Rainway In Talks With Nintendo Regarding PC Game Streaming On Switch

I Don't understand why this is seen as a game changer, as fair as I understand (correct me if I am wrong) all this app will do is stream the games I have ON MY OWN computer to the switch.

I honestly don't see the appeal on that and is something you can do for a long time.

Even a GPD win will do it without any special app.

What am I missing here?

@AlbertXi Can you play Nintendo games on a GPD Win? Legally, I mean.

Personally, IF the performance was good enough, I'd download Day 1 and never look back. Access to my PC games, anywhere in my house, without being tied to a monitor or TV. What's not to like?

This would be pretty amazing. As long as you're in range of your computer you could play PC games anywhere. Going straight from Breath of the Wild to playing something like Overwatch would be pretty awesome. I'd be up for giving it a try, and it certainly can't hurt the Switch.

@gcunit My Point is If I want to play my PC games I will play them on my pc why would I like to play them Streamed? or on a tiny screen?

Many of those games were no thought as portable they are suppose to be experienced with amazing sound and 4K if possible.

If I want to play Nintendo games then I use any of my 2 switch, I honestly don't see the appeal here, as I said maybe I am missing something.

I'm curious as to how this would actually work, control wise I mean?

Undertale and gmod on a handheld? Yes please!

Sounds awesome, at this point there will be no point in buying that Steam PC portable that some no name Kickstarter company plan to make since you could just stream those wonderful PC games on the go now.

@AlbertXi You know indie games are a thing, right?

@AlbertXi Yeh, you are missing something - some people actually prefer handheld play. Me included.

@Nintendoforlife
A lot of PC games allow you to map a controller to them, no? Wouldn't this just do the same thing?

@AlbertXi
Maybe the AAA games you're thinking of were meant to be played in 4k, but I have a ton of games on my Steam library that are indie games and I just don't have time to play. Honestly, I personally don't have time to pay a lot at home and which is why I love the Switch. I can play it wherever I want--such as on my lunch at work.

That brings me to another point, though. Will Nintendo be ok with this? Part of me thinks this could be another nice selling point for them, but then on the other hand I think that they probably won't be ok with it because some developers may decide why bother porting their existing game from Steam to the Switch? Or for that matter, why not just put it on Steam (which is probably easier to develop for) and then allow people to stream to the Switch.

@AlbertXi I can give you simple example why I would enjoy this.
I am playing right now Minecraft windows 10 edition with some friends on a Mojang server. And would really enjoy playing it from my couch or bed.

Even if would buy Minecraft on switch its on a different platform and I could not play with my friends.

Ooo and and other things a lot of people me included like the switch because they can't play ther games from anywhere, streaming PG games would just mean I have more games to play anywhere.

So yea, thumbs up for streaming games on switch.

I don't get the appeal either.

@AlbertXi
You realise you are making this comment about the Switch right? The console where people are buying it because they can play stuff like Zelda however they want. And you're asking why people would want to play their PC games on it.....

Why I first heard the Nvidia were supplying the internals of the NX/Switch I thought to myself that it would be amazing if they included some of the Nvidia shield tech for in home streaming from my PC. I'd be all over something like this.

I hate to break it to everyone that is optimistic but... This could pottentially be very dangerous to the deal that Nintendo is selling to developers. Meaning that their market would suffer. Most of the indies that are ported to the switch I already own. The games that I do not own, I can buy a lot cheaper on steam, stream them, and dry the cashflow off the Switch shop.
Discouraging developers to actually develop games for the system...

@skywake The difference to me is the Philosophy behind a game for switch which thinks about both modes and games that were no thought for portable mode.

Plus some people think they are going to play their PC games anywhere this will only work half decently if you play in the same network.

Well, I know time will show how this won't go anywhere.

I'm a loooooong ago lapsed PC gamer. Something like this could get me back on board to a limited extent. But will it be published on the eShop? I'm not sure.

I have a PC with a Steam library full of games I haven't got around to playing or finishing. The ability to play them on the Switch without taking up the TV would be great. Especially for free given that I already own the PC, games and Switch.

I'm hoping this gets approved. My Steam backlog weighs a ton.

