Nvidia’s cloud gaming service GeForce Now has a free membership that lets users play games on a basic rig for up to one hour at a time. It’s a great deal for anyone without a gaming PC, but this week, Nvidia sent emails to free users to let them know that they will see up to two minutes of ads while waiting in the queue starting on Tuesday, March 5.
In the email, Nvidia explained that in addition to providing support for the free service, video ads are also expected to reduce average wait times for free users.
Ads have become an inevitability for streaming services, no matter how big or successful they are. Companies simply can’t turn down the temptation of ad revenue, even if it upsets a portion of their user base. As for the GeForce Now ads, they don’t sound especially egregious. As long as Nvidia continues to begin play sessions for free users as soon as server space is available, watching a few ads while waiting shouldn’t be a significant source of frustration.
On the other hand, if GeForce Now starts forcing free users to watch multiple ads before letting them play, there’s going to be a backlash among free users.
Of course, there is a simple way to avoid ads altogether: Pay up. GeForce Now offers a Priority membership that costs $9.99 per month and includes access to a premium rig with 6-hour play sessions and up to 1080p resolution, as well as an Ultimate membership for $19.99 per month with a GeForce RTX 4080 rig, 8-hour sessions, and 4K resolution.
\