How To Get Into PC Gaming Without Having A PC 2023?
Are you one of those people whose idle PC with a gaping hole in the GPU section is still gathering dust on some shelf? Well, you are not alone. Many GPU-less gamers are still waiting for their new rigs to be sent home in 2023.
In fact, if you have been into PC Gaming for some time now, you must have realized that the PC building market is running short of gaming components, probably due to shipping and other COVID-19 pandemic issues.
So, this harsh reality begs the question, can you indulge in PC gaming without a PC? Or more accurately, can you play your favorite games on a Computer Monitor without a Gaming PC?
Well, the truth is that there are some walkarounds that will allow you to get the same experience for some games as you do on your PC rig.
Let’s start with you retro gaming fans. You really don’t need a graphics card for the price of the Best Gaming PCs to play those old casual games. Older games are lightweight and work perfectly fine on any PC with modern hardware.
Keep in mind that the name gaming PC only came into existence in the last few years with the advent of more demanding gaming titles and high-end 3D graphics. You can find good recommendations for retro games that you can play online without a high-end graphics card.
What about the rest of modern humans who can’t do without the best NVIDIA G-Force graphics cards on their gaming rigs?
Well, in this case, streaming services can be the best option for you. For a price, you can actually replace your temporarily retired gaming rig in the cloud with another and keep gaming until your new graphics card arrives. This is by far the most practical alternative way of PC gaming when you don’t have your own gaming PC.
Here are some of the top game streaming services where you can still indulge in PC gaming without a PC:
- Get a subscription to Nvidia GeForce Now
- Google Stadium
- Get Blade Shadow Cloud Streaming
Get a subscription to Nvidia GeForce Now
Nvidia GeForce Now is one of the most affordable cloud gaming services out there today. The service allows you to rent cloud servers where you can play your games without a PC. Everything is in the cloud. They have two subscription options with different features.
The first option is a free subscription that doesn’t cost you a single penny. In addition to the free option, there is the Founders subscription that costs $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year. The paid option also comes with a 90-day free trial.
Both subscription options allow you to rent cloud servers, but keep in mind that the paid option, of course, gives you priority server access, allows you to play for more than 6 hours, and even more. That lets you switch to RTX.
You can only play for an hour at a time with the free version. Still, you get to play your games without your gaming PC with both subscriptions.
Google Stadium
Google Stadia is another cloud streaming service where you can play your favorite games without your gaming PC. It is actually Google’s streaming platform. Google seems to have a strong presence wherever you go online.
However, Stadia differs from Nvidia GeForce and other game streaming services in that you cannot play your own games on the platform. Instead, you have to buy everything you need from Google Stadia and play games on the platform.
This service may not be for you if you feel restricted by not playing games from its extensive library. Another thing to note is that Stadia games don’t come cheap. They come with a hefty price tag so be prepared to shell out some cash when you want to play the games available on Stadia.
Google Stadia offers a free 1-month subscription with 4K streaming, 5.1 surround sound, and HDR for $9.99 per month. When you already have a regular Stadia subscription, they also have a Premier Edition bundle with Chromecast Ultra and a Stadia controller at a discounted price of $99.
Get Blade Shadow Cloud Streaming
You can also get into PC gaming without a gaming PC via the Blade Shadow cloud streaming service.
It is a full streaming service for PCs with three subscription plans, namely the standard Shadow Boost at $14.99 per month, the Ultra plan at $24.99 per month, and the Infinite subscription at $39.99.
They don’t have a free plan, but the higher-priced subscriptions come with better gaming features and functionalities like RTX, more memory, an 8-thread CPU, and more storage.
Conclusion
Cloud gaming is still in its infancy, but with rapid advances in cloud technology, we expect more options and cloud streaming services to enter the market in the near future.
As more options emerge, competition will naturally bring prices down.
Soon everyone will have the option to indulge in PC Gaming without the need to buy expensive gaming equipment.