complain on Twitter or something. I assume Steam works well with chromebook--try what I tried and load the shadow launcher through steam for controller support. IDK what most of the stuff you said means but if the app itself works outside of controller support, if you can get it to launch that way it might work fine.
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Feb 7, 2021 23:41
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anatomi posted:In news that should surprise no-one, Shadow are undergoing restructuring and are trying to find a buyer. Aw, poo poo. I should have taken my own advice and bought a year's worth. I'm month to month and they could shut down my unprofitable account any time they want.
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Mar 6, 2021 06:36
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anatomi posted:Shadow have been bought by some French billionaire and they're making a lot of changes. Thanks for the news. I'm... pretty surprised they would screw the customers who bought into a contract. Whether they CAN do that is up to whether somebody wants a lawyer-fight over it. I'm gonna hold on to it for now. I'd rather quit after the crash than before.
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May 26, 2021 21:49
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