If you’ve been struggling to find where to buy the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080, then you can access that graphics power remotely right now.
That’s because Nvidia has announced that the wait time to access its GeForce Now RTX 3080 memberships has dropped to zero. If you sign up today, you can get instant access to Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 power via the techno-magic of cloud-based gaming.
Back in October, Nvidia revealed that GeForce Now will get an RTX 3080 streaming tier, opening up access to one of its most powerful and sought after graphics cards through streaming. While there are now a suite of cloud-powered gaming streaming services — including Xbox Cloud Gaming as part of the frankly superb Xbox Game Pass Ultimate service — none have access to the sheer graphics grunt and ray-tracing capabilities of GeForce Now.
As a result, if you have a fast enough internet connection and stable Wi-Fi, you can get access to 1440p-and-above resolution, and up to 120 frames per second gaming, without the need for a powerful PC that's stuffed with very expensive and hard-to-find components.
And for $99.99 you can get six months' access to this top tier GeForce Now subscription, which offers access to more than 1,100 games. But before you jump in, we advise you test out the free tier of GeForce Now to make sure the service is right for you. You may find that one of the cheaper GeForce Now tiers is better-suited to your needs, although the RTX 3080 service looks very desirable.
Another caveat to keep in mind is that 4K GeForce Now gaming is accessible only through the Nvidia Shield TV Pro or Nvidia Shield TV streaming devices. The good news here is that both of these devices are on sale for $20 less than usual this week, as part of this GeForce Now RTX 3080 push. The company has also thrown in Crysis Remastered for free, for new subscribers.
Should you subscribe to GeForce Now?
The only question that remains is, should you subscribe? Well, that all depends on what gaming setup you have. If you have an Xbox Series X or PS5 but no gaming PC, then GeForce Now could be a streaming service to fill the gap. Just skim the game library to make sure there are titles you’ll want to play.
Equally, if you have an aging PC that can’t run the latest games at impressive graphical settings, then GeForce Now could act as a good stopgap until the GeForce RTX 30-series graphics cards become easier to get. GeForce Now could also be a great partner for the upcoming Valve Steam Deck.
But if you have a slow internet connection, say below 15 Mb/s, or a powerful gaming PC with a well-stocked Steam library, you may want to skip GeForce Now and perhaps look at Xbox Game Pass instead. That has a PC tier, and will offer more exclusive games as we transition to 2022.
