For gamers with extensive PC libraries, GeForce Now offers a compelling solution – access to your games remotely, bypassing the need for expensive hardware. But this convenience comes with a trade-off: reliance on Nvidia’s ecosystem. What if you crave that remote access without surrendering complete control of your gaming experience?
Enter OpenNow, an open-source client designed to provide a transparent and customizable alternative to the official GeForce Now application. Developed by a small, dedicated team, it prioritizes user privacy and control, collecting absolutely no telemetry data. All settings and media remain securely stored on your local machine, minimizing Nvidia’s involvement beyond authentication and the game stream itself.
OpenNow boasts impressive platform support, running natively on Windows, Mac, and Linux, including a version optimized for Arm Linux devices like the Steam Deck. The interface feels remarkably familiar, inheriting the quirks of GeForce Now, including occasional jankiness with Steam and other launchers within the remote environment.
Initial testing involved comparing OpenNow’s performance against the browser-based GeForce Now client, using a variety of titles – the immersive RPG Baldur’s Gate III, the fast-paced fighter Brawlhalla, and the popular battle royale Fortnite. The results were promising, showcasing the project’s potential despite its small development team.
One of OpenNow’s key strengths lies in its transparency, offering a deeper insight into the streaming process than Nvidia’s native app. While the official client typically only alerts you to major issues, OpenNow provides a more nuanced view of performance, allowing for greater understanding and potential troubleshooting.
However, limitations do exist. On a 34-inch ultrawide monitor, the application currently caps resolution at 1080p and 60 frames per second. This falls short of the potential 1440p resolution and higher framerates available through the browser version, particularly for users paying for premium GeForce Now tiers.
Despite this resolution constraint, gameplay remained responsive and enjoyable. Success in fast-paced titles like Brawlhalla and a victory in Fortnite demonstrated that OpenNow doesn’t compromise on speed or latency, at least under typical home internet conditions. It presents a viable option for users prioritizing open-source software and a greater degree of control.
The long-term viability of OpenNow remains a question. While the project is functional and impressive, relying on it as a primary access point to GeForce Now carries a risk. Nvidia’s desire for telemetry data could potentially lead to restrictions or outright blockage of the application, especially for free account holders.
For now, OpenNow stands as a testament to the power of open-source development, offering a compelling alternative for GeForce Now users seeking greater control and transparency. While not without its limitations, it provides a glimpse into a future where gamers have more agency over their remote gaming experiences.
