Misplaced Pages

#19980

51-600: Amazon Luna is a cloud gaming platform developed and operated by Amazon . The platform has integration with Twitch and is available on Windows , Mac , Amazon Fire TV , iOS (as a progressive web app ) as well as Android . Games and channels from brands such as Ubisoft+ and Jackbox Games are accessed via the Luna+ paid subscription. Luna uses the Windows Server operating system and Nvidia Tesla T4 graphics cards from Amazon Web Services for streaming games, and

102-454: A hypervisor . Remote desktop virtualization implementations operate in a client/server computing environment. Application execution takes place on a remote operating system which communicates with the local client device over a network using a remote display protocol through which the user interacts with applications. All applications and data used remain on the remote system with only display, keyboard, and mouse information communicated with

153-582: A software as a service model. This approach is usually referred to as cloud-hosted virtual desktops. Cloud-hosted virtual desktops are divided into two technologies: Cloud-hosted virtual desktops can be implemented using both VDI and Remote Desktop Services-based systems and can be provided through the public cloud, private cloud infrastructure, and hybrid cloud platforms. Private cloud implementations are commonly referred to as "managed VDI". Public cloud offerings tend to be based on desktop-as-a-service technology. Local desktop virtualization implementations run

204-506: A combination of hardware using its graphics processing units and software in May 2012, initially intending to partner with Gaikai for games on the service. Ubitus GameCloud was also introduced alongside Nvidia's Grid. GameCloud was designed as white-label service based on Nvidia's Grid that other providers could use to offer game streaming to their customers. Grid was formally introduced as part of its Nvidia Shield Android TV device during

255-418: A comprehensive desktop environment management system. In this mode, all the components of the desktop are virtualized, which allows for a highly flexible and much more secure desktop delivery model. In addition, this approach supports a more complete desktop disaster recovery strategy as all components are essentially saved in the data center and backed up through traditional redundant maintenance systems. If

306-571: A dedicated desktop PC is either too expensive or otherwise unnecessary. For IT administrators, this means a more centralized, efficient client environment that is easier to maintain and able to respond more quickly to the changing needs of the user and business. Remote desktop software allows a user to access applications and data on a remote computer over a network using a remote-display protocol. A VDI service provides individual desktop operating system instances (e.g., Windows XP, 7, 8.1, 10, etc.) for each user, whereas remote desktop sessions run in

357-604: A good replacement to a console for people who prefer using subscription services. Luna is currently only available to subscribers within the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, France, Italy, Spain, Austria, Poland, and The Netherlands, with further international release unconfirmed. Guests who do not have a subscription are able to join Luna Couch sessions hosted by subscribers to play local co-op games. Cloud gaming Cloud gaming platforms operate in

408-468: A local computer. Cloud gaming can be advantageous as it eliminates the need to purchase expensive computer hardware or install games directly onto a local game system. Cloud gaming can be made available on a wide range of computing devices, including mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets , digital media players , or proprietary thin client -like devices. Some services may offer additional features to take advantage of this model, including

459-440: A month. Luna subscribers have access to Ubisoft and Epic Games titles the same day they release through their respective channels. The Ubisoft+ channel costs an additional $ 14.99 per month. The Epic Games titles, such as Fortnite are free, but require purchasing a copy of a game. Luna has a library of over 100 games that can be accessed with the purchase of a subscription. Luna supports control through keyboard and mouse ,

510-453: A potential target of about three million users in 2010. French telco SFR launched G-cluster gaming service in 2010 for its end users and Orange followed suit in 2012 offering the gaming service for its customers. Both services have been commercially operational ever since offering cloud gaming for their customers on TV and mobile. In early 2003, another attempt was announced by American company Infinium Labs , which intended to revolutionize

561-490: A similar manner to remote desktops and video on demand services; games are stored and executed remotely on a provider's dedicated hardware, and streamed as video to a player's device via client software. The client software handles the player's inputs, which are sent back to the server and executed in-game. Some cloud gaming services are based on access to a virtualized Windows environment, allowing users to download and install games and software as they normally would on

SECTION 10

#1732783174020

612-655: A single shared-server operating system. Both session collections and virtual machines support full desktop based sessions and remote application deployment. The use of a single shared-server operating system instead of individual desktop operating system instances consumes significantly fewer resources than the same number of VDI sessions. At the same time, VDI licensing is both more expensive and less flexible than equivalent remote desktop licenses. Together, these factors can combine to make remote desktop-based remote desktop virtualization more attractive than VDI. VDI implementations allow for delivering personalized workspace back to

