At the GTC 2012 forum last week, Nvidia presented GRID, a cloud-based gaming system that requires no console or power-packed PC.Video games are getting visually more impressive all the time but a powerful console or computer is required to run such highly-detailed images smoothly and seamlessly. Nvidia, however, has come up with a system that takes care of graphics processing remotely, so users can effectively ditch their home computer or console.
Remote Graphics Processing
The Californian tech firm's GRID system isn't entirely new, as it basically involves using remote servers to take care of graphics processing before sending the images to end users via the Internet.What is new, however, is the fact that GRID can handle very graphically complex games like Bulletstorm or Need for Speed, to quote just two of the examples used in the Nvidia demo.
This in turn means gamers won't need an expensive computer or a latest-generation console to enjoy power-packed graphics. In fact, it effectively means that you could play ultra-realistic games on a basic home TV.
Some TV makers have apparently already decided to integrate apps compatible
with the Nvidia system, as seen in the LG TV above.
To achieve this, Nvidia has created a kind of graphics card called the GeForce GRID. Each card contains two Kepler GPUs with spec similar to the GeForce GTX 680. Two cards can be loaded onto each server, and a rack—a kind of tower for housing servers—can be loaded with up to 21 servers. It's therefore possible to use 84 GPUs per rack. Servers set up in this way could then be used by third-party companies to deliver network gaming for just a few quid.
Latency: The Ultimate Issue for Cloud-Based Gaming
While the Nvidia servers would be powerful enough to process games and graphics, latency must also be kept in check. In other words, the GRID system needs to be responsive—pressing a controller button must instantly translate into an onscreen action.Nvidia claims to have worked long and hard to overcome latency issues, promising a system that's just as responsive as a standard games console (approx. 150 ms according to Nvidia). In fact, the GRID GPUs capture and compress data, send it to the user and then take care of decoding it on end devices.
The figures quoted by Nvidia still look quite optimistic (see above). When testing TVs for our reviews, we usually find a response time of between 15 and 100 ms. Plus, the response time for a broadband Internet connection can be 30 ms, but it can also be over 50 ms in certain circumstances.
Nvidia is clearly launching an ambitious project and we can't wait to test it in a real-life set-up. What's more, several major video games studios (Epic Games, THQ) are apparently already interested in getting involved.
Although it remains to be seen whether the GRID will really take off on a commercial level, it's probably only a matter of time before we'll be able to play any game with the same level of graphics detail on any kind of display device, from a Smart TV to a computer monitor to a tablet or even a smartphone.
> Graphics Card Reviews
DigitalVersus on...