Shadow is a service of cloud computing allowing you to connect on the device of your choice (PC, tablet, smartphone, Mac…) to a PC gamer. That is, your old computer with its limited configuration can via Shadow spin the last god of war Where DOOM Eternal. Recently, it is also possible to play officially via Shadow VR in computer VR (still in beta).
The question that made many people follow the event spotlightit was from whether we could quickly boost the set and play our games in Ultrawhether on a flat screen or VR.
After 35 minutes late (a stubborn habit), the live finally started (watch the replay on Twitch). It was the co-founder of the company, Stéphane Héliot, who opened the ball by briefly recalling the principle of Shadowemphasizing in particular its different targets: gamers and creatives, both requiring the same thing: extra power!
Yannis Weinbach (Consumer Business Unit) then recalled the last features of Shadow (dual screen, remote screen, 4:4:4, Shadow VR) before announcing others: the new launcher and the option Power.
the launcher has a new look by offering a bluish interface, which integrates perfectly with the rebranding of the brand Shadow. In addition to the aesthetics of the thing, it is specified thatit will be possible from the latter to extend the storage capacity up to 2 TB (compared to 1 TB previously).
And it is the latter that interests us here, the option Power will boost the power of our Shadowhere is the configuration:
- CPU: EPYC 7543P with 4 cores and 8 threads;
- GPU: equivalent to an NVIDIA RTX 3070 card or an AMD Radeon Pro v620 (against NVIDIA GTX 1080 for the basic offer), their distribution will be made according to your location;
- RAM: 16 GB (against 12 GB currently);
- Price: €14.99 which is added to the basic offer (€44.98 in total);
- Availability: this summer in early access, in the fall for others (those who pre-ordered the Infinite will have priority).
This is a real disappointment on many points:
- The offer Infinity was overall similar, but above all better (problematic for a configuration dating from 2019). This already offered more RAM (32 GB), a NVIDIA Titan X more powerful than the equivalent RTX-3070 announced here, in addition to including 1 TB of storage. Only the CPU of the offer Power is higher than the offer Infinityit is very thin;
- No additional storage is included in the offer Power ;
- The next GPUs of NVIDIA will be announced this year (sounds of corridors evoke a presentation this summer or at the start of the school year). Shadow will therefore deliver configurations which, if they were at the top in 2020, will inevitably be obsolete even before their deployments;
- €44.98 per month, with a 256 GB SSD, is expensive, very expensive.
The network of data centers Shadow now consists of 8 server unitsshared between France, Germany, the United States and soon Canada and Austria in the fall of 2022. Further deployments are plannedwithout us knowing their locations.
A solution clouds was announced, allowing you to store your files in the image of Google Drive, One Drive Where pCloudhere are the specifics:
- Free offer: 20 GB of storage;
- Premium offer: Up to 2 TB of storage, from €8.99/month;
- Server location: Europe;
- Partner: Nextcloud (formerly hubiC);
- Availability: Fall 2022.
Shadow Business Solutions
Perhaps the most interesting announcement of the conference, the possibility for professionals to create/manage a fleet of high-performance PCs. Small detail, the offer will only contain the configurations NVIDIA.
“With Shadow Business Solutions, our ambition is to free small and medium-sized businesses from their technological constraints by providing them with innovative, intuitive and powerful tools, designed for the era of remote work. It is a powerful cloud-based IT solution that will help you meet your needs and benefit from the devices you and your colleagues need, no matter when or how” explains Stéphane Héliot, co-founder and general manager. Shadow’s deputy.
Clarification: the last photo shows a person using a graphics tablet… except that in fact, these are not compatible Shadow (apart from a few rare Wacom)!
An option Power obsolete and expensive, it is surely the thing that we will retain here. Especially if there is only use on a flat screen and the gaming that interests you, the subscription GeForce NOW at €8.33 per month offers you a configuration GPUs equivalent to a RTX-3080. The only interesting thing and who stands out a little from the lot remains of course the possibility of managing a fleet of powerful PCs for the professional worldhere again, if the price is not too expensive, it can be very interesting for small and medium enterprises. A rumor presupposes that the offers Infinity will be reserved for professionals. As English speakers say so well, wait and see…
On pre-order next fall, we hope that the new configurations will be honored in due time by Shadow. For those who would be tempted by the PC VR via Shadowa comparison of the solution with Plutosphere and paper space will soon arrive on the site, so stay tuned! And if you are already convinced by Shadow and you want to subscribe or simply test it, the following promo code: JRMHDYKM will allow you to benefit from a 5 € discount on your first month.
If you haven’t taken the plunge yet, you can treat yourself to a Oculus Quest 2 at the house of Bakerthe Fnac, Darty or Amazon for €349.99. You can also find good PCs for gamers there.