Parsec

When it comes to gaming PCs (or gaming rigs, as they're also called), we all know at least two things: one - they're not cheap,  and two - they're not exactly portable.

Well, you can (almost) bypass these drawbacks by employing the services of an interesting app that goes by the name of Parsec. Say you have a gaming PC at home, and you want to play your favorite resource-consuming 3D shooter, but all you have with you on your business trip is a sleek MacBook Air or a typical Windows laptop. This app allows you to play games on the aforementioned devices by remotely connecting to your gaming PC.

Let's say, for example, that you don't have the money to buy a gaming PC, but your friend who's always everywhere but his home has one. Parsec can also help you connect to his computer and play your favorite games over the Internet in a smooth, ultra-low latency and 60 FPS streaming session. Nostalgic about the times when you were a kid, and you used to play co-op with your friends? Not a problem, Parsec also allows you to share the experience with your buddies.

Parsec has yet another selling point, as it also provides with the possibility to play your favorite games on powerful cloud gaming PCs. It's also worth pointing out that this method requires you to purchase play time (find out more by reading the play time pricing FAQ page).

Now that you know the basics about Parsec, we can move on to how to get things started. In theory, at least, it's not exactly complicated to get the most out of this app/service. Just download and install the app on your Windows PC (also works on macOS, Linux, and Raspberry Pi 3). Create an account, if you don't already have one, and set up a cloud gaming PC or host from one of your own.

Before we go even further, please note that your gaming computer must be running Windows 8.1 or Windows 10, if you want to host a server. Since we're on the subject, also make sure you turn off GAME MODE on your server, if you're running Windows 10, as may increase latency on the stream. Perform almost the same action on the other device and connect to your gaming PC. If you're usually playing games with a controller, it's a good idea to install the controller driver (ViGEm) from the app's installer.

The whole process should be relatively straightforward, and, thanks to the app's user-friendly and minimalist UI, you might even be able to do everything successfully from your first try. However, if you do happen to get into trouble, so to speak, the app's official FAQ section might help shed some light on the possible problem.

As an ending note, if the idea of game streaming service/cloud gaming ticks all the right boxes for you, then you should definitely give Parsec a try. At its core, Parsec is an interactive video streaming app/service, but for gamers, it can be so much more than something as abstract as that.

Not only can you play games remotely on your gaming PCs, but you can also connect to a friend's gaming rig if you don't have to money to own one. You can also share the experience by allowing your friends to play games using your PC or play with them side by side, which makes for great co-play learning scenarios. All this, without any compromise regarding streaming quality.

Last but not least, there's the cloud-gaming concept behind Parsec, which is sure to push the envelope quite a bit by proving users with new opportunities. The only drawback? It requires games to be played in Fullscreen Windowed Mode which might be a bit tricky for some games out there.