New Offering Enables Gaming-as-a-Service Operators to Stream Even the Most Advanced Games to Connected TVs, PCs, Tablets and Phones
SAN JOSE, Calif. — GPU Technology Conference — Gaming enters a new era today with the launch of the NVIDIA® GeForce® GRID cloud gaming platform, which allows gaming-as-a-service providers to stream next-generation gamesto virtually any device, without the lag that hampers current offerings.
With the GeForce GRID platform, gaming-as-a-service providers can deliver the most advanced visuals with lower latency,while incurring lower operating costs, particularly related to energy usage.Gamers benefit fromthe ability to play the latest, most sophisticated games on any connected device, including TVs, smartphones and tablets running iOS and Android.
“Gamers will now haveaccess to seamlessly play the world’s best titles anywhere, anytime, from phones, tablets, TVs or PCs,” said Phil Eisler, general manager of cloud gaming at NVIDIA. “GeForce GRID represents a massive disruption in how games are delivered and played.”
GeForce GRIDwas introduced at the GPU Technology Conference (GTC), as part of a series of announcements from NVIDIA, all of which can be accessed in the GTC online press room.
The key technologies powering the new platform are NVIDIA GeForce GRIDGPUs with dedicated ultra-low-latencystreaming technology and cloud graphics software. Together, they fundamentally change the economics and experience of cloud gaming, enabling gaming-as-a-service providers to operate scalable data centers at costs that are in line with those of movie-streaming services.
NVIDIA GeForce GRIDGPUs
Using the highly efficient NVIDIA Kepler™ architecture, NVIDIA GeForce GRIDGPUs minimize power consumption by simultaneously encoding up to eight game streams. This allows providers to cost-effectively scale their service offerings to support millions of concurrent gamers.
Featuring two Kepler architecture-based GPUs, each with its own encoder, the processors have 3,072 CUDA®technology cores and 4.7 teraflops of 3D shader performance. This enables providers to render highly complex games in the cloud and encode them on the GPU, rather than the CPU,allowing their servers to simultaneously run more game streams.Server power-consumption per game stream is reduced to about one-half that of previous implementations, an important metric for data centers.
Fast Streaming Technology
Fast streaming technology reduces server latency to as little as 10 milliseconds – less than one-tenth the blink of an eye – by capturing and encoding a game frame in a single pass.The GeForce GRID platform uses fast-frame capture, concurrent rendering and single-pass encoding to achieve ultra-fast game streaming.
The latency-reducing technology in GeForce GRID GPUs compensates for the distance in the network, so gamers will feel like they are playing on a gaming supercomputer located in the same room. Lightning-fast play is now possible, even when the gaming supercomputer is miles away.
GeForce GRID Enables the Virtual Game Console
Also at GTC, NVIDIA and Gaikai demonstrated a virtual game console, consisting of an LG Cinema 3D Smart TV running a Gaikai application connected to a GeForce GRIDGPU in a server 10 miles away.Instant, lag-free play was enabled on a highly complex PC game, with only an Ethernet cable and wireless USB game pad connected to the TV.
Leading Gaming-as-a-Service Providers Companies Endorse GeForce GRID
A number of leading gaming-as-a-service providers announced their support of the GeForce GRID. Among them:
“Not so long ago, engineers said cloud gaming was impossible, and that it was not possible for cloud gaming to be as fast or high-quality as local, console-based gaming. Obviously, they didn’t know that Gaikai and NVIDIA would be working together.We’re proving the doubters wrong.”
— David Perry, CEO, Gaikai
“Just like iPhone games have taken over the handheld games market because of ease of use, cloud gaming will expand gaming by making it incredibly convenient.”
— Guy De Beer, CEO, PlaycastMedia System
“We have worked closely with NVIDIA to use the GeForce GRID processor architecture in Ubitus GameCloud®. Ubitus delivers highly scalable cloud gaming solutions with a native-like gaming experience for service providers.”
