Cloud Computing Games?

[SabreWulf69]

I want to give this thing supposedly ending home computer enthusiasts a try, anyone know of any free Cloud Computing games currently running and know how to do it? I've seen the videos, read the conjecture, looked at the pics now to try for myself, think it was the Onlive thing I saw. Surely there's an experiment using a computer for the console internet link...

 

[HookeyStreet]

This thread is weird

 

[Mussels]

there are no cloud computing games.

closest is on-live, and thats not out yet.

 

[pr0n Inspector]

I think the OP meant to say "mainframe computing games".

 

[TIGR]

I think he meant cloud computing as typed and no, there really aren't any out yet. I too am trying to consider the concept objectively, despite what it means for enthusiast builders/modders. For anyone who has a solid Net connection and faith that that connection won't ever be interrupted, why not? Those of us with a bit less faith (and those who are just plain stubborn), on the other hand, will take some convincing before accepting such a paradigm shift.

 

[SabreWulf69]

Dang, Cloud Computing is an interesting concept. I believe Microsoft are already trying it in China, and Japan is implementing some sort of system already which is causing Microsoft some worry. There are many bugs to be worked out just as with many new technological advances, such as permanent internet lines, a whole new section of law written on cloud computing protecting privacy and finally some sort of a fall back synchronization system for emergency offline use.

 

[GSquadron]

With a cloud computing game your whole rig is 100% sure that will crash or run at 1fps
So you need a quadro thing from nvidia and a server with 2 cpus or more possibly with 1000$ xeon cpus in it. Than you can think of this. Normally cloud computing has more to do with the processor and it needs to calculate the propability

 

[TIGR]

With a cloud computing game your whole rig is 100% sure that will crash or run at 1fps
So you need a quadro thing from nvidia and a server with 2 cpus or more possibly with 1000$ xeon cpus in it. Than you can think of this. Normally cloud computing has more to do with the processor and it needs to calculate the propability

If this were the inevitable, only way cloud computing could be implemented ... it wouldn't be, and there wouldn't be as much interest and R&D into it as there is. The whole point of cloud computing is to broadly and intelligently share and distribute computing resources. It's a wise though imperfect concept in theory, that needs some work in reality.

 

[pr0n Inspector]

Let's go back to time-sharing!
Cloud computing, my rear end.

 

[TIGR]

Let's go back to time-sharing!
Cloud computing, my rear end.

I think that's how many of us will instinctively react to this. Kind of a knee-jerk response like saying no to MW2 without dedicated servers. But the games still sell, and slowly these paradigm shifts slip into the mainstream....

 

[GSquadron]

I got an information an hour ago by my friend that if you first want cloud computing, than you should want a game which "at least" uses the total capacity of a quad core processor.
I searched through the internet that the usage of a quad core in SUPER MARIO would be like creating a new law in computer science and that one who can do that means to be like a new einstein or even better, cuz it is simply impossible for the technology we have now. What is even worse here is that i found it in fudzilla!!! So a quad core or hexa core are simply comodities cpu companies develop for multithreaded applications.
Or translated in simple words:
Can you create a program which fools the computer that the game you are playing is a program not a game? If you are succesful, your video card is useless and the cpu will take care of the INSANE amount of 3D or the known floating point propabilities.
It is really scientific and i really cannot explain it with simplier words.
The video card manufacturers call the quadro, or fireX cards GPU's and not video cards.
So they are just other cores which take care only of the FP (floating points)
The geology, for example, is not studied with the 5970, but with these GPU's.
I am really intrigued about your question sabre, as it is really the subject i am studying at university:
Geo-informatics enginnering

 

[Loosenut]