It can be a godsend in theory, but I'd rather have direct ports rather than another streamer to feast on my mobile data, especially as my PC is eleven years old, so I doubt there are any games on it that Switch couldn't handle with its figurative hands tied behind its figurative back. Well, maybe Morrowind, since Bethesda isn't likely going to re-release it soon outside their TES Online add-on; same for Arena and Daggerfall. But Mafia? A compilation remaster would be much greater. FEAR? Ditto. Grand Theft Auto classics? Ditto (the PS2/PSP era titles have even been on PSN for ages now, and Chinatown Wars debuted on a Nintendo console to begin with). This leaves me with games that don't get console ports most of the time, like HoMM4 or Civ4 - but would the touch screen or joycons' motion "pointers" be sufficient for them?

And that's all assuming I'd be able to stream games from outside my house (which doesn't sound like a given here); otherwise, this would be the Wii U tier offer and not of much practical use to me at all.

@AlbertXi
Well the two big games for Switch so far were built for Wii U. So I'm not sure what "philosophy" you're talking about. The Switch plays high end games portably, that's the selling point.

And yes, I get that it'll be limited to the same network as your PC. I have a PC and a Steam link. Sometimes I want to play a PC game away from my PC. Just like how with the Switch I sometimes play it on the TV and sometimes in portable mode.

And why not? That's what the Switch is all about. Anytime, anywhere, anyone. Why can't I play Doom in the kitchen or GTA in bed?

@apoqalypse You're really overestimating how many people will make use of this. This is most definitely going to be a niche feature, so it shouldn't impact the Switch eShop in any significant way. First of all, to use this, you'll need a powerful PC and a good network connection in order to run and stream the games, which already limits the userbase for this app. Next to that, the image quality will be worse than a native game and there will be noticeable input lag, which makes it less appealing. Lastly, you will not be able to play it everywhere as you need a constant, high-speed connection in order to run it. So yeah, it's really not going to drain the cashflow or make Switch software sales collapse or something.

The only problem with this is that Nintendo does not make any meaningful amount of money selling hardware. They make money selling games. If this means they sell more hardware, and therefore have more shortages of hardware, but don't sell a lot of software proportionate to the hardware this harms the platform exponentially. Nintendo would be much, much wealthier selling 10M consoles and 30 games to each than 100M consoles and 1 game to each. And this is an app that encourages buying hardware and not buying software (from Nintendo.)

The optimistic sounding tweet makes me wonder what on earth Nintendo is thinking there if they're actually considering allowing it. There would be a percentage of PC gamers that would buy Switches as a hardware accessory for their PC but without intending to buy games for it, which would deplete inventories for customers intending to buy games.

It may be niche, but Nintendo can't afford to sell Switches they still can't produce fast enough to a sizable niche that intends to buy the hardware only as an accessory to another platform. Maybe in a few years it would be ok, but not now.

@nhSnork It would probably work best on the same network, not streamed outside the house. Like PSV Remote Play. But maybe not as awful.

@apoqalypse Agreed. It will open a very vast catalogue of existing (indie) games on the Switch, but many developers wouldn't bother to have their games ported.

Still, Nintendo deep down just want you to buy Mario, Kirby and some more Mario, but if it ever fails, this project, the backlash would be dangerous, methinks.

I really doubt that Nintendo would allow this app on the Switch. It just opens up too many cans of worms when it comes to licensing and having content out of Nintendo's control on the switch. I suspect Nintendo's lawyers will say "Pass" on this one.

@Danpal65 what happens when PC/switch owners decide to not buy indie games off the eShop as it's cheaper on steam and the players can play it on there switch. Nintendo don't see a penny of that revenue.

I would be shocked if this app was released on the eShop.

I really, really doubt Nintendo will allow this. It'd be really cool though. Presumably if it was made for the Switch, you could map the Joy-Cons for use with your PC games. That'd be epic. Thing is though... for example, why would people buy Minecraft Switch Edition, when they could play the full PC version instead? Nintendo will never allow this, lol.

