Look Out - NVIDIA Announces New Cloud-Based, Cross-Device Gaming Platform

Related: Gaming, NVIDIA

BIG gaming news this morning out of CES as six leading international cloud-gaming companies plan to use the NVIDIA GRID Cloud Gaming Platform to deliver gaming services to global broadband companies, NVIDIA announced today.

The NVIDIA GRID Platform enables the smooth, Seamless interactive experience of a high-performance gaming PC anywhere, on any screen -- including smart TVs, PCs, tablets and smartphones.

NVIDIA GRID is a server designed to concurrently serve up to 36 times more HD-quality game streams than first-generation cloud-gaming systems, while reducing lag. It is fully integrated with a high density of NVIDIA GPUs, specialized graphics-application streaming software and NVIDIAVGX Hypervisor technology, which allows multiple users to share a GPU.

Initial partners on the NVIDIA GRID Platform include Agawi (United States); Cloud Union (China); Cyber Cloud Technologies (China); G-cluster Global (Japan); Playcast Media Systems (Israel); and Ubitus (Taiwan).

"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 world's most exciting games can now be played as easily as you can stream a movie, right onto your TV or mobile device. No more discs to shuffle or files to download and install. Just click and play."

Densest GPU Architecture, Broadest Compatibility, Best Interactivity
Consumers already enjoy the benefits of cloud computing to store email and photos and to stream music and movies. The NVIDIA GRID Platform builds on this capability by moving high-end gaming to the cloud, eliminating the need for consumers to manage game discs or fit game consoles next to flat-screen TVs.

The NVIDIA GRID Platform delivers three key attributes:

Densest GPU system architecture: NVIDIA GRID provides the highest number of concurrent, interactive data streams by using multi-GPU servers and sophisticated NVIDIA VGX GPU-sharing technology. Each server can deliver up to 36 game streams.
Broadest compatibility and scalability: NVIDIA GRID software and drivers enable interactive streaming of the widest range of games -- from casual games using low-graphics capabilities with a high density of streams, to high-performance titles requiring high-graphics capabilities.
Best interactivity: NVIDIA GRID delivers streamed content for Seamless interaction without noticeable lag or latency. NVIDIA GRID technology reduces game server latency by up to 30 milliseconds compared to prior solutions, which effectively hides the network delivery time. Game play from an NVIDIA GRID server feels like that from a console next to a TV.

Six companies in the newly emerging cloud-gaming services arena are engaged in offering services based on the NVIDIA GRID Platform:

"Consumers love the convenience of any game anywhere instantly, and therefore cloud gaming is the natural evolution of the gaming experience. NVIDIA GRID is a fantastic tool that gives cloud service providers the improved density to make true-GPU clouds a reality and allows our operator, publisher and developer partners to reimagine the gaming experience using the Agawi CloudPlay platform."
-- Rajat Gupta, co-founder of Agawi, which provides B-B cloud-gaming solutions for tablets and TVs.

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