Do You Play? Rate Your Gaming Systems and Gear to Win More Than the Final Boss Battle

PCMag Canada — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 00:09:15 +0000

We want to hear your thoughts on the consoles, handhelds, controllers, and more that you use for serious video game time. One lucky survey taker will win $250 to spend at Amazon.

Take the PCMag Gaming Systems and Gear Survey Today

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Four New Monthly Games Hit PlayStation Plus This September. Is It Time to Resubscribe?

Jason Cohen — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 14:08:45 +0000
Is Sony's monthly gaming subscription worth the price in September? Here's how to decide if this month's game selection tips the scales in your favor.
Is now the right time to re-up your PlayStation Plus subscription? The cost of gaming keeps getting more expensive with Sony hiking the price of its consoles. With the announcement that it plans to

Amazon, Twitch Sued for Using Streamers' Content for AI Training Without Consent

Jibin Joseph — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 13:23:27 +0000
The lawsuit claims Amazon breached an implied contract by making its training program opt out.
Earlier this month, Twitch revealed that its parent company, Amazon, uses streamers’ content for AI training unless they opt out. The move triggered backlash from the Twitch community and has now led to a lawsuit.
As Courthouse News …

Xbox Game Pass Adds 10 New Games for Late August and September. Time to Resubscribe?

Jason Cohen — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 17:35:17 +0000
Xbox just released the second half of August's Game Pass titles. Is a Day One release enough to justify signing up or resubscribing? Here's how to decide.
Xbox just announced its late-August and early-September titles for Game Pass. Between the upcoming Day One release of Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy and Halo's arrival earlier this month, it might be time to sign up or resubscribe.
It's been a rough time for the gaming giant between restructurings, layoffs, …

Amazon Is Using Twitch Content for AI Training: Here's How You Can Opt Out

Jibin Joseph — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 13:38:40 +0000
All users are enrolled in the AI training program by default. 'If it was opt in, nobody would opt in,' says Twitch's chief product officer, Mike Minton.
Twitch has confirmed that its parent company, Amazon, uses the platform’s content for AI training, and users will need to opt out of the program if they don't like it.
It’s unclear when Amazon began using Twitch users' content for AI training; it

Xbox Tests Ad-Supported Cloud Streaming, No Game Pass Required

Michael Kan — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 19:40:35 +0000
'Our overall goal is simple: to give players more affordable options to play,' Xbox's chief strategy officer says of the experiment, which is currently limited to Xbox Insiders.
Microsoft is testing ad-supported Xbox games, giving consumers a free way to play in exchange for viewing a commercial.
The test, announced today, involves streaming select games over the internet to supported devices. For now, it's limited to those in the Xbox Insider

The Best Game Streaming Services for 2026

Will Greenwald — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 18:02:40 +0000
Do you want to play video games, but don't own a console or gaming PC? These top game streaming services let you access remote hardware to play on almost any device you already own.
What Is a Game Streaming Service?
Game streaming lets you remotely access hardware on the service's servers. You use a client to log into a powerful PC over the internet, and the games you play run on that PC instead of your own hardware. The client simply provides a live feed …

No More App Switching: Amazon Adds Luna Games to Prime Video

James Peckham — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 15:40:37 +0000
This is launching first on Fire TV products in the US and UK.
Your Prime subscription includes access to dozens of popular games via Luna, but not everyone knows it. To encourage adoption, Amazon has made those games available on Prime Video.
Amazon Luna, the brand’s

Discord's New Nitro Rewards Include Xbox Game Pass, Discounts on Gadgets

James Peckham — Mon, 11 May 2026 14:50:35 +0000
It lets you play over 50 PC and Xbox games, including Day Z, Fallout 4, and Stardew Valley.
Discord is beefing up its premium subscription with Xbox Game Pass access and discounts from select gaming brands.
Discord Nitro itself isn’t new; it lets users watch videos in HD, customize their profile, upload 500MB files, and more. However, the new …

Microsoft Lowers Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Price, Axes 'Call of Duty' Perk

Michael Kan — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 20:33:49 +0000
It's still more expensive than it was last fall, but you can now save up to $7 per month. On the downside, you'll lose immediate access to Call of Duty.
UPDATE: In a surprising move, Microsoft is actually listening to gamers' complaints and dropping the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate from $29.99 to $22.99 a month and PC Game Pass from $16.49 to $13.99 a month.
"Our players cover a wide breadth of geographies, preferences, and tastes, so while there …

