Still, don’t discount the allure of playing the most beautiful version of

any game you can think of anywhere on any device that has an internet

connection. Google isn’t the only industry titan chomping at the bit to

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xCloud bundled with a Game Pass subscription. Sony would love for you

to use only its hardware, but the company still lets you play PS4 games

on your phone with Remote Play or over the internet with PlayStation

Now. Steam’s Remote Play Together feature lets you play with friends

who lack a game by streaming it to their PC.

The only major holdout is Nintendo, old-fashioned and somewhat

rightfully afraid of the internet. Game streaming more than anything

could destroy arbitrary barriers between you and your video games, so

of course Apple isn’t allowing any of these services onto the App Store.

TIL ALL ARE ONE

There are downsides to a wholly merged gaming singularity. It makes it

easier for a company to keep players online and enforce strict copyright

rules. It also turns individual games into devalued pieces of content

inside huge libraries.

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some kind of crusade against Apple’s platform of tech fascism.

However, the sooner we overcome needless separations in gaming—

whether they’re caused by hardware, software, or corporate pride—the

sooner we get to what matters: everyone enjoying video games.

[email protected]

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PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION I SUBSCRIBE (^) I OCTOBER 2020