Rainway App May Make Streaming PC Games on Nintendo Switch Possible

But let's not kid ourselves, Nintendo is going to nix it.

5

If you could stream PC games on the Nintendo Switch, would you? A new company called Rainway is betting you would, and is creating an app to let you do just that. And you can probably bet Nintendo has speed-dialed the lawyers, despite Rainway's assurances that Nintendo will let the app on the eShop.

Rainway's app, which bypasses porting games in favor of streaming directly from your PC to the Switch,  promises a "pain-free setup," with the app "configuring your network and securing your connection so the only thing you have to worry about is playing your games." The only requirement is a DirectX 11 GPU.

There aren't many other details on the site, but user codeusasoft of Borderless Gaming said on reddit that he is building the app and that it "will work on all GPUs and have support for streaming to your web browser, phone (iOS/Android), Xbox and Nintendo switch." He is expecting a beta next month.

The real surprise is that he said that Nintendo will be putting it on the eShop. If this is indeed true, that seems to be a major departure from Nintendo's previous position of only wanting approved software, in this case Switch-only games, on its hardware. Rainway would also be the first approved non-gaming app for the Switch.

Treat the news with a healthy dose of skepticism for now, at least until we can get more details on the app itself and an official comment from Nintendo. Streaming PC games has been a touchy proposition, let alone making this type of venture profitable. If it does make it to launch, playing games like Overwatch, The Witcher 3, or Final Fantasy 15 could be incredibly entertaining. 

 

Contributing Editor
From The Chatty
Hello, Meet Lola