@NEStalgia personally, I don't see it as much of a threat EXACTLY because of the clear difference between streaming and direct play. I'm speaking as a frequent Remote Play user who is nonetheless planning to double-dip even in the games already owned on PS4, like Enter the Gungeon, and prioritizes all potential Switch ports over their PS4 incarnations. Same for indies, especially more casual ones: release such a game on Switch and you can truly play it everywhere; stream it through Rainway and say goodbye to it every time you so much as take the subway.

This, however, is also why I can't but find a bit of redundancy in this app on a console like Switch to begin with.

Would it work with emulators? Like would I be able to play AM2R on my switch?

@Aurumonado The second someone figured out how to run emulators or anything else shifty, the program would be canned.

That aside, maybe I'm weird or out of touch but I prefer playing my PC games at my PC on a desk. I've got other hardware for portable gaming.

@AlbertXi Why is the benefit so hard to see ?
It gives the system quite a lot of versatility. Basically, it does what the nVidia Shield or Steam Link would do. So, if they manage to deliver the promised streaming quality, you have the following benefits:

-Easy way to access your PC games on your television
-Extra Switch docks make it extremely easy to switch TVs
-Access to your PC games in handheld and / or Tabletop mode
-Depending on the softwares versatility, you get a media station

Fingers crossed for this one.

I use Moonlight for Android to stream games (and my actual desktop) via Nvidia GeForce software. It's versatile and brilliant. My PC is about as high end as a chippy sat on the kerbside and it still works great. Personally I'll love being able to play Steam games in portable mode anywhere in the house.

Being able to do this on Switch would be great because of the Joycons. Even better if it will work when docked as well. The only pity is the lack of analogue triggers for racing games. @Yorumi Mouse control will be fine on analogue stick. Having a touch enabled screen is also good for this.

I don't think it'll eat away at software sales too much. Don't forget you'll be limited to your own WiFi network, so if you want that indie game on the go you will have to double dip.

It may also encourage hardware sales for PC gamers who want this functionality. @NEStalgia Hardware sales are not necessarily a bad thing. They will drive developer interest (especially AAA) which in turn will drive further hardware production and sales, which will encourage more software, and so on.

Please let this happen. And for free? It's almost too good to be true.

@Einherjar Because this can be done FOR AGES with better and cheaper systems and it has never caught up.

So why is so hard to understand that some of us don't see any absolutely any benefit in this.

Why would ANYONE with a good pc will like ot play trought stream on another TV with much worst quality and lag issues?

Yeah I spend 1200$ on my new rig to go and play on the other room trough streaming at worst quality maybe less resolution worst audio and lag issues, yes sure it makes total sense.

not gonna happen

Not seeing it as a "game changer" really, given the lack of a dedicated LAN port on the dock. Doing 60 fps, even at 720p, is a pipe dream on WiFi.

@nhSnork You're kind of the outlier in that, as you're the Nintendo/console gamer who also plays on PC. This appeals more to the folks who were drooling over the CEMU BotW updates who feel superior over the masses for spending hours getting their $3800 liquid cooled PC to play a cracked ISO of Zelda so they can proudly display their superiority in playing that game on their PC and not paying for a Switch

But it's the inverse group. A lot of PC gamers are of the sort that they see the value in portable, and would gladly buy a Switch to play their superior games on their superior platform where they could buy the games cheaper, without buying inferior console versions (and can run them at max settings on their dual-SLI rig unlike a cutdown version on Switch with less light refraction on reflective objects.)

They exist. That might not be "most gamers" but it's enough of a follow-the-leader me-too cult that it would spawn its own GAF/Reddit group of PC gamers playing with how they can use Switches as accessories, and feel superior for simply using it as a PC accessory. Maybe it's only a few hundred thousand, maybe a few million people. 3-4 years into the Switch that won't harm the platform any more than the people who bought a Wii for Netflix did, but this early, I could see it, along with the "not quite enough" production harming Switch numbers and attach rates.

Pro controllers are still hard to find in part because PC gamers learned early it's a controller they can use.

