OpenNOW

Open source GeForce NOW client built from the ground up in Native Rust

---

Disclaimer

This is an independent project not affiliated with NVIDIA Corporation. Created for educational purposes. GeForce NOW is a trademark of NVIDIA. Use at your own risk.

---

About

OpenNOW is a custom GeForce NOW client rewritten entirely in Native Rust (moving away from the previous Tauri implementation) for maximum performance and lower resource usage. It uses wgpu and egui to provide a seamless, high-performance cloud gaming experience.

Why OpenNOW?

• Native Performance: Written in Rust with zero-overhead graphics bindings.
• Uncapped Potential: No artificial limits on FPS, resolution, or bitrate.
• Privacy Focused: No telemetry by default.
• Cross-Platform: Designed for Windows, macOS, and Linux (including Raspberry Pi).

---

Platform Support

Platform	Architecture	Status	Notes
Windows	x64	✅ Working	D3D11VA zero-copy decoding. NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel GPUs supported.
Windows	ARM64	❓ Untested	Should work but not verified.
macOS	ARM64 / x64	✅ Working	VideoToolbox zero-copy hardware decoding.
Linux	x64	✅ Working	Vulkan Video decoding (Intel Arc, NVIDIA RTX, AMD RDNA2+).
Raspberry Pi 4	ARM64	❓ Untested	GStreamer V4L2 H.264 decoding.
Raspberry Pi 5	ARM64	❓ Untested	GStreamer V4L2 H.264/HEVC decoding.
Android	ARM64	📅 Planned	No ETA.
Apple TV	ARM64	📅 Planned	No ETA.

---

Features & Implementation Status

Component	Feature	Status	Notes
Core	Authentication	✅	Secure login flow.
Core	Game Library	✅	Search & browse via Cloudmatch integration.
Streaming	RTP/WebRTC	✅	Low-latency streaming implementation.
Streaming	Hardware Decoding	✅	Windows (D3D11VA), macOS (VideoToolbox), Linux (VAAPI/V4L2).
Streaming	Zero-Copy Rendering	✅	GPU textures passed directly to renderer (no CPU copy).
Input	Mouse/Keyboard	✅	Raw input capture (Windows Raw Input, macOS CGEventTap, Linux evdev).
Input	Gamepad	✅	Cross-platform support via gilrs.
Input	Steering Wheel	🚧	Planned.
Input	Clipboard Paste	🚧	Planned.
Audio	Playback	✅	Low-latency audio via cpal.
Audio	Microphone	🚧	Planned.
UI	Overlay	✅	In-stream stats & settings (egui).
Media	Instant Replay	🚧	Coming Soon (NVIDIA-like).
Media	Screenshots	🚧	Coming Soon.

Supported Codecs & Hardware Acceleration

Codec	Windows	macOS	Linux (Desktop)	Raspberry Pi
H.264	✅ D3D11VA	✅ VideoToolbox	✅ Vulkan Video	❓ GStreamer V4L2
HEVC (H.265)	✅ D3D11VA	✅ VideoToolbox	✅ Vulkan Video	❓ GStreamer V4L2 (Pi 5)
AV1	🚧 Planned	✅ VideoToolbox (M3+)	🚧 Planned	❌ No HW support
Opus (Audio)	✅ Software	✅ Software	✅ Software	✅ Software

Note: Zero-copy rendering eliminates GPU→CPU→GPU transfers for minimal latency.

Linux Desktop: Requires Vulkan Video support (Intel Arc, NVIDIA RTX, AMD RDNA2+).

Raspberry Pi: Uses GStreamer with V4L2 hardware decoders (no FFmpeg dependency).

GPU Support Matrix

GPU Vendor	Windows	macOS	Linux
NVIDIA	D3D11VA (zero-copy)	N/A	Vulkan Video (RTX series)
AMD	D3D11VA (zero-copy)	N/A	Vulkan Video (RDNA2+)
Intel	D3D11VA (zero-copy)	N/A	Vulkan Video (Arc, 11th gen+)
Apple Silicon	N/A	VideoToolbox (zero-copy)	N/A
Broadcom (Pi)	N/A	N/A	GStreamer V4L2

Additional Features (Exclusive)

These features are not found in the official client:

Feature	Status	Description
Plugin Support	🚧	Add custom scripts to interact with stream controls/input.
Theming	🚧	Full UI customization and community themes.
Multi-account	🚧	Switch between GFN accounts seamlessly.
Anti-AFK	✅	Prevent session timeout (Ctrl+Shift+F10).
Queue Monitor	✅	printedwaste integration by @Kief5555 (View server queues).

