Nvidia plans to lock Game Ready drivers behind GeForce Experience registration

[Mr_Troll]

Soon, you won't be able to get Game Ready drivers for your GeForce graphics card unless you hand your email address over to Nvidia.

 

 

Nvidia’s pushing out a new beta version of its slick GeForce Experience software Thursday, building atop the awesome update from last month that lets you play local co-op with your far away friends - even if they don’t have gaming machines.

The update adds the ability to broadcast your games to both Twitch and YouTube Gaming at a buttery-smooth 60 frames per second at 1080p resolution. You can now stream games from your GeForce-equipped PC to an Nvidia Shield device at up to 60 fps at 4K resolution, and that’s with 5.1-channel surround sound, too. It’s all wonderful stuff, pushing Nvidia’s class-leading GeForce Experience software even further out in front of the competition, especially if you’re all-in on Nvidia’s ecosystem.

 

 

But what’s coming today isn’t the real news, even if it’s welcome news. The real news is what’s coming in December—or rather, what’s not coming after December.

 

Of drivers and single-source destinations

 

One of the key weapons in Nvidia’s arsenal against AMD is its deluge of Game Ready drivers. Virtually every major PC game release in the past two years has been accompanied by a day one, WHQL-certified Game Ready driver from Nvidia, designed to make the latest and greatest games run wonderfully on GeForce graphics cards. They’re great!

Sometime in mid-December, however, you’ll be able to install Game Ready drivers only via GeForce Experience—and even then only after you’ve registered a verified email address with Nvidia. The drivers you can grab on GeForce.com or via Windows Update will be limited to quarterly releases for bug fixes, new features, security updates and so on.

 

 

“We kind of have two camps in terms of gamers,” Nvidia’s Sean Pelletier said in a group call with journalists. “On one hand you have the gamer that’s just casually playing things here and there, using their system for daily use and gaming on the side. They don’t want to be inundated with these [Game Ready] drivers.

 

 

“On the other side of the equation you have enthusiast gamers, who get excited about preloading a game, who want to play a game the day it comes out with all the bells and whistles,” Pelletier continued. “That’s obviously the demographic we’re looking at for Game Ready drivers. We’re targeting GFE as a single-source destination for those gamers.”

 

 

 

GeForce Experience has long functioned as a control hub of sorts for Nvidia users, offering one-click game optimization, easy driver downloads, the impressive Shadowplay video capture tool, the ability to stream PC games to Shield devices, and more. It’s great!—just like Nvidia’s Game Ready drivers.

 

 

But while Nvidia reps tried to downplay the upcoming registration requirement by pointing out that “mid- to high-90 percent” of Nvidia owners already apply updates via GeForce Experience, the fact stands that currently, you can bask in all those value-adding features—and drivers—without ever having to register with Nvidia or officially log into GFE. Nvidia plans to add more functionality to GFE in its quest to make the software a “single-source destination” for PC gamers, however. PC gaming news will make its way into GeForce Experience, as well as hardware giveaways and early access to games. It’s easy to envision Nvidia leveraging GeForce Experience to pass out codes for beta access to games, rather than relying on website-based giveaways as it did with the recent Rainbow Six Siege beta. One day, the free games that Nvidia bundles with its cards could even conceivably be delivered via GFE, similar to how Nvidia offered free Witcher 3 copies to Titan X owners earlier this year. Game-based goodies like that would basically require you to log in to register, anyway—as they have in the past.But locking Game Ready drivers away unless you hand over your email address to Nvidia just feels icky—like an overreach that benefits Nvidia more than actual gamers. Alas, most gamers will likely wind up handing over the info, even if they grumble. The allure of Nvidia’s delicious Game Ready drivers is just too great, and once you’ve already invested in a Green Team graphics card, you’re likely to stick with it for a few years before upgrading. You can’t leave performance on the table for that long. And it certainly feels like Nvidia knows it.

 

So Nvidia want yours email now for graphic drivers . I know its just an email adress ... but knowing how greedy Nvidia is what are going to ask next?.. they might hide them behind a smal fee, subscription or something .... do not like it.

 

Source : http://www.pcworld.com/article/2993272/software-games/nvidia-plans-to-lock-game-ready-drivers-behind-geforce-experience-registration.html

[TheSLSAMG]

I don't mind personally. I actually use GeForce Experience to control the LEDs on my GPUs and use ShadowPlay and GameStream. I think they should allow the choice, but I won't cry about it.

 

inb4 the AMD brigade comes in to decry NVIDIA with unsubstantiated claims (I've got no problem with people having objections, I just think the whole DAE NVIDIOTS thing is annoying)

[yannickverc]

Don't they have all that anyway? I mean it's just your email

[don_svetlio]

So Nvidia are copying Ubisoft and Uplay's tactics? Wow...

[ShadowCaptain]

Honestly, this only effects a small minority, since 90%+ are using geforce experience anyway

geforce experience is great anyway,

[ObeseWalrus]

plz don't nvidia

[Enderman]

dude GFE updates my GPU drivers so fast...

its like 2 clicks, 1 minute, and done

 

I dont see why giving them your email is so bad...i mean its not like 20 other companies dont have it already

[Tedster]

It doesn't have any effect on me but I can see why this is going to be annoying for a few people.

[don_svetlio]

dude GFE updates my GPU drivers so fast...

its like 2 clicks, 1 minute, and done

 

I dont see why giving them your email is so bad...i mean its not like 20 other companies have it already

Spam? Like most others do.