— Wesley Kuo, CEO, Ubitus
Game Developers Endorse GeForce GRID
A range of leading game developers also announced their support of GeForce GRID. Among them:
“At Epic, we’re really excited about NVIDIA’s announcement of the GeForce GRID platform. NVIDIA’s GRID technology, with its latency reduction and improved image quality, combined with higher density and power efficiency, are significant steps toward making cloud gaming a true console-like experience today, and bringing that high-quality gaming experience to more people.
“Cloud has the potential to deliver an even more powerful experience in the future by enabling ultra-high-end GPUs like the GeForce GTX 680 to stream ultra-high-quality graphics such as those made possible by UE4 to a huge range of devices, well beyond console capabilities. The result will be that more people can enjoy EPIC’s games on more devices at higher quality.”
— Tim Sweeney, founder and CEO, EPIC Games
“High-quality cloudgaming is an absolute dream scenario for us because it allows a wide number of players to enjoy our game in its full glory.GeForce GRID gets us to that position, with super low latency and super high-quality visuals. It makes our hard work and investment all the more worthwhile.”
— Tobias Persson, founder and rendering architect, Bitsquid AB
“GeForce GRID is major news for us and for gamers. It makes it far easier for us to get our games, like Red Orchestra 2 and the million-selling Killing Floor, delivered in great form by gaming services such as OnLive and Gaikai.”
— Alan Wilson, vice president, Tripwire Interactive
For more information about GeForce GRID, please visit: www.nvidia.com/geforcegrid.
About GTC
The GPU Technology Conference (GTC) advances global awareness of GPU computing and visualization, and their importance to the future of science and innovation. View the latest news from NVIDIA and its partners in the GTC press room.
About NVIDIA
NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) awakened the world to computer graphics when it invented the GPU in 1999. Today, its processors power a broad range of products from smartphones to supercomputers. NVIDIA’s mobile processors are used in cell phones, tablets and auto infotainment systems. PC gamers rely on GPUs to enjoy spectacularly immersive worlds. Professionals use them to create 3D graphics and visual effects in movies and to design everything from golf clubs to jumbo jets. And researchers utilize GPUs to advance the frontiers of science with high performance computing.The company has more than 4,500 patents issued, allowed or filed, including ones covering ideas essential to modern computing. For more information, see www.nvidia.com.
Title: NVIDIA Cloud Gaming Moves at the Blink of an Eye with GeForce GRID
Description: PC Gaming enters a new era with the launch of the NVIDIA GeForce GRID cloud gaming platform.
Keywords: cloud gaming, online gaming, cloud games, geforce online games
URL: nvidia-geforce-grid-cloud-gaming-platform-20120516-XX
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For further information, contact:
Jigya Khabar
NVIDIA Public Relations - India
Perfect Relations
+91 98191 52500
[email protected]
+91 98191 52500
[email protected]
Joanne D’Souza
NVIDIA Public Relations - India
Perfect Relations
NVIDIA Public Relations - India
Perfect Relations
+91 98200 58257
Certain statements in this press release including, but not limited to statements as to: the availability, benefits and impact of the NVIDIA GeForce GRID cloud gaming platform; and the effects of the company’s patents on modern computing are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause results to be materially different than expectations. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include: global economic conditions; our reliance on third parties to manufacture, assemble, package and test our products; the impact of technological development and competition; development of new products and technologies or enhancements to our existing product and technologies; market acceptance of our products or our partners products; design, manufacturing or software defects; changes in consumer preferences or demands; changes in industry standards and interfaces; unexpected loss of performance of our products or technologies when integrated into systems; as well as other factors detailed from time to time in the reports NVIDIA files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, including its Form 10-K for the fiscal period ended January 29, 2012.Copies of reports filed with the SEC are posted on the company’s website and are available from NVIDIA without charge. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and speak only as of the date hereof, and, except as required by law, NVIDIA disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.
© 2012 NVIDIA Corporation. All rights reserved. NVIDIA, the NVIDIA logo, CUDA, GeForce, GeForce GRID and Kepler are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. Features, pricing, availability, and specifications are subject to change without notice.
