Image: Linux

Summary created by Smart Answers AI

In summary:

• PCWorld reports that Nvidia has launched a native GeForce Now app for Linux, significantly upgrading the cloud gaming experience for PC and notebook users.
• The new app supports impressive streaming capabilities of up to 5K resolution at 120Hz or 1080p at 360Hz, surpassing the previous browser version’s 1200p/90Hz limitations.
• This dedicated application provides Linux gamers with enhanced stability and higher-fidelity streaming compared to browser-based access, joining existing support for Steam Deck and other gaming handhelds.

Nvidia might be driving up the cost of PC gaming to fuel the ever-hungry gullet of the “AI” boom, but at least it offers a somewhat affordable alternative to expensive GPUs. GeForce Now is a great choice for game streaming, if you have a good internet connection and a beefy Steam library. Today Linux gamers get in on the action with a native GeForce Now app.

Linux gamers could already access GeForce Now via just about any browser, and it reportedly worked pretty well, so long as you could get a controller to cooperate when necessary. (Ditto for Windows, Mac, and Chrome.) But a dedicated app should be a little smoother and more stable, especially if you’re hoping to take advantage of its maximum limits. Previously the Linux browser version was capped at 1200p and 90hz, but the dedicated app can hit 5K resolution at 120Hz, or up to 360Hz if you scale it down to 1080p. Presumably both of those need the $20 a month Ultimate tier.

Nvidia says the app is designed for “PCs and notebooks,” pointedly leaving out the Steam Deck and its Linux-derived SteamOS. That’s because there’s already a dedicated GeForce Now app for the Steam Deck. There are also dedicated apps for the Asus ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go, and MSI Claw.

Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer, PCWorld

Michael is a 10-year veteran of technology journalism, covering everything from Apple to ZTE. On PCWorld he’s the resident keyboard nut, always using a new one for a review and building a new mechanical board or expanding his desktop "battlestation" in his off hours. Michael’s previous bylines include Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he’s covered events like CES and Mobile World Congress live. Michael lives in Pennsylvania where he’s always looking forward to his next kayaking trip.