New cloud gaming report focuses on challenges in latency, monetization, scalability and connected device development
Cloud gaming has been heating up recently and E3 saw a host of new announcements made from the likes of OnLive and Gaikai. Crytek?s CEO, Cevat Yerli also used the occasion to confirm his stance that cloud gaming is the way the video-games industry will inevitably head.
Off the back of these massive announcements, FC Business Intelligence has put together a free report featuring some of the industry?s leading figures, tackling the 4 key pillars of cloud gaming development; overcoming latency issues, monetizing games on the cloud, addressing the question of scalability and developing games for multiple connected devices.
First up, 4 key representatives from THQ, EA, Gaikai and GameStop look at the challenge of latency in cloud gaming. The speed of light often comes up as a factor holding back the take-off of cloud gaming and this throws up the question: are data centers the answer, or can developers do more to optimise their games for cloud play?
Brian Farrell, THQ: ?It?s our responsibility as publishers to look at the latency issue from all sides?
Farrell points out that more data centers will of course help combat the issue of latency but he goes on to point out that developers and publisher can do more on their end to reduce the impact of latency on gameplay ? whether this means reducing video resolution or coding specifically for online gameplay.
Tony Bartel, GameStop: ?Our technol ogy will get latency to a point where it?s impercepti ble even to a very discerning gamer?
Tony Bartel is very confident in GameStop?s recent acquisition, Spawn Labs. The key, Bartel explains, is where the data centers are placed rather than how many there are - continued technological improvements by GameStop will continue to drive latency down.
Richard Hilleman, EA: ?You have to pretty much run a data center to be in [the streaming game] business?
EA have been making a very concerted shift towards online publishing in recent years. Hilleman tells how EA?s mix of over 30 product offering that have some form of digital distribution or digital back-end, but the fact that streaming games need GPU?s essentially means that companies such as EA need to invest in their own data centres.
David Perry, Gaikai: ?It?s the only way to do it because you?re dealing with physics?
Gaikai launched with 24 GPU based data centers, Perry says their next stop is 30. For companies to stand up a real cloud network for gaming they need to cover the world at critically close proximity to the users and Gaikai?s plan is to keep growing.
Read these leaders full thoughts on latency as well as monetization, scalability and connected device development in the full report which is free and available for download at www.cgconfusa.com/report-download.shtml. And also note that all four of the above interviewees will be keynoting at the associated Cloud Gaming USA conference in San Jose, September 7-8.
For more information on either the report or the conference, contact:
Alex Manessi
Director
Cloud Gaming USA
alex@cgconfusa.com
US: 1800 814 3459 ext 7547
ROW: +44 20 7375 7547