Nvidia has released a new public beta version of its Grid cloud gaming service that is capable of streaming games at 1080p and in 60fps - the same resolution and frame rate as many PlayStation 4, Xbox One and high-end PC games.
Launched at the tail end of last year as a free preview service, Nvidia Grid offers more than 50 games to play over a decent internet connection, with control codes heading in one direction and video of the game in action back to the user. Now more than 35 of those games are capable of being played in 1080p60, as long as you have beefy enough broadband to cope with the amount of data required to keep things running smoothly.
Compatible titles on the service dubbed "Netflix for games" include Batman: Arkham Origins, racing game Grid 2, and Ultra Street Fighter 4. Other games on the platform are still capable of running in 720p as before.
Nvidia Grid is available through the Nvidia Shield Tablet or dedicated Nvidia Shield gaming device, but there are still some hoops you must jump through to get the 1080p60 graphics working if you haven't already got the Shield Hub installed on your device. That's why we've decided to put together a little checklist of the steps you need to follow.
READ: Nvidia Grid explained: Forget PlayStation Now, this could change gaming forever
Nvidia Grid will be free on preview to Shield owners until 30 June 2015, but we are still awaiting pricing details or a confirmed final release date for the consumer Grid service. The public beta version is available for free if you follow these steps:
1. What you need to begin with
To get the 1080p60 feature of the public beta of Nvidia Grid to work, you need a 1080p TV capable of 60fps playback - Nvidia suggests you put it in "console mode". You then need to download the Shield Hub Beta app (using the following process below). If you already have the app, it should update automatically.
You also need at least 30mbps broadband and a Shield ready router (a list can be found here). It might work on another router, but these have been optimised.
Of course, you'll also need a Shield Tablet with a Shield Controller, or the original gaming device. And you need the HDMI cable to connect them to your TV.
2. How to get the Shield Hub Beta app (if you don't have it already)
To be able to install and use the beta app (with 1080p60 support) you need to do the following...
- On your Shield portable or tablet, you must join the Shield Hub Beta community here. You must join using the same Google account you use on the Shield device.
- You must then become a tester on Google Play.
- Once you've done both of the above, open the Google Play Store on your device and search for the Nvidia Shield Hub page. You will then see an "update" button.
- Select "update" to download and install the latest beta build.
3. Sit back and play
Nvidia Grid is an adaptive service, so chooses the best picture quality based on your internet connection. So should you have all of the above, the compatible games should play in 1080p60. Result.