663-468: A user group use the same OS, then the core OS only needs to be backed up once for the entire environment who share this layer. Layering can be applied to local physical disk images, client-based virtual machines, or host-based desktops. Windows operating systems are not designed for layering, therefore each vendor must engineer their own proprietary solution. Remote desktop virtualization can also be provided via cloud computing similar to that provided using

714-481: A user's Steam and Epic Games Store library to run on the remote instance. This importing model was criticized by publishers including Activision Blizzard and Bethesda Softworks , as purchases were only intended for personal computers and not through cloud gaming. The publishers forced NVidia to pull these games from their service. In 2014, Dragon Quest X was brought to Nintendo 3DS in Japan using Ubitus for

765-449: A user's device or hardware is lost, the restore is straightforward and simple, because the components will be present at login from another device. In addition, because no data are saved to the user's device, if that device is lost, there is much less chance that any critical data can be retrieved and compromised. Desktop virtualization implementations are classified based on whether the virtual desktop runs remotely or locally, on whether

816-440: A user, which retains all the user's customizations. There are several methods to accomplish this. Application virtualization improves delivery and compatibility of applications by encapsulating them from the underlying operating system on which they are executed. A fully virtualized application is not installed on hardware in the traditional sense. Instead, a hypervisor layer intercepts the application, which at runtime acts as if it

867-545: Is available in the United States, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Luna's competitors include other cloud gaming platforms like Xbox Cloud Gaming , PlayStation Plus cloud streaming, and GeForce Now . Luna had a soft launch with early access to invited subscribers only on October 20, 2020. In its early access state, Amazon Luna featured about 100 different games combined with an introductory price of $ 5.99

918-401: Is frequently used in the following scenarios: It is also used as a means of providing access to Windows applications on non-Windows endpoints (including tablets, smartphones, and non-Windows-based desktop PCs and laptops). Remote desktop virtualization can also provide a means of resource sharing, to distribute low-cost desktop computing services in environments where providing every user with

969-465: Is interfacing with the original operating system and all the resources managed by it when in reality it is not. User virtualization separates all of the software aspects that define a user’s personality on a device from the operating system and applications to be managed independently and applied to a desktop as needed without the need for scripting, group policies, or use of roaming profiles. The term "user virtualization" sounds misleading; this technology

1020-488: Is latency, as the amount of delay between the user's inputs and when they take effect can affect gameplay — especially in fast-paced games dependent on precise inputs (such as first-person shooters and fighting games ). Attempts to reduce latency include the use of caching as the cached data can be "stored locally ... and can be retrieved when required." The provider's dedicated hardware can be upgraded over time in order to support higher resolutions and frame rates for

1071-401: Is necessarily interdependent with the server location and access strategy. And virtualization is not strictly required for remote control to exist. Virtualization is employed to present independent instances to multiple users and requires a strategic segmentation of the host server and presentation at some layer of the host's architecture. The enabling layer—usually application software—is called

SECTION 20

#1732783174020

1122-432: Is not limited to virtual desktops. User virtualization can be used regardless of platform – physical, virtual, cloud, etc. The major desktop virtualization platform vendors, Citrix, Microsoft and VMware, all offer a form of basic user virtualization in their platforms. Desktop layering is a method of desktop virtualization that divides a disk image into logical parts to be managed individually. For example, if all members of

1173-576: The Game Developers Conference in 2019, Google officially announced its cloud gaming service Stadia , which officially launched on November 19 of that year. In May, Sony announced a partnership with Microsoft to co-develop cloud solutions between divisions, including gaming. Apple Inc. , which makes the iOS platform for iPhones and iPads , had looked to block cloud gaming apps on its service in mid-2020. They argued that cloud gaming services allowed developers to add games onto

1224-614: The Xbox Wireless Controller , Xbox Elite Wireless Controller , Xbox Adaptive Controller and the DualShock 4 and DualSense controllers. The Luna Controller is an optional accessory at the additional cost of $ 59.99. The controller has dual analog sticks , a D-pad , two sets of shoulder buttons, four main A/B/X/Y face buttons, three other face buttons (Action, Menu, Microphone), and the home button (represented by

1275-581: The desktop environment on the client device using hardware virtualization or emulation . For hardware virtualization, depending on the implementation both Type I and Type II hypervisors may be used. Local desktop virtualization is well suited for environments where continuous network connectivity cannot be assumed and where application resource requirements can be better met by using local system resources. However, local desktop virtualization implementations do not always allow applications developed for one system architecture to run on another. For example, it

1326-530: The 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show . Grid/GeForce Now launched with services provided by several cloud gaming partners including Agawi, Cloudunion, Cyber Cloud, G-cluster, Playcast, and Ubitus. The Grid service was first launched in North America in November 2014 where a limited number of games were made available, and then later expanded to computers in 2017, including support for importing

