NVIDIA sees cloud computing as the future of gaming… or at least part of the future. By offloading the work of rendering graphics to a powerful server, you can run top tier games on a device with a low power chip like a smartphone or a tablet. But that’s just one benefit.
Another is that you can play the same game on multiple devices including a PC, a tablet, or a set-top-box, and you can pick up exactly where you left off when switching from device to device, the same way you can pick up reading a Kindle eBook or watching a Netflix video across different devices.
So NVIDIA is launching a new product called GRID, which is essentially a powerful server with NVIDIA graphics.
NVIDIA is marketing GRID to game makers that want to make their titles available via streaming, and a haf dozen companies have already signed on.
GRID clients will be available for PC or Android devices initially.
If the whole thing sounds familiar, that’s because it sounds a lot like the OnLive video game streaming service (which is facing serious financial difficulties) or Gaikai (which was acquired by Sony and may play a role in the next PlayStation console).
But NVIDIA says its system can stream HD-quality games with less lag than other cloud gaming services. We’ll have to wait for NVIDIA GRID to hit the streets before we can test that claim.
This looks like something Ouya needs.