In Latest Pivot, Amazon Luna to Drop Game Purchases, Third-Party Stores

Michael Kan — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 17:36:24 +0000
The change is angering users who bought titles on Luna, which lets you stream games on a laptop or TV. But Amazon says it's 'continuing to invest in a broad range of gaming experiences.'
The Luna game-streaming service is getting an overhaul, with Amazon pulling the plug on game purchases and hosting third-party game stores and subscriptions.
"Starting April 10, 2026, Amazon Luna will no longer offer game stores, individual game purchases, or third-party subscriptions," Amazon said in an

Netflix's New App Aims to Be a Safe Place for Young Kids to Play Mobile Games

James Peckham — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 12:47:10 +0000
Netflix Playground includes titles themed around Dr. Seuss, Peppa Pig, and Sesame Street.
The next step in Netflix’s gaming expansion is a new app designed for young children to play freely without safety concerns around content or ads, or the risk of additional purchases being charged to your credit card.
Netflix Playground is included with all the streamer's subscription tiers and is now available …

Code Suggests Netflix Is Testing Game Chat. Is More Multiplayer on the Way?

James Peckham — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 16:55:54 +0000
Netflix version 9.60.0 on Android includes snippets of code that suggest it may be working on online chat features for games.
Netflix is most known for its TV shows and movies, or maybe even its price hikes, but it also wants to be a gaming destination. A new leak suggests Netflix's next step is to introduce online voice chat for multiplayer titles.
As spotted by GeForce Now, Nvidia is making its game-streaming service available on Amazon Fire TV Sticks and select TVs.
GeForce Now is "leveling up big-screen gaming with PC-quality performance," Nvidia says.
The app …

Attention, Gamers: Nvidia Launches Beta Version of GeForce Now for Linux

Michael Kan — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 16:03:05 +0000
'The beta Linux app is built for PCs and notebooks, offering an experience similar to the existing GeForce Now app on Windows and macOS,' Nvidia says. But there are some limitations.
Linux gamers, rejoice! After announcing at CES that a native GeForce Now Linux app was in the works, Nvidia today released a beta version.
The Linux version of the game-streaming platform is available to all as …

Nvidia GeForce Now Is Coming to Amazon Fire TV Sticks, Linux PCs

James Peckham — Tue, 06 Jan 2026 17:37:10 +0000
The game-streaming service expands to more living rooms through select Amazon devices.
Nvidia GeForce Now’s cloud gaming service is introducing Linux support for desktop computers, and a native app for Amazon Fire TV Sticks to bring the service into more living rooms.
The brand announced the new native apps at CES 2026, where it said each will be …

Nvidia GeForce Now’s Time Limit Will Stop Gamers After 100 Hours Each Month

James Peckham — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 10:42:01 +0000
The game streaming service will make almost all of its users pay extra for extended access.
If you use Nvidia’s GeForce Now game streaming, you may soon be limited in how long you can play for. The brand is introducing a 100-hour monthly time limit before you have to pay extra each month.
GeForce Now is a cloud-based streaming service which …

Some Amazon Fire Smart TVs Now Let You Play Xbox Games

PCMag Canada — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 16:34:56 +0000
The brand has brought Microsoft's cloud gaming platform to an app built for Amazon smart TVs.
There's now another way to play Xbox games without buying a Microsoft console. Amazon has announced some of its latest smart TVs will now let you download an Xbox app to stream titles through Game Pass.
The new app supports Amazon’s

Netflix's New Party Games Let You Play Lego, Pictionary, and Tetris on Your TV

James Peckham — Fri, 14 Nov 2025 14:33:59 +0000
Everyone in the room can play the games with their phone as the controller.
UPDATE 11/14: You can now play five new party games on your TV with a Netflix subscription. They include titles based on Boggle, Lego, Pictionary, and Tetris, as well as a new game called Party Crashers: Fool Your Friends. Everyone in the room can connect their phone to the TV …

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

Will Greenwald — Tue, 28 Oct 2025 16:59:22 +0000
An absolutely loaded game subscription service
Xbox Game Pass is a subscription service that provides access to a sizable game library for both Xbox consoles and Windows PCs. For a monthly fee, you can play hundreds of titles on your platform of choice. It's an appealing service that becomes even more tempting the more you’re willing …

Your Amazon Prime Subscription Now Includes Free Jackbox-Like Party Games

James Peckham — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 13:07:47 +0000
A revamp of the Amazon Luna game streaming service adds party games that your friends can play from their smartphones.
UPDATE 10/24: Amazon's new games have arrived on its Luna service, and there are 29 new party titles under its GameNight banner. These games, alongside cloud-delivered games like Hogwarts Legacy, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, are included as part of your Prime subscription.
The party …

Your Xbox Game Pass Membership Just Got More Expensive. Is It Worth It?

