3D graphics rendered on the cloud
Have you ever wanted to have a session of Crysis on your smart phone? Well, you can’t… yet. OTOY, partnered with AMD, have been working on server-side 3D processing for a number of years now. A recent tech demo held on board the USS Hornet proves that they haven’t been slacking.
Whilst AMD unveiled its next generation GPU architecture, OTOY displayed its utilisation of the hardware by remotely rendering Crysis on servers in Los Angeles, and transmitting the compressed data via the internet, to an iPhone on board the USS Hornet, which is docked in Alameda.
Journalists attending the event reported only minimal input lag despite the process of sending user input 550km, waiting for server side rendering to be completed, compressed by the OTOY software, and then transmitted 550km back to the iPhone.
With technology such as OTOY, the delivery of interactive 3D worlds and games directly to browsers and smart phones becomes possible. Another possible advantage would be the elimination of expensive console and computer hardware in lieu of a simple client side terminal.
OTOY engineers speaking at the event theorised that once bandwidth reaches a 20Mb/s threshold, their software can deliver 1080p frames to the client, with network lag being the only discernable difference between an equivalent client-side rendering solution.
So it is plausible that gamers may forego expensive hardware, preferring to pay for a subscription to a cloud rendering service. This would also be a major advantage for developers constantly fighting piracy.
How soon we will see OTOY technology implemented remains to be seen, as their website is completely devoid of information, other than the word “soon.” The prospect of 3D rendering performed on the ‘cloud’ and delivered to the client will likely spark a new wave of online interactivity.
If you want to have a look at OTOY in action, mosey on over to CrunchBase and TechCrunch.
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