Shadow is out to change the face of gaming by making it easier, faster and less expensive.
With Shadow, players can push games to their maximum settings without having to spend hundreds of dollars on costly upgrades. Those games can then be played on practically any device because the gaming computer exists in the cloud.
Cloud computing services aren’t new. For instance, OnLive introduced the concept by launching its service in 2010. Today, we have Nvidia’s GeForce Now, Sony’s PlayStation Now, and others, which stream games with the same ease and accessibility of streaming video.
What sets Shadow apart is that the service isn’t limited to a fixed library of games. Users aren’t required to buy games from a special store and they’re not locked into using a single device. Shadow provides a powerful Windows 10-based cloud computer, and you are free to install Steam, Battle.net, Origin, the Epic Store or whatever gaming platform you want on it. Install any PC game that you already own at no additional cost.
The company custom builds, owns and operates its secure data centers. Each user accesses a dedicated cloud system equipped with an Intel Xeon CPU with eight dedicated threads, an Nvidia Quadro P5000 GPU (equivalent to a GTX 1080), 12 GB DDR memory, 256 GB of storage, and a super fast gigabit internet connection for amazing download speeds. Also, Shadow computers each have a dedicated GPU. The result is blazing performance, with some games achieving over 100 frames-per-second. This powerhouse is also capable of streaming graphics at 144Hz refresh rate and 4K resolutions at 60Hz.
These high-end cloud computers can be accessed by practically anything with a screen, including smartphones, low-end notebooks, Macs, tablets, and Android TV. If you don’t have a compatible smart TV, you soon will have the option to pick up a Shadow Ghost – a small set-top streaming box that delivers 1080p and 4K gaming experiences to almost any television. Players can also seamlessly switch between devices without having to quit their games.
Additionally, the service supports a wide variety of peripherals, including gamepads, steering wheels, and flight sticks, which are all highly responsive. Games, including multiplayer titles, respond precisely with very low latency. The experience can be so smooth that it’s sometimes easy to forget that games are being streamed from the cloud and not played locally.
Shadow’s hardware and software systems are all tuned to optimize for lower latency, and it is continually expanding its data centers to increase its reach. The service doesn’t require an extreme amount of bandwidth to work, and the settings can be adjusted to deliver optimal performance at 15 Mb/s. Games can even stream over 4G to mobile devices, but higher bandwidths and settings will deliver better quality experiences. Shadow recommends using an ethernet connection, but the service does work well over a 5 GHz Wi-Fi connection.
The company has also pledged to upgrade its hardware and to deliver the best possible experience with no additional costs to users. For instance, Shadow computers in the US were upgraded to Xeon CPUs last year, which boosted processing power by 20 percent. So, cloud computing will always be an evolving system for gamers to enjoy.
Applications aren’t limited to gaming, either. Shadow may be used as a remote system, capable of handling intensive tasks like rendering video while you conserve resources and battery life on your notebook.
Shadow subscriptions cost $35 a month, and the Shadow Ghost will launch soon. With this service, PC gamers can crank their settings up without having to break the bank.
To learn more about how Shadow can benefit you, check out the official website for additional information.