Michael Kan — Wed, 08 Oct 2025 15:13:19 +0000
The company is spinning it as an upgrade since it includes an expanded catalog of games.
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After raising prices twice for the Xbox console, Microsoft is also increasing the monthly cost for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate from $19.99 to $29.99 per month.
The …

Ugh: Microsoft Raises the Price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to $30

PCMag Canada — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 16:09:30 +0000
The company is spinning it as part of an upgrade since it includes an expanded catalog of games.
After raising prices twice for the Xbox console, Microsoft is also increasing the monthly cost for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate from $19.99 to $29.99 per month.
The company announced the 50% price increase for the Ultimate tier, spinning it as part …

Xbox Cloud Gaming Could Soon Be Cheaper, Hints Microsoft Exec

James Peckham — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 09:58:05 +0000
An Xbox executive has suggested the brand wants to offer cloud gaming at a lower price. An exact plan from Microsoft has yet to be announced.
If you have Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, you may have played games over streaming through its xCloud tool. Microsoft’s latest comments suggest the feature continues to be a success, but it may soon mix up how you access it.
Spotted by

Game Pass Everywhere: How to Install Xbox Cloud Gaming on Steam Deck

Carli Velocci — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 17:10:21 +0000
Want Game Pass on the go? Your Steam Deck can now use Xbox Cloud Gaming through the Microsoft Edge browser.
Remember the rumor that Microsoft was bringing Xbox Game Pass to the Nintendo Switch? That didn't end up happening, but Valve's Steam Deck allows you to play your PC games …

How to Stream PC Games to Your iPhone or Android Device

Whitson Gordon — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 20:51:40 +0000
The Steam Link app and an open-source alternative called Moonlight let you stream PC games to your Android or iPhone. Here's how to use them.
Mobile gaming has nothing on PC—the vast library of games available on desktop is tough to beat. However, at the end of a long day, it's hard to sit at a desk when the couch (or bed) is so much more inviting. With the …

Adobe Lightroom Mobile (for iPhone)

Michael Muchmore — Mon, 18 Dec 2023 16:19:13 +0000
Most of Lightroom, on Your iPhone!
Lightroom, Adobe's professional photo-workflow software, is one of the more intensive desktop applications around, so when the company brought a version to the comparatively horsepower-challenged iPad last April, it obviously couldn't include all its most-powerful features. You might expect to get even less …

Shadow

Will Greenwald — Fri, 08 Sep 2023 19:05:30 +0000
A powerful gaming PC in the cloud
The Shadow remote PC streaming service has experienced a few bumps in the road since we last looked at it in 2021. Its company, Blade, filed for bankruptcy in March of that year and was purchased two months later by Octave Klaba, the founder of cloud computing firm OVHcloud. The …

ManyMe

Neil J. Rubenking — Fri, 19 May 2023 18:53:06 +0000
Never reveal your true email address, for free
You keep your passwords secret, of course, but there's no way to keep your email address secret. Or is there? With ManyMe, you never give out your actual email address. Instead, you use a FlyBy handle, a temporary email address that's different for each …

Caffeine

Jordan Minor — Fri, 06 Jan 2023 20:12:27 +0000
Live streaming entertainment that never sleeps
Before it became the hugely popular, Amazon-owned, Editors’ Choice video game live streaming service, Twitch was just a website called Justin.tv. Although live streaming was always the main hook, Justin.tv had a broad channel library. Twitch still has non-gaming content, but it’s …

Twitch and Beyond: The Best Video Game Live Streaming Services for 2024

Jordan Minor — Thu, 22 Dec 2022 20:00:00 +0000
Ever wanted to broadcast your play sessions to the world or watch others do the same? With the right live streaming service you can. Here are our top picks.
Twitch and Beyond
The best way to jump into a streaming community is to simply visit its website, start watching videos, and interact with fellow viewers in the chat. These services can be enjoyed free of charge. Some have more attractive layouts than others, but they are all visually dense and …

FreshCut

Jordan Minor — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 18:59:35 +0000
Twitch meets TikTok, but with a much smaller community
Even if you enjoy watching other people play video games, the lengthy, multi-hour streams you find on video game live streaming services can test your patience. For a more short-form alternative, check out FreshCut. The platform serves up half-minute-long videos that get …

