Nvidia released the GeForce Now 2.0.40 Update on Thursday. There were new features added to the games streaming client for users on all platforms, such as sorting games by genre and an improved overlay feature. However, Apple Mac users got the biggest treat, with the GeForce Now 2.0.40 Update debuting native support for the M1 processor family.
Previously the GeForce Now (GFN) app worked on M1 Macs via Apple's Rosetta code translation layer. In brief, Rosetta is a useful stopgap for Apple as major apps and games get ported from x86 to M1 native code. However, the real-time code translation of Rosetta has side effects that are particularly unwelcome in the world of gaming, where speed, responsiveness, and latency can make or break the gaming experience. Moreover, the extra layer of Rosetta will, by its nature, use more power than a native app doing the same task directly. Thus, Mac users should welcome the GeForce Now 2.0.40 Update, particularly those who have already shifted platforms to the M1 architecture.
Nvidia boasted that GFN Thursday this week was a particularly jam-packed one, and there was much more news than just that M1 update. One of the regular highlights of the weekly GFN Thursday post is the new games compatible with the streaming service. Remember that GeForce Now enables gamers to play the PC games they already own via accounts such as Steam, Epic Games, GOG.com, Ubisoft Connect, and more.
Fourteen new games have been made available to GeForce Now users. Nvidia picked out Amazon's F2P RPG Lost Ark and Dune: Spice Wars as highlights. Nothing else really stands out to us, but there are 12 other newly added titles listed in the Nvidia GFN blog post if you are interested.
Of course, GFN is a business venture from Nvidia, and it is currently heavily promoting its top-tier RTX 3080 membership level. From now on, GeForce Now membership gift cards can be used to purchase two-, three- and six-month GFN RTX 3080 memberships, or a priority membership. There's also a GFN special offer where you can receive the 'Heroic Edition' of ArenaNet’s critically acclaimed F2P MMO RPG Guild Wars 2.
Outside of the M1 Mac-native client and newly added games, there are a couple of new features that all GFN users might appreciate. Firstly, Nvidia has added a Genre button to help you quickly find and sort your games library. It joins already extensive existing filter options, and users with big games libraries can apply multiple filters to narrow down their lists. Secondly, GFN members now have access to an improved Streaming Statistics Overlay that includes server-side rendering frame rates (see screenshot above)
Nvidia's GeForce Now is available as an app for PC, Mac, Android (enhanced on Shield TV), and Chromebook devices. Where no native app is available, you might find your GFN will work fine via your alternative modern platform's browser (e.g., the Safari browser on iPhone and iPad).
