Cloud gaming and local streaming of entertainment is getting more popular every year. The problem of course is that the graphics-intensive games require huge amount of bandwidth making it vulnerable to variety of problems with and stability.
Other than simply expanding the available bandwidth there could be another solutions in horizon. Researchers at Duke University and Microsoft Research have developed a streaming tool called Kahawai (stream in Hawaiian) that could cut the necessary bandwidth to one-sixth compared to conventional cloud gaming setups. The tool works by splitting up the rendering calculations between the home device and a remote server rather than offloading them all to the server.
"The task of quickly generating fine-grained details -- such as subtle changes in texture and shading at speeds of 60 frames per second -- is still left to the remote server. But collaborative rendering lets the mobile device generate a rough sketch of each frame, or a few high-detail sketches of select frames, while the remote server fills in the gaps."
In order to show the functionality the researchers integrated Kahawai into idTech 4, the engine behind games such as Doom 3 and Enemy Territory: Quake Wars.
"In performance trials with 50 hardcore gamers who spend an average of two hours a day playing video games, players reached similar scores with both techniques, with no difference in response times -- a critical issue for fast-paced games where any lag adds crucial milliseconds between pressing the "shoot" button and killing the enemy, for example."
Check the demo presentation here.
The research was presented Kahawai at the 13th International MobiSys Conference in Florence Italy on May 19 and the detailed article with quotes can be found at Duke.edu.