Gaming heads to the cloud, developers predict
(01-08 09:36)
Videogames are moving further into the internet cloud with new devices and services unveiled at the big Consumer Electronics Show this week in the US.
One major step came from computer graphics giant and chipmaker Nvidia, which announced agreements with six cloud gaming companies to deliver games to global broadband companies. This will allow gamers to play on any screen – including smart TVs, PCs, tablets and smartphones, AFP reports.
“By using the Nvidia Grid platform, our partners will allow gamers to play anywhere, anytime, without being tethered to a box,’’ said Phil Eisler, general manager of cloud gaming at NVIDIA.
The platform can serve more HD-quality game streams with improved speeds, according to Nvidia. Initial partners include US-based Agawi, China's Cloud Union and Cyber Cloud Technologies, Japan's G-cluster Global, Playcast Media Systems of Israel and Ubitus of Taiwan.
Ubitus meanwhile unveiled a separate agreement to bringing console and multiplayer games to Google TV.
“Google TV is an ideal platform for cloud gaming and we have tackled the obstacles to achieving low latency streaming game experience with multi gaming controller devices support on Google TV,'' said Wesley Kuo, chief executive of Ubitus.
The move to cloud gaming poses challenges to the traditional model of console games where users purchase a specific product.
Despite the shift, new consoles are being introduced including the latest Nintendo Wii, and upgraded versions of Microsoft's Xbox and Sony's PS3 are on the horizon.
According to Forrester Research, some 66 million US households will access the Internet via game consoles, Blu-ray players, or connected HDTVs by 2017.
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