1377-612: The Galaxy , and the Kingdom Hearts franchise, using Ubitus. A proposed method to improve game streaming's scalability is adaptive graphics processing unit (GPU) resource scheduling. Most cloud gaming providers are using dedicated GPUs to each person playing a game. This leads to the best performance but can waste resources. With better GPU resource scheduling algorithms, if the game does not fully utilize that GPU it can be used to help run someone else’s game simultaneously. In

1428-523: The Luna symbol). The color of the controller is black. A microphone is built in, which supports Amazon Alexa . The controller can connect through Wi-Fi , Bluetooth , or a USB-C cable. USB connections can be used on Windows, Mac, Android, and Chromebook. iOS devices do not support USB OTG, and can only connect to game controllers over Bluetooth. In a review of Amazon Luna in March 2021, a CNN article praised

1479-409: The United States in 2019. In May 2018, Electronic Arts acquired cloud gaming assets and talent from GameFly for an undisclosed amount. EA subsequently announced "Project Atlas", a project to explore the integration of artificial intelligence , machine learning , and Frostbite engine technology to create a "unified" platform to "remotely process and stream blockbuster, multiplayer HD games with

1530-409: The ability for a viewer to join a player's session and temporarily take control of the game. Due to their dependency on high-quality streaming video, cloud gaming services typically require reliable, high-speed internet connections with low latency . Even with high-speed connections available, traffic congestion and other issues affecting network latency can affect the performance of cloud gaming, and

1581-458: The ability to use a service regularly may also be limited by data caps enforced by some internet service providers . Further, the costs of cloud gaming shift from traditional distribution through retail outlets and digital storefronts to the data servers that run the cloud gaming services. Novel cost structures are required to cover these operating costs compared to traditional distribution. Cloud gaming requires significant infrastructure for

Amazon Luna - Misplaced Pages Continue

1632-411: The access is required to be constant or is designed to be intermittent, and on whether or not the virtual desktop persists between sessions. Typically, software products that deliver desktop virtualization solutions can combine local and remote implementations into a single product to provide the most appropriate support specific to requirements. The degrees of independent functionality of the client device

1683-483: The browser sometime in early 2021. Amazon introduced its own cloud gaming service Luna in September 2020. Games on the service will be offered via a channel-style subscription service, with Amazon's own games and those from Ubisoft available at the service's launch. Nintendo currently has games on Nintendo Switch that primarily run on cloud gaming such as Control , Hitman 3 , Marvel's Guardians of

1734-555: The future possibility of using such a concept to "[reduce] latency to the point where it's basically nonexistent", referring to this concept as "negative latency". Desktop virtualization Desktop virtualization is a software technology that separates the desktop environment and associated application software from the physical client device that is used to access it. Desktop virtualization can be used in conjunction with application virtualization and user profile management systems, now termed user virtualization , to provide

1785-481: The games through portals to end users. By 2010, due to changes in the market, G-cluster changed their model to work through a large server manufacturer to provide their games to the network operators and directly to users. This refocusing was necessitated by the increased available of free-to-play games available for personal computers, drawing them away from G-cluster's service, so G-cluster opted to focus on Internet Protocol television (IPTV) users instead, which had

1836-469: The iOS system that bypassed the normal checks they perform on any app before it is added to the App Store, and thus violated their terms of service. However, in September 2020, Apple altered its rules that allowed cloud gaming apps to work on iOS, with restrictions that each game must be offered as an individual download on the iOS store which the user must use before playing, though catalog apps as part of

1887-503: The local client device, which may be a conventional PC/laptop, a thin client device, a tablet , or even a smartphone . A common implementation of this approach involves hosting multiple desktop operating system instances on a server hardware platform running a hypervisor . Its latest iteration is generally referred to as Virtual Desktop Infrastructure , or "VDI" (note that "VDI" is often used incorrectly to refer to any desktop virtualization implementation ). Remote desktop virtualization

1938-531: The lowest possible latency, and also to unlock even more possibilities for dynamic social and cross-platform play." That month, Google and Microsoft also announced cloud gaming initiatives, with Google beginning to pilot "Project Stream" (including a closed beta featuring Assassin's Creed Odyssey running via a client in the Google Chrome web browser, and Microsoft announced the upcoming Project xCloud , leveraging Microsoft Azure technology. At

1989-404: The market of home entertainment with their Phantom video game console, a device that was envisioned to be capable of providing an on-demand video game delivery service via monthly online subscription. The Phantom was designed to run PC games, thus making it compatible with hundreds of titles from the start, and was to be sold at a much lower price than high-end PC gaming rigs. A functioning prototype

