
Video streaming app Rainway - which will allow you to beam games from your PC to a wide array of devices - is shaping up to be one of the more interesting pieces of software we've seen in recent years.
Ever since the app was confirmed, Switch has figured quite prominently, with team citing it as one of the key versions.
Of course, many have questioned the chances of Rainway actually making it onto the eShop with Nintendo's blessing. While the app is technically just streaming content from elsewhere rather than installing anything on your console, it could potentially allow you to play games like Cuphead and Overwatch on your Switch.
Now, the Rainway team has stated that conversations with Nintendo are still happening and are "working out well" at the time of writing.
Could Nintendo perhaps see Rainway as a means of broadening the appeal of its best-selling console even further? Or do you think the Rainway team are perhaps painting a more positive picture than is true? Let us know with a comment.
Thanks to SLIGEACH_EIRE for the tip!
[source reddit.com]
Comments 65
Yes! I NEED this app to come to the Switch. It will really open up what games I play. I'm so used to playing on my switch that I've all but left my gaming PC behind.
And the Project Cars developers still say their game is coming to the Wii U! 😛
Many would think that an app like this would cannibalize Nintendo 's own game sales, but it just might work in its advantage. It's not practical for use outside of a fast, steady connection, which is mainly at home. Thus, it can give the Switch buyers yet another reason to get one.
I think it's a good way to "get" the games the Switch would never get normally.
But Nintendo will probably limit it to such games. As in, it probably won't let you stream the PC version of DOOM.
Streaming uses internet or only wireless connection between Switch and PC (like Ps4 and Vita)?
@Melkac Why not? If someone gets a Switch for this, I'm willing to bet that they will buy some Nintendo games still. It's practically free advertisement.
@A01 How so?
@Axlroselm
Probably internet, to my knowledge Switch doesn't support wifi direct or similar protocols.
I realllly want this to happen on the switch.
Very skeptical of this happening but would be neat. I'd love to be able to play The Long Dark on my Switch. Really, I just want a port of the Long Dark so I can take it anywhere, rather than a wifi-required setup that will probably crash and stutter a lot.
@geox30 oh ok. Thanks!
Tegra X1 inside Swith already supports 4K/60 streaming of PC games and 4K Netflix, 4K YouTube etc.
Why can't Nintendo enable that?
As interesting as this app seems on paper (or in this case my screen) I can't imagine playing a PC game which is designed for a large display being any good on a small handheld screen. Maybe I'm being pessimistic, but even some games which have been correctly ported to the Switch (eg; Rocket League) still suffer from very tiny text in the menu screens. I can only imagine this problem would be exacerbated by Rainway.
So, basically Rain Apps let you play Steam games via Nintendo Switch instead PC ?
@Anti-Matter If you have a game which you own on PC, Rainway enables you to stream it to your Switch. That's how I understand it.
@The_Mysteron
So, Switch will practically like Remote Play of ps vita when i have Steam games ?
That means i still have to own PC or laptop, use Switch to play Steam games with Rainway installed on Switch ?
Calling it "video streaming" makes it sound like only the video itself is being sent, and you would still need a PC controller hooked to your PC to play. Right now I use a steam link and my mac to stream from my PC if i need to be in another room, but the Switch is sooo much nicer
If this actually comes to Switch as an official app on the Eshop I'll eat my shoe.
Nintendo can slap a monthly fee so they get paid.
I'm curious to see how this works out. I don't really like to stream games, mostly because of the input lag if you don't have an ethernet cable.
Great news for third-party Devs, they won't need to bother with Switch versions anymore!
Wish they'd just confirm it already.
How well could this work? You must need a really good internet connection for it to run well.
Further, I do think this would hurt Nintendo's own sales. It would discourage actually making Switch versions of games. And the need to be connected to a strong internet constantly kills the whole benefit of the Switch VS another device. If I cannot take it with me why would I even want the Switch over just a gaming PC or PS5 Pro?
@Skunkfish
Also EA's unprecedented partnership with Nintendo will finally be fulfilled!
OK, here's a question: if you have a PC that's strong enough to play these games (because that's a requirement in order to use this app in the first place), why the hell would you stream it to another device with a high chance of input lag and possibly lesser graphic fidelity?
@Armbouncer I like streaming as my desktop is in another part of the house and I like being in the room with other people, as I have to help take care of things for people around the house. It is a reason I want to get a gaming laptop.
Oh, so the resident Irishman has not gone anywhere! Nice to know, I was a bit worried about his long absence.
@Axlroselm @geox30 I think that's only partially correct, unless I misunderstand the question. I see no reason why an "Internet" connection is required, unless there is a limitation in the Rainway app I'm not aware of. It should just be wireless access on the same network - which is not the same as an ad-hoc (Point to Point) wireless network.
So basically, if your PC and Switch are on the same wireless network, you should be good to go. That will typically be your home router, which will usually also serve as your gateway to the Internet.