Now, for me, Remote Play always feels awful. The lag...the low framerate....everything just plays bad to me. That's why I love Switch so much. But I'm not those guys

@Yorumi That's a question for the app devs. Technically the WiiMote(Joycon) started as the AirMouse for PCs, so they could function as a mouse just fine, and so could the touch screen in handheld. Whether that will be implemented or not, who knows? Lag for that would probably be unbearable and it would only be able to support gamepad games, but maybe they'd do it.

@RedMageLanakyn PSVita Remote Play seems to do 20-30FPS...usually 20, and that's not at HD. Though any USB ethernet dongle works just fine with Switch. If you're playing games on a high end PC and streaming them on a high end router, I don't think a $15 dongle is going to kill you BUT I don't think this is really about docked mode anyway, you can already do that with Steam and the like. This is more about handheld/wifi.

Good idea just never seems to work out very well i have 60mbs internet and streaming ps4 "remote play" and xbox "xbox anywhere" just never works as good as playing on my native device i would try it but dont think its gona be a game changer for me

@NEStalgia I just don't think it'll work well, wired or not. I've tried pc streaming to a laptop, a vita, a steam link, and a PS TV, and all of them have left me with a bad impression. If vita can only pull down 20-30 fps, i just can't see a switch doing doing or triple that, especially on WiFi.

@AlbertXi

Serious doubts that this will happen.
It's Nintendo.

Yes they've been "slightly" more open with this system. But why would they allow this on without making a buck off it somehow?

Exciting but also I concern about these :
1. Age Rating PC games. We know PC games has TONS of NSFW games and if Nintendo allowed Rainway, it will "Tainted" the Nintendo image as Kid friendly brands.
2. Mouse usage. So, how do we play PC games on Switch with No Mouse and No Keyboard ?
3. Game with Expansion Packs like The Sims.

Could be interesting. I won't hold my breath, but I'll give it a try if it hits the Switch.
I don't think it will make a massive impact, after all, if an indie port is done right, then playing it natively on Switch will have its advantages to streaming it off your PC. But it will make playing certain games easier while in bed, or on my big TV.
It'll probably be a novelty, but probably not a bad one.

I just want to be able to play some DROD (Deadly Rooms Of Death) away from the PC, but I've long since given up hope of that ever happening without proper controls. It sucks, it's not a demanding game, but without diagonal directions on a d-pad it's never going to work right.

As a gamer, this sounds great. All games are basically cheaper on PC by default. However, I doubt it sounds too good to Nintendo's ears; their third party support on Switch is almost entirely the indie sector, and most of these games come out (and run better) on PC, so it would do precisely zero to encourage sales of indie software on Switch. On the other hand, the reduction in software sales could be tempered by a potential increase in hardware sales: the Switch would essentially be a Windows gaming handheld, which is a very enticing selling point.

All I ask is to be able to use the Pro Controller as a compatible PC controller.

My PC doesn't have bluetooth, before anyone asks.

@AlexOlney I Don't doubt that, but the way is being praised or promoted is like this will sell more Switch or is the second coming.

This believe me will be used by less than 1% of the owners of the Switch, will be a lot more appealing to have netflix or a web browser on it and Nintendo doesn't see that as a priority.

@RedMageLanakyn Yeah my experience with streaming is pretty much like yours, so I don't expect it to be all that great either. I'm just going to pretend I believe the marketing for now

@Yorumi Relative mouse position rather than absolute.....I think I like the air pointer idea better! But yeah, it could work. I still think WiiU was the one and only chance to make things like Starcraft work on a console, and everyone missed that boat. The stylus input would have been more workable than a touch screen.

I hate this idea. Hope it takes its business elsewhere like Xbox.

@AlexOlney For Nintendo it is.

@AlexOlney So the NES mini wasn't popular? Because it's worth has sure skyrocketed for such an unwanted item.

Wait, what is it with this app now? You can stream games on a different console? Does it allow people to play games on a different console? What's the dealio?

Yeah, still not holding my breath. This really doesn't look like something Nintendo would allow. Here's hoping, though!

@AlexSora89 Yes and yes. For the Switch it will offer the exact same option as on the Nvidia Shield portable, so you can stream AND play PC games on your Switch, and both portable or on the TV.

