- Pentanet (5GG) says its customers have shown strong interest in the proposed launch of U.S. cloud-based game streaming service, GeForce Now, in Australia
- A month ago, the Perth-based internet provider joined tech company and GeForce Now owner Nvidia’s alliance agreement
- Pentanet sought registrations for a proposed beta program and received 24,000 responses from potential Australian users
- Due to the unexpected interest, Pentanet has ramped up its initial launch plans by increasing the number of game servers from 12 to 18
- A commercial launch will follow the invite-only beta program, and pricing details are yet to be announced
- Pentanet shares are in the red, down 1.56 per cent at 63 cents each
Pentanet (5GG) says its customers have shown strong interest in the proposed launch of a U.S. cloud-based game streaming service in Australia.
A month ago, the Perth-based internet provider joined the Nvidia alliance agreement. Nvidia founded the premier cloud-based game streaming service GeForce NOW.
After joining the alliance, Pentanet began online registrations, which allowed potential Australian users of GeForce NOW to reserve their usernames and register for a proposed beta program.
Today, the company announced that more than 24,000 gamers registered for the beta program, a number that surpassed Pentanet’s expectations and has encouraged a scale-up of initial launch plans.
Consequently, Pentanet has continued with the placement of an initial hardware order with Nvidia in line with the cloud gaming strategy outlined in the company’s initial public offering prospectus.
The initial order for 12 RTX game servers has been increased to 18 servers at an approximate capital cost of $3.2 million. The servers will be split across two deployments, with one in Perth and the other in Sydney.
The rollout of GeForce NOW beta is expected this year with a commercial launch to follow. Pentanet says only users who have pre-registered for the service will have access to the beta program and Pentanet customers will have priority access. The company says pricing will be announced at a later date.
From the invite-only beta, the company is hoping to gain further insight about usage patterns, and how many users each server can support to further build the cloud gaming business case.
”We are encouraged by the very strong interest in GeForce NOW and now have a
very clear indication from market demand that Australian gamers appear to understand and support the service, mirroring the strong demand also seen overseas,” commented Pentanet Managing Director Stephen Cornish.
Despite the positive news, Pentanet shares closed in the red, down 1.56 per cent at 63 cents each.