[AlexGoesHigh]

fuck that, i'm already annoyed with geforce expire being crap sitting in my hard drive because i have a 500 series card which make the software damn near useless, also everytime i try to update drivers via expirience it ALWAYS fails and the download is slower that geforce.com.

 

with this i'm starting to not consider nvidia cards for when i have money to upgrade.

 

i don't mind most of the shit the have done recently but putting fucking drivers behind email registration is fucking moronic IMO.

[Praesi]

I dont care. Fucked up shit EA&co are pulling off concerns me more.

[Misanthrope]

I don't mind personally. I actually use GeForce Experience to control the LEDs on my GPUs and use ShadowPlay and GameStream. I think they should allow the choice, but I won't cry about it.

 

inb4 the AMD brigade comes in to decry NVIDIA with unsubstantiated claims (I've got no problem with people having objections, I just think the whole DAE NVIDIOTS thing is annoying)

 

Yes I'll be that guy: I came here expecting nothing but rationalizations about how it is a good thing to give up your email, first reply so 10/10 you guys are vigilant.

[Tagiau]

Spam? Like most others do.

Separate email address for spam. Like a lot of people do. 

[don_svetlio]

Separate email address for spam. Like a lot of people do. 

I still have to go and delete them else I get my other emails spammed by the first email company for the thing being full >.<

[Enderman]

Spam? Like most others do.

you know that there is an "unsubscribe" button at the bottom of every one of those emails, right?

there was a law passed several years ago that made that a requirement

 

so you can unsubscribe from pretty much any legal "newsletter" (of course the illegal stuff like pills and what not dont allow you to do that)

[don_svetlio]

you know that there is an "unsubscribe" button at the bottom of every one of those emails, right?

there was a law passed several years ago that made that a requirement

 

so you can unsubscribe from pretty much any legal "newsletter" (of course the illegal stuff like pills and what not dont allow you to do that)

Really? There is - I gotta check it out. Thanks!

[i_build_nanosuits]

Honestly, this only effects a small minority, since 90%+ are using geforce experience anyway geforce experience is great anyway,

sure, they can have my e-mail anyday, here...steam has it, microsoft, honda, nintendo, mcdonald, ubisoft, ea games, Amazon, rockstar games, playstation, LG, best buy...who's next, whatever it'S AN EMAIL ADRESS WHO CARE IT'S MEANT TO BE SHARED!

 

Spam? Like most others do.

HINT: get a DEDICATED email adress for ALL these companies, and keep your personal adress for PERSONAL STUFF!!

[Enderman]

Really? There is - I gotta check it out. Thanks!

yup its in very small text at the bottom of every email

 

and nvidia isnt an illegal company, so they would also have the option to unsubscribe from email advertising or newsletters

 

I have used this unsubscribe button for over 10 websites so far, like amazon, ncix, etc... and never got an email back from them (unless it was an order confirmation) so it actually works

[Suika]

Considering I've previously given NVIDIA my email to register game codes, I don't see a problem.

On that same note, why do I have to? It seems annoying at most but not an issue.

[ShadowCaptain]

sure, they can have my e-mail anyday, here...steam has it, microsoft, honda, nintendo, mcdonald, ubisoft, ea games, Amazon, rockstar games, playstation, LG, best buy...who's next, whatever it'S AN EMAIL ADRESS WHO CARE IT'S MEANT TO BE SHARED!

 

HINT: get a DEDICATED email adress for ALL these companies, and keep your personal adress for PERSONAL STUFF!!

 

 

Absolutely, I literally dont give a fuck about giving out my email address, especially when it comes to nvidia or other companies like that

 

 

Yes I'll be that guy: I came here expecting nothing but rationalizations about how it is a good thing to give up your email, first reply so 10/10 you guys are vigilant.

 

 

I wouldn't rationalise it as good, but I equally dont care 

[Enderman]

Considering I've previously given NVIDIA my email to register game codes, I don't see a problem.

On that same note, why do I have to? It seems annoying at most but not an issue.

it would be useful to have customers emails in case something bad happens, like how ltt got hacked and had to send emails to let everyone know of what happened and how to fix it

[The Benjamins]

Spam? Like most others do.

 

 

Separate email address for spam. Like a lot of people do. 

 

Most spam is just news letters you signed up for, and all those type now legally have to have a 1 click unsubscribe button at the bottom, usually in plan text. 99% of the "spam" people get they chose to get it.

[TrigrH]

It seems annoying at most but not an issue.

 

The issue is not the email, its using geforce experience to download drivers, instead of getting them from geforce.com/drivers, which means you can configure the install options, like clean installation and unselecting HD audio and 3D vision (and geforce experience for those who don't use shadowplay)

[ShadowCaptain]

The issue is not the email, its using geforce experience to download drivers, instead of getting them from geforce.com/drivers, which means you can configure the install options, like clean installation and unselecting HD audio and 3D vision (and geforce experience for those who don't use shadowplay)

 

I doubt 90% of people do that, and just download and install the whole thing, I certainly do, I just let the whole thing install

[JuztBe]

The issue is not the email, its using geforce experience to download drivers, instead of getting them from geforce.com/drivers, which means you can configure the install options, like clean installation and unselecting HD audio and 3D vision (and geforce experience for those who don't use shadowplay)

Great.... Geoforce experience is already useless. It's piece of crap at least for 700M series. And now I'll have to deal with "Drivers failed to install" every time.