I’ve been playing Destiny 2 using NVIDIA GeForce NOW for MacOS (in beta) during my trip to Denver. The client was recently updated – this post focuses on the addition of Advanced Streaming Settings.
Here’s a little introduction about how I came across NVIDIA GeForce NOW, in case you missed it:
NVIDIA GeForce NOW Mac Beta
“New Ultra Streaming Mode and Direct Mouse Input can reduce lag by 30%” (NVIDIA GeForce NOW for Mac Forum)
Test Setup
Machine
Alice’s Late-2013 MacBook Pro Retina 13″ (MacBookPro11,1)
Intel Core i5-4258U 2.4GHz (Dual Core)
4GB DDR3-1600
Intel Iris 5100
Built-In Retina LCD (2560 x 1600 Retina)
Network
CenturyLink DSL Connection (35 Mbps Download / 5 Mbps Upload)
Hardwired to LAN using USB 3.0 Gigabit Ethernet Hub (the one I recently ordered)
I noted the video settings that NVIDIA GeForce NOW selected within Destiny 2:
| Ultra Streaming Mode | Off | On |
|---|---|---|
| Video Settings | ||
| VRAM Usage | 2579 MB / 24370 MB | 1330 MB / 24370 MB |
| Resolution | 1280 x 800 | |
| Vsync | Off | |
| Advanced Video | ||
| Graphics Quality | Custom | |
| Anti-Aliasing | SMAA | FXAA |
| Screen Space Ambient Occlusion | 3D | HDAO |
| Texture Anisotropy | 16x | 4x |
| Texture Quality | Highest | Medium |
| Shadow Quality | Highest | Medium |
| Depth of Field | Highest | High |
| Environment Detail Distance | High | |
| Character Detail Distance | High | |
| Foliage Detail Distance | High | Medium |
| Foliage Shadows Distance | Highest | High |
| Light Shafts | High | |
| Motion Blur | On | |
| Wind Impulse | On | |
| Additional Video | ||
| Render Resolution | 100% | |
| HDR | Off | |
| Chromatic Aberration | On | |
| Film Grain | On | |
I also tested on my mid-2011 MacBook Air:
Mid-2011 MacBook Air (MacBookAir4,1)
Intel Core i7-2677M 1.8 GHz (Dual Core)
4 GB DDR3-1333
Intel HD Graphics 3000 (384 MB)
Color LCD (1366 x 768)
The only difference was the video resolution, which defaulted to 1280 x 720 instead of 1280 x 800.
Input delay was noticeably reduced with both Ultra Steaming Mode and Direct Mouse Input enabled, though it felt like the network was too slow to keep up with demands. I will have to test in greater depth at home, when we can remove the network as bottleneck. When the network cooperated, I was able to challenge with a lot more confidence than previously, making for a better experience overall.