Shadow Cloud Gaming: Tried Windows PC with RTX A4500

subordinate cloud computing provider Shade It offers a power upgrade since the end of October, which brings with it higher-performance virtual PCs. We’ve tried the service and used daily apps and games on a Windows PC RTX A4500 been tested.

Power Upgrade Include A AMD Epyc 7543P CPU With four cores, 16 GB of RAM and an Nvidia GeForce RTX A4500 GPU. The graphics chip is roughly comparable to the RTX 3070. To be able to access the Windows virtual environment, you must first download the application provided by Shadow. Windows 10 Build 19044 is installed on the server.

Since the virtual computer only works when it is actually used, Shadow must be started after opening the application. This usually only takes a few seconds, but in some cases less than a minute. When the broadcast ends, the user is notified that Shadow will close after 10 minutes if they don’t sign in again. After a long period of inactivity, the stream will be closed.
Shadow cloud gaming service provides full Windows PC

While many game streaming providers only serve games in the cloud and transfer them to the user’s device, Shadow provides a full Windows interface. Therefore, all applications such as Steam must be installed by yourself. Addresses should be obtained in the normal way. So it is not a fixed rate game, but a virtual PC in the cloud. The advantage is that the user can use any application on their Shadow. Thus, the service can be used not only for games, but also for editing videos, for example.

Install games in minutes

The virtual computer is connected to a gigabit line, so download speeds are around 985Mbps and upload speeds are around 106Mbit/s in the speed test. This allows updates, games, videos, and other content to be downloaded in no time. In practice, the data rate is often restricted by the server of the corresponding service. Steam game downloaded at an average speed of 500 Mbit/s. A 30 GB address installed in less than ten minutes.

By default, users have 256 GB of available storage space. In testing, we were able to access an additional partition with another 256GB of memory. The space can be expanded in 256 GB increments for €2.99 per month. A maximum of five terabytes is possible. How well Shadow works in practice depends mainly on your internet connection. If the content is to be streamed in high definition, few artifacts and low latency, at least 30-40 Mbit/s should be reserved. However, the virtual computer can still be controlled even if the speed is reduced to 10 Mbit / s.

Short input lag in games

For gamers, the latency between the local computer and Shadow plays an important role. Since we used a DSL connection in our testing, the response time was just under 30ms. There was no significant additional delay due to the application. Of course, latency had a similar effect on response tests. Although there is an input delay depending on the line used, the advantage in online games is that the service itself is well connected and response times between Shadow and a multiplayer server are in the single-digit millisecond range.

Response test on a local computer
Response test on shadow server

Can be operated via smartphone app

In addition to the desktop client, there is also a smartphone app that can be used to control Shadow on the go. The app has a virtual console so that games can also be streamed. However, the console was not recognized by all games and it was often necessary to reconnect for the console to function properly. While transmission in WLAN worked just as it does on PC, response times in 4G were too high to operate. This may be due to the heavy use of the network at the time. A device with a 5G modem is recommended for mobile use.

In the desktop version and in the smartphone application, the shadow client has a menu of options with which it is possible to configure various settings. In addition to codec changes, color optimization and frame rate reduction, it is possible to adjust the audio quality, transmission protocol (TCP or UDP) and maximum bitrate. By default, a reasonable maximum bitrate is set automatically. Bit rates between one and 70 megabits per second are possible. USB devices can be redirected directly at a low ping level as if they were physically connected to the server. This requires a driver to be installed.

Games run at maximum graphics settings

We tried different games like “Biomutant”, “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive”, “Train Sim World 3” and “Minecraft” during our testing. All titles can be played without problems with maximum graphic settings. There were sometimes micro-drops when playing, which can be fatal at the wrong moment, especially in shooting games. If you have an optical fiber connection, you will not have any problems here. We have not tested compatibility with VR glasses.

While a standard subscription costs €29.99 per month, a power upgrade costs €14.99 per month. If you already have a gigabit line and you just want to use the service for gaming on your PC, you should be able to buy the right hardware yourself in the long run. However, the power upgrade should be worth it if your internet connection isn’t that fast, you want to gamble on your smartphone on the go, or you can’t spend several thousand euros on similar components.

See also: Cloud gaming: Shadow Power upgrade coming October 26


Game streaming, cloud gaming, review, shadow