Controls & Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action	Description
F11	Keybind	Toggle Fullscreen
F3	Keybind	Toggle Stats Overlay
Ctrl+Shift+Q	Keybind	Force Quit Session
Ctrl+Shift+F10	Keybind	Toggle Anti-AFK (Status shows in console)

---

Building

Requirements

All Platforms:

• Rust toolchain (1.75+)
• FFmpeg development libraries (v6.1+ recommended)

Windows:

• Visual Studio Build Tools with C++ workload
• FFmpeg (via vcpkg or manual install)

macOS:

• Xcode Command Line Tools
• FFmpeg (brew install ffmpeg)

Linux:

• Build essentials (build-essential / base-devel)
• FFmpeg dev libraries (libavcodec-dev, libavformat-dev, etc.)
• X11 dev libraries (libx11-dev, libxext-dev, libxi-dev)
• For VAAPI: libva-dev
• For evdev input: user must be in input group

Build Commands

git clone https://github.com/zortos293/GFNClient.git
cd GFNClient/opennow-streamer
cargo build --release

To run in development mode:

cd opennow-streamer
cargo run

---

Linux Setup

Requirements

Vulkan Video is required for hardware decoding on Linux. This is supported on:

• Intel Arc GPUs and 11th gen+ integrated graphics
• NVIDIA RTX series (with latest drivers)
• AMD RDNA2+ GPUs (RX 6000 series and newer, with Mesa 24.0+)

Note: Support for older GPUs via VAAPI fallback is in development.

Desktop Linux (AMD/Intel/NVIDIA)

1. Install dependencies:

   # Ubuntu/Debian
   sudo apt install build-essential pkg-config \
     libavcodec-dev libavformat-dev libavutil-dev libswscale-dev \
     libx11-dev libxext-dev libxi-dev vulkan-tools
   
   # Fedora
   sudo dnf install @development-tools pkg-config \
     ffmpeg-devel libX11-devel libXext-devel libXi-devel vulkan-tools
   
   # Arch
   sudo pacman -S base-devel pkg-config ffmpeg libx11 libxext libxi vulkan-tools

2. Verify Vulkan Video support:

   # Check if your GPU supports Vulkan Video extensions
   vulkaninfo | grep -i "video"
   # Should show VK_KHR_video_queue, VK_KHR_video_decode_queue, etc.

3. Install GPU-specific Vulkan drivers:

   # AMD (Mesa RADV - requires Mesa 24.0+ for Vulkan Video)
   sudo apt install mesa-vulkan-drivers
   
   # Intel (Mesa ANV)
   sudo apt install mesa-vulkan-drivers
   
   # NVIDIA (proprietary driver 525+)
   # Install via your distro's package manager or NVIDIA's installer

4. Add user to input group (for raw mouse input):

   sudo usermod -aG input $USER
   # Log out and back in

Raspberry Pi

1. Update system:

   sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

2. Install dependencies:

   sudo apt install build-essential pkg-config \
     libgstreamer1.0-dev libgstreamer-plugins-base1.0-dev \
     gstreamer1.0-plugins-good gstreamer1.0-plugins-bad \
     libx11-dev libxext-dev libxi-dev

3. Add user to input and video groups:

   sudo usermod -aG input,video $USER
   # Log out and back in

4. Verify V4L2 decoder:

   # Check V4L2 devices
   ls -la /dev/video*
   
   # Test GStreamer pipeline (H.264)
   gst-inspect-1.0 v4l2h264dec

5. Recommended codec:

   • Pi 4: Use H.264 (only hardware decoder available)
   • Pi 5: H.264 or HEVC both supported

---

Troubleshooting

macOS: "App is damaged"

If macOS blocks the app, run:

xattr -d com.apple.quarantine /Applications/OpenNOW.app

Linux: Mouse not working

Ensure you're in the input group:

groups  # Should show 'input'
# If not:
sudo usermod -aG input $USER
# Then log out and back in

Linux: "No suitable Vulkan device with video decode support found"

Your GPU doesn't support Vulkan Video extensions. Currently supported:

• Intel Arc and 11th gen+ integrated graphics
• NVIDIA RTX series (driver 525+)
• AMD RDNA2+ (RX 6000+, Mesa 24.0+)

Check your Vulkan Video support:

vulkaninfo | grep -i "video_decode"
# Should show VK_KHR_video_decode_h264 and/or VK_KHR_video_decode_h265

Raspberry Pi: GStreamer decoder issues

Verify V4L2 decoder is available:

gst-inspect-1.0 v4l2h264dec
# Should show element details

# Check video devices
ls -la /dev/video*

If V4L2 decoder is not found, install GStreamer plugins:

sudo apt install gstreamer1.0-plugins-good gstreamer1.0-plugins-bad

---

Support the Project

OpenNOW is a passion project developed entirely in my free time. I truly believe in open software and giving users control over their experience.

If you enjoy using the client and want to support its continued development (and keep me caffeinated), please consider becoming a sponsor. Your support helps me dedicate more time to fixing bugs, adding new features, and maintaining the project.

---

Made by zortos293