Also, it's been a decade or two since I'm played around with ad-hoc networks, but I'd be willing to bet you could setup your home PC to broadcast a wireless network the Switch could connect to, assuming your PC has a Wireless NIC installed.
@Armbouncer Assuming the input lag gets worked out (I doubt it, any streaming I've ever done sucks) I can still see the appeal of this for certain games. Games that I play on my PC with a controller, I'd love to be able to play on my Switch, so I could play on the couch, in bed, etc... rather in my home office.
That said, 90% of the time I will be playing on one of the PC's in my house - but this would be a nice addition, if it works well. Which I doubt.
EDIT: This point was directed to being on the same WLAN only, not over the Internet. I just assume all Internet streaming will suck, and will see no use for me. That, and I won't be opening my home network up to
@Skunkfish Bad news for Switch owners who want to play 3rd party games but don't have a PC/laptop or don't like to stream games.
so SLIGEACH_EIRE has now retired from commenting and is only giving news tips now?
@Armbouncer you're at work and want to keep playing during breaks? That's why I've done it with the Shield tablet. Long as your home and remote net connections are good it works very well.
@Armbouncer I personally would love this app so I can stream my pc games to my living room to have the better screen and more comfort
I still refuse to get my hopes up until I hear confirmation from Nintendo themselves, but I am glad to hear that it is working out so far. Though I don't PC game (partly cause I need a newer PC for starters), I have the ability to play many PC games if I feel the urge, so this is still good news overall. I'll be waiting to hear more.
I’m still suspicious of this. Even if everything does end up working there’s probably going to be some major lag issues. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t in love with the idea of playing Overwatch on my switch. All the mouse and keyboard people would probably kill me though.
I hope it happens, this would actually makes all my Steam games more useful to play than if they are limited to just one platform. Cuphead, Street Fighter V, Tekken 7, Final Fantasy XV, Mortal Kombat XL, Metro: The Last Light, all games that many third party devs claim would never come to Nintendo system would finally see the light on the other side. Like I said five years ago, this is something OnLive should had done but instead that crappy service only cater to the casual and mobile crowd only while not bringing anything to the actual core gamers, with Rainway I hope this works out well.
Hope it happens.
Could maybe help me find the strength to play some of my Steam and Humble backlogs that are otherwise festering.
If anyone here is familiar with the PS Vita remote play you would know its not that great. You need a strong internet connection for games to be playable, and even with that the games still lag. I'd say this is not really a big deal, and most people will realize this if it comes out. Still cool tho if Nintendo lets this happen
I really doubt it, don't get me wrong, if it really releases I'll be playing cuphead on my switch in no time. But Nintendo is so conservative I have a hard time believing something as cool as this would ever grace our switches.
"Conversations with Nintendo are still happening"
'All of the Nintendo support team are currently busy. Please call back later or hold the line. You are currently 125th in the queue.'
"and are working out well"
'You are currently 30th in the queue.'
I would still love for this to come to Switch, but I still remain skeptical. My main concern is that people would use it to stream (Nintendo) emulators to the Switch, something which would make Nintendo not allow this on the Switch. A workaround would be for them to have a library of allowed games, which would also work in Nintendo's favor of keeping games from being streamed to the Switch which are both on the Switch and PC, such as Doom and Skyrim.
Still, I'm hoping for the best and Nintendo will allow this on the Switch, as I would definitely use this to stream plenty of games to the Switch, from the comfort of my recliner.
This thing will never come out.
Also - SFANS Mini SWITCH dock is working out very well on INDIEGOGO! lol . . .
How are apps like this legal? It seems like a loophole app, because a lot of these games, due to distributing rights shouldn't be playable on a Nintendo console. I mean, otherwise they'd be on the switch already.
W9th that said though.... Cuphead would be very ideal on the switch.
I think it would broaden the appeal of the Switch exponentionally and Nintendo would be stupid to turn it down.
I also don't get why people are distrusting Rainway so much. Of course, in the end it could always turn out that they lied, but so far I don't see any signs that would suggest that.
I'm staying cautiously optimistic and am looking forward to this potential killer app.
@JRJalapeno How about Nintendo include it in their subscription service instead? Now THAT would be a real incentive to get the subsctiption, even if someone doesn't want to play online games.
so no real source. i still call bs, this will never be officially released for switch
@manu0 I hope not. He's an active member of this community. Even if I rarely agree with him, I don't understand the degree of antagonism towards him, seems a bit OTT
@roadrunner343
You are probably right.It would require internet for use outside of a home network.It would be interesting to see how well would it work via wifi,even at home.Steam Link ( a device connected to a TV used for PC games streaming) recommends an ethernet connection for optimal results.
@geox30 That's why I have very low expectations - I've used Steam Link as well as streaming from one PC to another with Steam, and results have been "meh" at best. I've also wired my entire house with CAT6a cabling (I'm a network engineer by day), so it's not due to a shoddy wifi connection either. It was barely passable for slow, non-action oriented games, but there was too much delay for me to accept. It was promising though, hopefully Rainway figures out something Valve couldn't.
