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Cloud Gaming – The future of gaming.

cloud gaming

Cloud gaming – The future of gaming? 

A hotly debated topic: Is cloud gaming the future of gaming? While most services are still quite young – Around 2 years old – Industry giants like Microsoft, Sony, and even Google are all investing heavily into game streaming from the cloud. With notable services like Stadia, Project XCloud and the soon to be released PS Now garnering more and more support, it seems like the sky is the limit! 

What is cloud gaming though? 

Since the invention of the PC, and subsequently the internet in its publicly available form, we have proven that humanity’s quest for convenience ultimately has no end. After all, what could be more convenient than all the world’s knowledge in the palm of your hand? Cloud Game streaming is looking to solve similar problems that have existed since the conception of video games. To put it simply, Cloud game streaming provides access to video game titles at a moments notice. All that is required is a stable internet connection. The services mostly all work the same way – Your video game is run on a server somewhere else in the world, and then a real-time video feed of that game is sent securely to your internet-enabled device. You can then play that game with surprisingly little latency, all from the comfort of your phone, tablet, or console. 

Project XCloud 

Cloud gaming delivers quite a valuable service to those that cannot access video game titles natively on their device. Provided you have a solid internet connection, the experience with Cloud gaming is quite fluid. Project XCloud, Microsoft’s premier Cloud game streaming service supports streaming up to 1080p 60FPS at a bitrate of around 15mbp/s. While not particularly impressive to look at on a big screen, XCloud delivers outstanding performance in terms of latency. I was able to play a range of console titles quite comfortably on my iPhone 12, and my Surface Laptop. Playing competitively is still a while away in my opinion – The latency is not quite low enough for high octane FPS Games like Apex Legends and Rainbow 6: Siege, but the service provides a comforting experience while on the go with more relaxed titles. 

My thoughts 

Cloud gaming, while still in its infancy, is showing amazing potential for the future of gaming. As it stands, I am more than comfortable playing a wide range of titles, and I cannot wait until it becomes more mainstream. I think it is safe to say that with a little bit of time, cloud gaming will mature into a very viable option for both new and old gamers alike. 

If you want to know more about these solutions, Contact Us on (02) 4959 6055

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Putting your Head in the Clouds: Cloud Services for Business

Putting your Head in the Clouds: Cloud Services for Business.

The term ‘Cloud Services’ covers a wide variety of software and features. From Microsoft 365 and Adobe Creative Cloud to Hubspot, Salesforce and Dropbox, the need for physical storage and servers is a thing of the past. Here are just some of the reasons why Cloud Services is right for your business.

Remote Workflow

Since the end of 2019 and the start of the era of COVID lockdowns, all industries have taken their workforce online using cloud services. The IT departments took their companies’ workflow and uploaded it to the cloud. With Microsoft 365, your workflow can be online in seconds, your team collaboration happens in real-time and you are able to work on projects in any time zone, anywhere around the world.

Centralise Document Depository

With cloud services, you can create living documents that are safe, secure and accessible anywhere the internet exists. If your staff are on the other side of the world, you all can still work through a project at the same time, whilst keeping the intellectual property and sensitive internal documents safe and secure. A software suite available with Microsoft 365 also gives you almost unlimited transfer speeds which is great for high-load transfer. Store secure and in the cloud.

Reduced Infrastructure Costs

Server rooms are now being replaced by an “IP in the sky” cloud services as it’s becoming more cost-effective to have all business workflow in the cloud. Also, cloud services offer reduced latency even while all your team is accessing the same files. With NBN and the ever-growing list of software available online, the access speeds are going up and the costs are going down.

Whether you need to keep all your documentation and files in one place or you want to collaborate in real-time with your overseas team, Cloud services are serving you better than ever.

If you’d like more information about what your business could use, contact Hunter Valley Information Technology today at (02) 4959 6055 or check out our website.

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GeForce Now

GeForce Now a slow burn?

GeForce Now: A slow burn?  The future of Gaming – *8 month recap*  GeForce Now is a tier-based subscription involving two tiers; ‘Basic’ and ‘Priority’. Basic

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Technology News

GeForce Now a slow burn?

GeForce Now: A slow burn? 

GeForce Now

The future of Gaming – *8 month recap* 

GeForce Now is a tier-based subscription involving two tiers; ‘Basic’ and ‘Priority’. Basic is a free version but limits your ability to play games with 1 hour session times before you are forced to queue into the game servers.  

The way you can access your games is by creating a GeForce NOW account. You can link your Steam, Ubisoft Connect, Epic Games, GOG and Origin. Once added, it will display the total number of imported games from each launcher. Note: Right now, there is a limited number of games available from their supported list, and you are dependent on the internet connection to play games.  

So unless you have a strong connection, it will limit your ability to enjoy this system, if you are downloading files, or watching YouTube or Netflix. Also, stay away from anything Wi-Fi intensive in the background. 

Promising future and where it could take PC Gaming 

This helps the availability of PC gaming by decreasing the starting point and reducing the required specs. This will also keep the cost down at the right locations under $1000 (minimum specifications displayed below)  

GeForce Now

The possibilities that this creates for the future is in allowing the average person to access higher powered equipment. This allows the larger community to have access to what used to be available to the more-well off in our community. It also promotes a better use of free time as well as allows people to spend less on their computer. The average cost of a system that could run these games is around $2500-$5000 per computer. 

 

The obvious issue you run into with this service is, it works using YOUR GAMES libraries. Problem being, if you are new to the platform and don’t have a large library, you will have little to nothing to play on the platform. Luckily, they do support some free titles such as Apex Legends, Brawlhalla, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and more, so there’s something for everyone. 

 

Performance: pretty or fast? 

GeForce Now is currently limited on its choices for display. You can either run 720p with a 15mbps connection or 1080 with a 25mbps connection. Depending on your area, this could be a problem for frame rates. It’s limited to either 30fps or 60fps, where Vsync is also an option. With a max bitrate sitting at 75mbps, this could be changed in the future.  

NVIDIA recommends either a hardwired ethernet connection or a 5GHz wireless router, starting around $100-$200. The more expensive being around $500 or more.  

All in all, this is a promising system that could see the increase of accessibly for a new generation of online gamers to find themselves and their community. 

More Blogs.

GeForce Now

GeForce Now a slow burn?

GeForce Now: A slow burn?  The future of Gaming – *8 month recap*  GeForce Now is a tier-based subscription involving two tiers; ‘Basic’ and ‘Priority’. Basic

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