@RedMageLanakyn The Switch is considerably more powerful than the PS Vita, so I don't think that you can use that as a valid comparison. The only valid comparison is the Nvidia Shield, and that streamed PC games just fine. Obviously, the Switch is underclocked in comparison, so it does remain to be seen how streaming games on it would hold up against Nvidia's own service.

@ThanosReXXX Yeah, i guess power really doesn't matter in the end, since I've streamed games on crappy laptops and high end PCs with the same results. As long as minimum specs are met, it then falls on the software, which between Steam and Sony remote play, i've had bad experiences. If Rainway turns out to be a group of coding geniuses, and create a flawless streaming platform, more power to them, maybe it will run ok on the Switch....if you have a decent network!

@RedMageLanakyn True. You can have the best hardware and software, but if the available provider in your area sucks, you're still screwed...

Guess we'll learn about the what's what soon enough, if we can take that tweet at face value.

@AlbertXi it could be seen as a roundabout way of playing Overwatch on Switch. Something I've noticed a lot of people want.

I'm not a PC gamer outside of the SIMs, so I would also like to see games like the SIMs, Overwatch, & Quake Champions on Switch.

It would be useful for me because my laptop isn't strong enough to run many games, so if I could stream to the Switch, I could buy stuff from Steam knowing I could play them, without the need to invest in a stronger PC, which is useless considering it's main use in my case is for work.

Please Nintendo please!

Don't see it happening, they could make tons of money from other PC ports that cost $60

@AlbertXi Well anytime you're away from you're computer you'd still be able to stream your games so long as you have a wifi connection (And thanks to smartphones we can all have that). So yeah, I'd say that's a game changer. Its like what people were capable of doing with a Vita and a PS4, except being that these are PC games you'll have a much larger arsenal of awesome games to choose from.

@Luna_110 That's not how it works. You'd be streaming what you see on your laptop, so if your laptop is slow, it would appear slow on your Switch, its not utilizing the power of your Switch to power how fast the game goes, its just utilizing the power of the Switch to essentially mirror your PC's screen, and be able to use the Switch controls as your controller for the game.

@Damo If this isn't a cease and desist order, I'll eat my Switch!!

@apoqalypse You make valid points.

@AlbertXi Yea most of the games on PC aren't going to appeal to me on the Switch but would be nice as a free app for sure - I don't agree that 'they are meant to play with amazing sound and 4k' though... sure higher res and sound is fine but that doesn't change my experience THAT much, it's mainly the gameplay.

@AlexOlney Am I? I guess if you want to believe there's no correlation between nintendo hyping up the NES mini to the point of exploding, then limiting stock so scalpers drove up the price, knowing how popular it would be, then yeah, cause and effect. But that's not the world we live in, no matter how much PR spin Reggie spits out.

@ThanosReXXX
Which means the Switch is going to get ten times as much third-party support as it normally gets.

Sort of.

@RedMageLanakyn That literally does Nintendo no good. It's not like they make extra money of scalpers.

What makes more sense is that they have been telling the truth, they did not intend for this to be a long term thing. They have been om record often about their goals for the Virtual Console and making separate gaming systems/emulators is not part of that plan.

@AlbertXi GPD I think you mean that you can stream PC games to the GPD Win? There isn't any other software for streaming PC games to Switch.

@AlbertXi The main appeal of the switch itself is the fact I am not sat at a computer and can play in bed, with headphones on while my wife is sat next to me, or while the kids are sleeping etc. I like playing a game before I go to sleep like some might read a book.

A good example is I am Setsuna a game I would never have played sat at a PC but I bought instantly on Switch.

Being able to access a library like steam on a decent portable device I can use in bed, on the toilet, making dinner for the kids etc etc is a very attractive prospect.

I think people will value it more based on personal circumstances and personal preference.

@BensonUii
It's funny how things go, I've seen the ad (and my birthday is due in fifteen minutes, to boot!) and... I've just gotten - if I don't mess it up, that is - the means to get a Switch: an actual job.
So yeah, the timing is off, but I'm still glad to see things are starting to work out!

@AlbertXi well this actually has the potential to play all your games even on the go later on. Don't be surprised if Nintendo ends up with this and another app with Steam also.