Amazon Luna

Will Greenwald — Thu, 28 Apr 2022 19:24:02 +0000
Fast, responsive game streaming
Amazon's Luna game streaming service launched in invitation-only early access last year, but now it's fully available as a subscription (or series of subscriptions) that any Amazon user can access. It's as bandwidth-reliant as any game streaming service, but its $49.99

Twitch

Jeffrey L. Wilson — Mon, 22 Nov 2021 14:47:04 +0000
The tool of tools for broadcasting or watching video game sessions
There are many ways to watch people play video games and have them watch your gaming sessions, but one of the easiest is to fire up is Twitch. Available on multiple platforms, including desktop, mobile, browser, and set-top boxes, the Amazon-owned streaming service specializes in broadcasting real-time gaming—though it offers …

Owncast

Jordan Minor — Mon, 05 Apr 2021 19:48:00 +0000
An open-source alternative for aspiring live streamers
Video game live streaming, like so much of the internet, is controlled by massive corporations. When you broadcast your gaming sessions to huge audiences on Twitch or YouTube, you help Amazon and Google become even more powerful. Owncast shows that this doesn’t need …

Sony PlayStation Now

Mike Williams — Thu, 18 Feb 2021 16:08:52 +0000
The widest selection in cloud gaming
Game streaming is in the zeitgeist once again, with Microsoft making it a key Xbox Game Pass component, Google launching the troubled Stadia, and Amazon leaping into the fray with Luna. Sony has long had its own cloud gaming service, though: PlayStation Now. Launched seven years ago, PlayStation Now lets …

DC Universe Infinite

Jordan Minor — Tue, 26 Jan 2021 17:21:35 +0000
All-you-can-read DC Comics
Comic fans know that, like Doctor Manhattan’s clockwork, the DC universe periodically enters a crisis and emerge as a wholly new heroic version of itself. The same just happened to the DC Universe app. Previously a video streaming service, DC Universe lost its movies and TV shows to WarnerMedia’s HBO …

PCMag Canada game-streaming-services

Do You Play? Rate Your Gaming Systems and Gear to Win More Than the Final Boss Battle

Take the PCMag Gaming Systems and Gear Survey Today

Four New Monthly Games Hit PlayStation Plus This September. Is It Time to Resubscribe?

Amazon, Twitch Sued for Using Streamers' Content for AI Training Without Consent

Xbox Game Pass Adds 10 New Games for Late August and September. Time to Resubscribe?

Amazon Is Using Twitch Content for AI Training: Here's How You Can Opt Out

Xbox Tests Ad-Supported Cloud Streaming, No Game Pass Required

The Best Game Streaming Services for 2026

What Is a Game Streaming Service?

No More App Switching: Amazon Adds Luna Games to Prime Video

Discord's New Nitro Rewards Include Xbox Game Pass, Discounts on Gadgets

Microsoft Lowers Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Price, Axes 'Call of Duty' Perk

In Latest Pivot, Amazon Luna to Drop Game Purchases, Third-Party Stores

Netflix's New App Aims to Be a Safe Place for Young Kids to Play Mobile Games

Code Suggests Netflix Is Testing Game Chat. Is More Multiplayer on the Way?

Attention, Gamers: Nvidia Launches Beta Version of GeForce Now for Linux

Nvidia GeForce Now Is Coming to Amazon Fire TV Sticks, Linux PCs

Nvidia GeForce Now’s Time Limit Will Stop Gamers After 100 Hours Each Month

Some Amazon Fire Smart TVs Now Let You Play Xbox Games

Netflix's New Party Games Let You Play Lego, Pictionary, and Tetris on Your TV

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

Your Amazon Prime Subscription Now Includes Free Jackbox-Like Party Games

Your Xbox Game Pass Membership Just Got More Expensive. Is It Worth It?

Ugh: Microsoft Raises the Price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to $30

Xbox Cloud Gaming Could Soon Be Cheaper, Hints Microsoft Exec

Game Pass Everywhere: How to Install Xbox Cloud Gaming on Steam Deck

How to Stream PC Games to Your iPhone or Android Device

Adobe Lightroom Mobile (for iPhone)

Shadow

ManyMe

Caffeine

Twitch and Beyond: The Best Video Game Live Streaming Services for 2024

Twitch and Beyond

FreshCut

Amazon Luna

Twitch

Owncast

Sony PlayStation Now

DC Universe Infinite