I got an information an hour ago by my friend that if you first want cloud computing, than you should want a game which "at least" uses the total capacity of a quad core processor.
I searched through the internet that the usage of a quad core in SUPER MARIO would be like creating a new law in computer science and that one who can do that means to be like a new einstein or even better, cuz it is simply impossible for the technology we have now. What is even worse here is that i found it in fudzilla!!! So a quad core or hexa core are simply comodities cpu companies develop for multithreaded applications.
Or translated in simple words:
Can you create a program which fools the computer that the game you are playing is a program not a game? If you are succesful, your video card is useless and the cpu will take care of the INSANE amount of 3D or the known floating point propabilities.
It is really scientific and i really cannot explain it with simplier words.
The video card manufacturers call the quadro, or fireX cards GPU's and not video cards.
So they are just other cores which take care only of the FP (floating points)
The geology, for example, is not studied with the 5970, but with these GPU's.
I am really intrigued about your question sabre, as it is really the subject i am studying at university:
Geo-informatics enginnering

Funny, after reading this, the first thing that came into my head was "Fermi"... Possible?

Maybe Nvidia was looking ahead, wayyyyyy ahead. Idk

 

[GSquadron]

Maybe you are right, but after writting all that, fermi is just trying to run away from all of this. The real-world computing is out of discuscion and whatever that fermi is cappable of, normally the game programmers are not that fool to buy a bomb and exploding it in real world, or even worse they cannot control the movements of clouds. What am i trying to say here is that we all must be happy to see that whatever happens to the real world, with programmers, they can happen in a matter of seconds and not waiting for a.... let's say dragon (dragon age) apparence, which will NEVER HAPPEN in the real world.
The exact type of computer we are talking here is the human brain which is the most complex "computing" GPU we all know of. Would you cut your brain and put it in the PCI-E 2.0 than start playing the real world? Really stupid, but that will never happen too

 

[pr0n Inspector]

I think that's how many of us will instinctively react to this. Kind of a knee-jerk response like saying no to MW2 without dedicated servers. But the games still sell, and slowly these paradigm shifts slip into the mainstream....

"Cloud" computing is just a fancy way of saying centralized server farm(modern mainframe) computing. There's nothing "cloudy" about that.

Companies like Google love this because it mean people will have to be constantly connected to them to do anything, it also gives them control over what you do with "your" data.

And finally, we didn't spent the last few decades making PCs affordable just so we can go back to the age of dumb fraking terminals.

 

[erocker]

"Cloud" computing is just a fancy way of saying centralized server farm(modern mainframe) computing. There's nothing "cloudy" about that.

Companies like Google love this because it mean people will have to be constantly connected to them to do anything, it also gives them control over what you do with "your" data.

And finally, we didn't spent the last few decades making PCs affordable just so we can go back to the age of dumb fraking terminals.

Couldn't agree more.

Cloud computer = less choice, less control, less freedom, etc. It will happen unfortunately, but probablly not before the next generation of game consoles.

 

[Disparia]

TIGR, you've used "paradigm" twice in this thread, sorry but I'll be sending Dogbert over to break your knees with his scepter.

As for gaming clouds, meh. I'll take a look when they're closer to their goal. Local similar (using this term loosely) implementations will be here much sooner I believe. The major VM vendors are all at different stages of support. Microsoft is trying GPU assistance, Citrix/Xen with HDX already supports OpenGL and D3D applications, VMware just released a software implemented PCoIP, and so on. Eventually they will all offer full 3D capabilities with all VMs on a server with shared GPUs, and at good frame rates.

I am one of those stubborn ones. Like my hardware local and overkill in a reasonable way

 

[DrPepper]

Not a big fan of cloud computing myself. Having something rendered externally then compressed and sent to your pc or decoder of sorts, being decoded then displayed is a long time compared to done locally. I hope it doesn't catch on because it is will mean we "need" internet companies to play games even singleplayer.

Also when I buy a program I don't want to have to log into some companies server to access it nor do I want my information to be stored with them.