2040-526: The past, “GPU virtualization was not used due to the inferior performance of the resource scheduling algorithm”. However new resource management algorithms have been developed that can allow up to 90% of the GPUs original power to be utilized even while being split among many users. Algorithms could be used to help predict a player's next inputs, which could overcome the impact of latency in cloud gaming applications. Stadia's head of engineering Majd Bakar foresaw

2091-570: The potential for cloud gaming was now timely. OnLive was officially launched in June 2010, alongside sale of its OnLive microconsole . While OnLive had acquired some support from large publishers like Ubisoft , 2K Games and THQ , they found it difficult to get other publishers onboard as they were wary of the subscription price model. Simultaneous to OnLive, another startup Gaikai was announced by David Perry in 2010. Gaikai opted to approach streaming of game demos rather than full games, making

Amazon Luna - Misplaced Pages Continue

2142-656: The rendering and streams. The Quality of Experience (QoE) that measures the user's general level of satisfaction also needs to be brought into consideration during the development phase of cloud gaming. The first demonstrated approach of cloud gaming technology was by startup G-cluster (short for Game Cluster), which introduced its product at the 2000 E3 , and released around 2003. In their initial model around 2005, G-cluster provided PC games that ran on their servers, using video-on-demand service providers, set-top box manufacturers, and middleware software providers to help provide their service to network operators, and then offered

2193-474: The research on a cloud gaming system in 2005 for Crysis , but according to their CEO Cevat Yerli, they halted development in 2007 to wait until the infrastructure and cable Internet providers were able to complete the task and the cost of bandwidth to decline. Entrepreneur Steve Perlman revealed OnLive at the March 2009 Game Developers Conference . Perlman stated that with improvements in data and video compression as well as capabilities of smartphones ,

2244-507: The service a form of online advertising for games. Gaikai gained far more publisher support, including Electronic Arts which OnLive had been trying to bring back to their service. Gaikai was acquired by Sony Computer Entertainment in July 2012 for $ 340 million , and by October 2012, was offering PlayStation games. Ultimately, the technology behind Gaikai was used as the foundation for PlayStation Now , first introduced in 2014. OnLive

2295-436: The service can list and link to these games. Both GeForce Now and Stadia announced plans in November 2020 to release iOS versions of their streaming services as progressive web applications that would be run through a Chrome or Safari browser on iOS devices, as allowed for by Apple, to support cloud gaming. Microsoft has also announced plans to use a similar approach to bring the xCloud game streaming technology to iOS via

2346-527: The service for its lower price compared to Stadia and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and praised its user interface, while criticizing occasional lag issues and its initial game lineup. A review from Screen Rant criticized the channel setup, arguing that those who want the full experience will end up paying more than for similar services. The review remarked that the service feels misguided, with an unclear target audience, and considered it too impractical to recommend to consumers. However, it also stated that it may be

2397-418: The services to work as intended, including data centers and server farms for running the games, and high-bandwidth internet connections with low latency for delivering the streams to users. The network infrastructure required to make cloud gaming feasible was, for many years, not available in most geographic areas, or unavailable to consumer markets. A major factor in the quality of a cloud gaming service

2448-505: The streaming technology. In 2017, the French startup Blade launched a service known as Shadow, where users are able to rent a remote Windows 10 instance on a datacenter, with allocated access to an Intel Xeon processor and Nvidia Quadro graphics. The service is geographically-limited based on proximity to one of its datacenters; it initially launched in France, but began expanding into

2499-507: The user, but this failed to be profitable. OnLive and OL2's intellectual property was acquired by Sony Computer Entertainment in April 2015, but then closed it down about a month later. As stated by The Verge , the acquisition of both Gaikai and OnLive's intellectual property gave Sony access to a range of patents covering cloud gaming. Nvidia first announced its cloud gaming service, Nvidia Grid (later rebranded as GeForce Now ), as

2550-529: Was first presented at the E3 2004, running Unreal Tournament 2004 , and then again at QuakeCon , where it was shown to be capable of perfectly operating Quake 3 Arena on a dedicated server. After a couple years of setbacks, the company bankrupted in 2008, with the Phantom console never officially released to the market, becoming one of the most popular vaporware of recent times. Video game developer Crytek began

2601-465: Was never profitable, and after a possible acquisition by HP Inc. fell through, OnLive's assets were acquired by a newly formed entity named "OL2", which was capitalized by Gary Lauder of Lauder Partners in 2012 at $ 4.8 million , a fraction of OnLive's valuation from 2010. A mass layoff (2/3 of staff) was conducted to reduce operating costs. Under Lauder Partners, the new OL2 attempted to pivot its business model to allow streaming of games already owned by

SECTION 50

#1732783174020
#19980