@roadrunner343
One can only hope! Nintendo did streaming right, that was the whole concept of the Wii U gamepad.
@geox30 Fair point on the gamepad. If I remember right, that was even via a 2.4ghz signal, same as your typical wifi connection, so it should be theoretically possible. With the advances in home wireless tech over the past few years, maybe it's gotten better. Here's to hoping.
but, will it let me play world of warcraft on the go?
Doesn't this app merely demote the Switch to a Wii U gamepad for your PC? I'm sure it's impressive but I'm just not sold on pretending a game is running on Switch lol.
@HawkeyeWii Easy. Imagine taht you have a PC and that you are tired of playing games in your 24" monitor and that you want to play them on your 65" Smart TV. You usually connect your PC to your TV with an HDMI cable and set the input to that connection on the TV.
Now, instead of using a HDMI cable, imagine that you can use Wi-fi. Should the TV company ban you from using the TV for that? I don't think so.
Another example: you use your Switch to connect to a website and play some flash games. What's the problem with that? It is the exact same thing: you connect to your PC and play the game on your Switch that is running on your PC. The Switch acts like a wireless monitor that sends your button presses/input to the game on the PC.
@HawkeyeWii in addition to what @maceng said, you're not installing, launching, or technically even playing the game on your Switch. For all intents and purposes, you would still be playing the game on your PC, simply using your Switch as an external monitor and third party controller.
I also don't see what sane company would care about this "loophole" as you are still purchasing, installing, and running the game on its originally intended platform. This is just adding a wireless interface.
@roadrunner343 The only issue I see with all these is the possible developers that have invested in a Switch programming team or that have already developed games for the Switch that have a counterpart in the PC (like Doom) since people could hold off buying the Switch version. Nevertheless you got to have a powerful PC to do this stuff and I can't imagine many Switch users who happen to have such a powerful PC.
Also, I could see Nintendo asking a fee to PC developers to allow their game on the Switch, behind curtains.
@maceng "I can't imagine many Switch users who happen to have such a powerful PC."
Most people who have gaming PCs augment them with a Nintendo, at least according to the PC gaming subreddits and forums. Too many good nintendo exclusives to miss, PC and a Nintendo gives the best of both worlds, and it has served em well for almost 2 decades.
Pretty please with sugar on top?
@peppaz Yup, that's the exact boat I find myself in. With the same logic as well.
@maceng This is no different than any other streaming technology. You've been able to stream PC games from PC to PC, or PC to mobile device for quite some time. Heck, if you really wanted to, you could have used RDP or some other remote desktop protocol to play PC games remotely (With huge lag) for decades, but then you'd be limited to turn based games. Regardless, the point stands - there's nothing here that should alarm anyone, especially Nintendo. They definitely could not in anyway ask developers to pay a fee, since they have no part in whether their games are streamed or not. This technology is completely separate from the content it can stream.
EDIT: Slight exaggeration to say "decades", but it's been close to 2 decades since RDP has been around, so the point stands.
@roadrunner343 Yes, that's what I'm saying regarding the streaming. Thing is Nintendo is so behind the times that either they flat-out deny access to the Switch or it will work behind a pay-wall. Mark my words.
No one is going to use this a streaming service for Cuphead and Overwatch. That's is suicide. Damien, think turned based RPG, visual novel, or point and click adventure.
@maceng They are behind the times, and yes, they could deny the app entirely. But that would be their only course of action. There is no way they could possibly attempt to charge a developer for their game working with Rainway. Nintendo wouldn't have any legal grounds for doing so, nor would the developer of those games have any involvement whatsoever with Rainway. It's very likely many game devs won't even be familiar with Rainway or have any knowledge that their games are being streamed. I also think this would likely help the Switch eco-system, not hurt it, so there would be no benefit in attempting to paywall the app. Of course, that last point is a bit of conjecture and is just my opinion.
This simply won't happen. By the way: The Irishman (you know who I mean) still seems to send news-tips and probably still visits this site, but I don't see his comments anymore. He probably gave up because many people got annoyed. A pity since as harsh as he sounded, he sometimes wasn't wrong. With a bit of a more positive vibe people probably wouldn't get that annoyed. Anyway, I wish him the best!
I would like to see it on the Switch. Although I don't think Nintendo will go for it. They may see a spike in hardware sells but software sales. I'm not too sure.
So if I have grasped this correctly, this software will enable you to stream PC software (you already own) from PC hardware (you already own) to (potentially) the Switch, whilst you're in the proximity of your 'home' wifi network. The same 'home' that contains the, potentially, 'ubèr' expensive PC - forgive me for being naive, but what is the point. Why play a compromised version of something, with lag, connection issues, possible resolution and text size issues, when you could just use that rather expensive PC sat in the corner instead?
As another note, I don't really think Nintendo are renowned for forfeiting control of their products in this kind if way. If it ever happened (I'm not convinced) it will come with a plethora of measures in place to limit/control it, I would think.
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