 

[GSquadron]

Ok guys... we will wait and see what will happen than

 

[Suijin]

I got an information an hour ago by my friend that if you first want cloud computing, than you should want a game which "at least" uses the total capacity of a quad core processor.
I searched through the internet that the usage of a quad core in SUPER MARIO would be like creating a new law in computer science and that one who can do that means to be like a new einstein or even better, cuz it is simply impossible for the technology we have now. What is even worse here is that i found it in fudzilla!!! So a quad core or hexa core are simply comodities cpu companies develop for multithreaded applications.
Or translated in simple words:
Can you create a program which fools the computer that the game you are playing is a program not a game? If you are succesful, your video card is useless and the cpu will take care of the INSANE amount of 3D or the known floating point propabilities.
It is really scientific and i really cannot explain it with simplier words.
The video card manufacturers call the quadro, or fireX cards GPU's and not video cards.
So they are just other cores which take care only of the FP (floating points)
The geology, for example, is not studied with the 5970, but with these GPU's.
I am really intrigued about your question sabre, as it is really the subject i am studying at university:
Geo-informatics enginnering

I'm under the impression you misunderstand what "cloud" computing is. Look at what Erocker said, it's back to the days of servers and cheap "dummy" terminals on the user end. The end user doesn't need any real computer at all (which is suppose to be the appeal for users, $200ish computers running the latest games), basically just a screen and enough CPU/GPU power to handle control inputs, network traffic, maybe saved games, and the big one video decode or something to show you what the server is sending you for a picture. Very light stuff CPU/GPU-wise, netbooks with ion processors should be able to handle that.

The heavy lifting comes on the server end where they use huge server farms of CPU/GPU to calculate everything happening in the game and encoding the video to send the client. The point is that everyone doesn't need 6 core machines with the latest hardware to run the latest games, but from the companies point: No pirates, probably subscription based, and more control. I don't personnally think it will be that great for users. I think there will be too much lag added in due to the delay of the image getting to you before you can react to it.

I think it is more pro-company based than end-user, but in reality it could also be much more efficient overall in terms of components, energy, etc. than having all the computing power spread out among all the users. That doesn't change the pro-company aspect though, we end-users will never see the accounting books to see if they are overcharging us for this "service".

 

[TIGR]

TIGR, you've used "paradigm" twice in this thread, sorry but I'll be sending Dogbert over to break your knees with his scepter.

Right you are. It's been a long time since I saw Dilbert.

 

[Frick]

Not a big fan of cloud computing myself. Having something rendered externally then compressed and sent to your pc or decoder of sorts, being decoded then displayed is a long time compared to done locally. I hope it doesn't catch on because it is will mean we "need" internet companies to play games even singleplayer.

Also when I buy a program I don't want to have to log into some companies server to access it nor do I want my information to be stored with them.

+1. I want my computer to just that, MINE.

 

[GSquadron]

I'm under the impression you misunderstand what "cloud" computing is.QUOTE]

Yeah you are right! But why a person wants a cloud computing game? Anyway i just found it really interesting to start talking about computing clouds. I am sorry for this but the translation in albanian is the reverse
Anyone knows when these type of games i am talking about will be put in the computer?

 

[Suijin]

I'm under the impression you misunderstand what "cloud" computing is.QUOTE]

Yeah you are right! But why a person wants a cloud computing game? Anyway i just found it really interesting to start talking about computing clouds. I am sorry for this but the translation in albanian is the reverse
Anyone knows when these type of games i am talking about will be put in the computer?

I expect that type to be even further out due to the complexity of distributing the workload among many distributed computers, along with possible security issues of having important data on an uncontrolled computer.

Closest thing to that would be the folding at home currrently. But that's still just many bits being individually looked at by many individual computers. That's completely differnet than having an actual program across many computers. You are talking Skynet type thing like from the TV series The Sarah Connor Chronicles (or whatever it was called).

***********************************

Back to the cloud computing I can see working for many mainstream people or maybe some mobile programs, but anyone technical is really going to want their own processing power.

 

[DrPepper]

+1. I want my computer to just that, MINE.

This cloud computing hype is rediculous. Imagine all your music, films stored remotely ? How ludicrous is that. You wouldn't have your clothes stored by some business and you need to go to them to access what you already own.

 

[TIGR]

This cloud computing hype is rediculous. Imagine all your music, films stored remotely ? How ludicrous is that. You wouldn't have your clothes stored by some business and you need to go to them to access what you already own.

This "storing stuff on your own computer" hype is ridiculous. Imagine millions of people storing millions of copies of the same thing on millions of computers. How ludicrous is that? You don't have your own textiles factory at home that you have to start up every time you want a new shirt.