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ASUS ROG Rapture (GT-AXE11000) Wi-Fi 6E gaming router
ASUS ROG Rapture Tri-band WiFi 6E Gaming Router with 6GHz, 2.5G Port, VPN Security, AiMesh Compatible
The best cloud gaming setup: what you need to know
Discussing the different cloud platforms and the best gaming router deals to help maximize the stability & security of your setup
Updated: Oct 28, 2024 11:15 am
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If you want to play the latest AAA titles but don’t have the hardware necessary to run the games yourself at the graphical settings you’d like, then cloud gaming could be the answer for you, assuming your internet is up to the task! Essentially, cloud gaming involves remotely streaming the game via the internet, with the actual hardware that runs the game being a server in a distant data centre: the control inputs from your mouse and keyboard/controller transmit to this server via your internet connection, and the visual output comes from the server the other way to your PC.
Black Friday is back, and with it comes huge savings on some of the market’s most popular gaming and tech products. We’ll be covering all the best deals in more details over in our deals hub, but if you haven’t got time to read through those, why not see our top picks below.
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ASUS TUF NVIDIA RTX 5080
Was $1599
Now $1199
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ASUS TUF RTX 5070 Ti
Was $999
Now $849
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Samsung Odyssey OLED G6
Was $899
Now $649
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TCL 43S250R Roku TV 2023
Was $279
Now $199
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iBUYPOWER Y40 Gaming PC
Was $2,299
Now $1,819
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Samsung Odyssey G9 (G95C)
Was $1,299
Now $777
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Alienware Area-51 gaming laptop
Was $3,499
Now $2,799
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Samsung 77-inch OLED S95F
Was $4,297
Now $3,497
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ASUS ROG Strix G16
Was $1,499
Now $1,199
*Prices and savings subject to change. Click through to get the current prices.
Of course, you’ll still need some hardware to run the game: a PC or console with a display and your favored control system, but, most importantly, a strong, stable, and secure internet connection. How you achieve this latter point is the main subject of this article, as we discuss the different features you’ll ideally want your web router to have, plus suggest various different router offers from the clear leader in the space: ASUS. We’ll also take a look at some of the different cloud gaming services on offer.
How good does your internet connection have to be for cloud gaming?
In terms of minimum download/upload speeds, 10Gbps/5Gbps is a loose guide for the minimum requirements you’ll need for most game streaming platforms, which should cover you for gaming at 720p resolution at around 60FPS average. The reality is though that this varies between streaming services, so always double check before you buy, and be aware that higher resolutions and/or FPS will require greater bandwidth.
Which cloud gaming platform should you pick?
As of 2024, there are multiple competing cloud gaming services on the market, each with their pros and cons. We’ve made a shortlist below of our favourites, but we really recommend having a more thorough read of what each one offers before making your pick. In particular, you’ll want to look at the connectivity requirements for each to make sure your web connection is up to scratch. Something to also consider is the distance between where you live and the nearest data centre of a particular service, which can affect performance: it pays to do a bit of digging! Our final recommendation is to try each service out using a free trial where possible, to see how it performs on your internet.
- Boosteroid: Boosteroid is less well-known than the others on this list, but it is a very enticing offering, particularly if you take advantage of the current deal for 50% off a 1-month subscription or 20% off 6 months. You can stream up to 4K resolution games (assuming your bandwidth meets the requirements) and it generally performs well in terms of having infrequent lag-drops. Like GeForce Now, you don’t buy games through the platform, but it uses those from your existing game libraries from compatible services like Steam etc.
- Nvidia GeForce Now: One of the best cloud gaming services for PC, GeForce Now provides excellent graphical output with some high-resolution options, plus top-notch FPS performance and responsiveness (i.e. low input lag), it does however require a high-bandwidth and reliable internet connection to work well. Unlike some of the other examples below, you don’t get any games with this service, but instead must already own them on a compatible online store like Steam, Ubisoft Connect, or the Epic Games Store.
- Xbox Game Pass Ultimate: The best cloud platform for consoles that also lets you play on PC, a subscription to Game Pass Ultimate gives you access to a great many Xbox and Windows games, plus Bethesda titles (the Fallout series, Elder Scrolls, Doom etc.), this is obviously more limited than being able to use your Steam account as you can with GeForce Now however. Performance is solid and it’s not quite as dependent on an excellent internet connection as GeForce Now, though it’s quite a pricey package overall; still, it’s superior in nearly all respects when compared to the rival PlayStation Plus package.
