Gaming-as-a-Service (GaaS) Matures in UK Web Hosting Arena With Help From Super Micro
These days enterprise web hosting companies are investing heavily in is high-performance, high-efficiency servers, storage and green computing grids, which are perfect for ISVs and developers seeking extreme performance cloud and desktop gaming platforms to drive their product line and services.
Gaming-as-Service (GaaS) Gathers Pace With New Sony Patent Filing for “Classic Games”
A snapshot generator may generate a snapshot of an emulated game. At some point during the emulation of the emulated game, a snapshot generator delivers a suspension request to an emulator. A snapshot of an emulated game may be generated by a snapshot generator. At some point during the emulation of the emulated game, a snapshot generator delivers a suspension request to an emulator. Once the suspension request is received, the emulator will suspend the emulated title. The emulator generates a snapshot of the emulated game by recording the current state of all devices being emulated. The snapshot is then delivered to the snapshot generator. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. ~ Sony
The above is abbreviated extract from a patent that Sony recently filed with U.S. patent office that outlines the initial scope for a cloud emulator of ‘classic’ games. But the story has twist: Sony seeks to inject a wildcard into legacy games available through the cloud by offering users ‘new challenges’ or ‘objectives’ that were not present in the original game.
This is akin somewhat to the growing trend in Hollywood to offer two or three alternative endings to a silver screen movie, either online or offline, or both. This user-generated approach is filed under a pseudo category for the Sony patent known as a ‘mini game’ and utilizes some interesting technical avenues to ensure the load games fast and robustly.
“The patent suggests that Sony has done research into adaptive load balancing of software emulation of a hardware GPU, and decreasing latency, which can be ruinous for an otherwise immersive gaming experience,” said WHIR.
”It is also suggesting to use algorithms to determine demand for a given game title at any given time, for instance, to provide resources to run a popular game when children return from school.”
As yet WHIR reports that it’s unclear what platforms on which these new mini-games will be made available, but the underlying technology suggests that they could run on PlayStation game consoles, mobile consoles, and PCs with Internet connectivity, as well as other devices.
The Sony patent reveals growing interest in Gaming-as-a-Service (GaaS), which is driving a new round of inventive creations from startups, and ISVs in the UK. In order to deliver these products, services and apps to a global user base using a multitude of devices requires reliance on extreme computing power that these days is most often available from hardcore Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) providers like Virtual Internet.
Cloud-based Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Offers New Productivity Avenues For Business Leaders
A new report suggests that value of the global cloud-based Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VID) market in 2013 will reach $13.4 billion highlighting the opportunity for business leaders to use cloud-based platforms to facilitate the flow of information between corporate offices and increase the productivity of employees who work remotely or from mobile enterprise devices such as smartphones, laptops, or tablet computers.
In 2014 Business Leaders Will Flock To The Cloud
Cloud-based services from web hosting companies, including hardcore Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) offerings, are being picked up at rapid rate by small to larger companies in North America and globally.
A recent survey entitled the Future of Cloud Computing estimates that there was almost a 10% increase in cloud adoption by companies at the end of 2013 over the previous year – 75% vs. 67% respectively.
While most personal users and business leaders are now familiar with the term cloud computing, there is still some confusion as to how specific cloud services can benefit an enterprise or small business.
“The basic concept is that data and applications stored remotely can be delivered over the Internet, turning computing into a utility like electricity and water,” said the Washington Post.
“For businesses, it means they can access computing resources on a scale once available only to companies with enormous amounts of money and technology know-how. The cloud can help them get by without hiring lots of geeks.”
Generally, most business leaders may neglect or resist a move to cloud based computing due to security concerns, especially since there is the perception that cloud datacentres and networks are attractive targets because of the huge number of records they hold, particular in the health and financial sectors.
“But the major cloud service providers can invest far more heavily in security than the average business can, and the average business remains vulnerable,” said the Washington Post.
“In a 2011 survey, 90 percent of companies said they had been hacked in the previous 12 months. Security experts will tell you that the remaining 10 percent just didn’t realize they’d been hacked.”
The Post surmises “In the same way that retailers have convinced customers that their personal and financial data are secure when they make online transactions, cloud service providers will eventually be able to assuage fears about security.”
And, security is often linked to reliability, an area that opponents will bring up when criticizing the cloud.
However, these concerns are likely to dissipate over the next 24-months, especially with new data being publishing to the contrary.
A study released by Microsoft reports that, in addition to time and cost savings, small and midsize businesses (SMBs) that use a cloud service gain significant security, privacy and reliability advantages compared with companies that have not adopted the cloud.
Have You Considered a Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) “Cloud” To Simplify your Business Operations?
The Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) market continues to draw attention from business IT leaders offering them ways to outsource virtual desktops to a remote web hosting provider and leverage simpler desktop management, reduced hardware, increased flexibility and greater mobility.
By moving desktops to the cloud, IT managers reduce dependence on costly administrators and programmers, while allowing their key personnel to focus on productivity and revenue generating activities.
Hosting providers like Virtual Internet, take care of resource provisioning, load balancing and network related issues and additionally offer 24/7 support for any critical technical issues that may arise. This ultimately ends up decreasing initial infrastructure costs than attempting to run VDI in your on on-premise datacentres.
According to Search Virtual Desktop, Cloud-hosted desktops cut down on PC costs and may be faster because they're not behind a firewall.
“Still, these desktops are delivered over a remote connection, so some additional latency comes into play.”
There are other specific technical benefits, too, including:
Since cloud-hosted desktops aren't connected to servers in your data center, they're easier to move, patch, upgrade and restore when a failure happens.
Plus, a cloud deployment is more flexible than VDI -- your provider can quickly spin up desktops to users on any device.
Even network concerns are often unwarranted, because cloud-hosted desktops are connected to the corporate environment through a private connection.
However, a balanced review of cloud desktop infrastructure must consider some challenges and restrictions facing IT managers, including the fact that they give up some centralized control over the architectural hardware and must also consider issues with connectivity and reliability (two reasons why choosing a credible IaaS hosting provider upfront is so important).
“Before you commit to a DaaS provider, make sure its SLA provides compensation for outages and determine what happens during an Internet failure,” said Search Virtual Desktop.
“Check for USB support, printer redirection and other hardware compatibility needs. Also consider where the provider stores user profiles and whether it uses mandatory profiles that you can't customize.”