- Amazon Luna: Unlike GeForce Now Amazon Luna is limited to 1080p resolution, and to enjoy the full low-lag experience you really need to use a controller, if neither of these things are a problem though, the Luna+ package offers a great value option to access a host of games like Resident Evil 7, Devil May Cry 5, Control etc. It has great overall performance an functions well with a host of different web browsers. If you have an Amazon Prime account you will also get access to additional free games. The library of games can be expanded through subscribing to different channels (the Retro channel, the Ubisoft+ channel etc.) though these will all increase the monthly subscription fee substantially.
Why is a good router important for cloud gaming?
Most of the gaming routers we’ve had the pleasure of reviewing (which you can see in the photography included) are made by ASUS, who completely dominate this market, from the pricier options to the more affordable. They’ve even put out a range of WiFi 7 gaming routers too like the RT-BE92U, the GT-BE98 PRO, and the newest entry ROG series Rapture GT-BE19000 which comes with a quad-core 2.6GHz processor, 2GB of RAM, 10Gps WAN and LAN ports, and the latest customizable features to boost speeds and tweak your setup. All the above have features that maximize your experience when cloud gaming, which we’ll go into below, and many of them come with ASUS mesh technology, meaning you can mix and match different products within the same mesh network, should you wish.
It is, of course, pointless buying a router with a high bandwidth if you don’t have a sufficiently fast internet package from your ISP to utilise it (unless you are planning to upgrade in the future), so make sure this is resolved first before you pick up one of these products.
Fast Ethernet ports and Wi-Fi
Your internet connection enters the router via a WAN port before being distributed to your various devices, so your first port of call is making sure that the Gbps rating on the WAN socket is high enough.
From here, your router will connect to the devices either by LAN ethernet or WiFi. LAN ethernet is the best way to go to ensure maximum speeds and stability, so you’ll want a LAN port on your router (and ethernet cable) that has a high enough Gbps bandwidth. Lower priced gaming routers tend to have 1Gbps LAN ports, but these can be rated more hightly at 2.5Gbps/5Gbps/10Gbps.
Of course, it’s not always convenient to have every device you want to game from attached via ethernet cable, so high bandwidth WiFi, sufficiently high for your streaming needs, is also important.
Processing power and reliability
Managing all the different connections (both wired and wireless) means your router needs a sufficiently powerful processor and even some memory. This doesn’t need to be anything near as powerful as the CPU and RAM in your gaming PC of course, but you typically want at least a 1.5GHz processor and 256MB of either flash memory or RAM, though the greater the number of devices you have connected, the more you’ll need.
Security
Bad actors and malicious malware can be a risk when cloud gaming, so having extra security on your router is important. Exact security features vary depending on the specific router you buy but most ASUS gaming routers come with anti-malware software powered by Trend Micro, plus Asus’ Instant Guard software. You also usually get in-built VPN support if you’re concerned about data privacy and want additional protection.
QoS to prioritize games
Quality of Service (QoS) is a crucial feature for any respectable gaming router. Simply put, this allows the router to prioritize the network traffic related to your game over that of any other device/process that’s using your internet connection, minimizing the risk of bandwidth congestion leading to in-game lag.
There are multiple ways this can be accomplished, either via device prioritization that allows you to differentiate by product type (e.g. your PC/console), regardless of what you’re using it for, prioritization by traffic type (so any downloading/YouTube videos playing on your PC would come second place to any game traffic say), or using a bandwidth limiter to cap the permitted maximum share any one device can use.
Amazon deals on ASUS routers
ASUS is the first and last name when it comes to gaming routers, with at least 7 of the top 10 models out there coming from the tech giant. At this stage, they’re basically just competing with themselves!
Below we’ve listed some great deals available on Amazon that cover a range of different ASUS routers, so make sure you snap them up whilst these great prices are still available.
Prices and savings subject to change. Click through to get the current deal prices.
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ASUS ROG Rapture (GT-AXE16000) Wi-Fi 6E gaming router
ASUS ROG Rapture WiFi 6E Gaming Router (GT-AXE16000) – Quad-Band, 6 GHz Ready, Dual 10G Ports, 2.5G WAN Port, AiMesh Support, Triple-level Game Acceleration, Lifetime
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ASUS RT-BE96U (BE19000) Wi-Fi 7 gaming router
ASUS RT-BE96U BE19000 802.11BE Tri-Band Performance WiFi 7 Extendable Router with 6GHz support, Dual 10G Port, 320Mhz, lifetime internet security , MLO, Multi-RU puncturing ,
