In the constantly evolving digital world, Spirent Communications has developed a novel solution to tackle a significant issue plaguing the booming cloud gaming industry. The company has recently published patent number US20230379551A1, titled "Cloud Gaming Benchmark Testing."
Cloud gaming, a rapidly emerging field, invites players to stream and play games over the internet, eliminating the need for powerful hardware. However, this new frontier isn't devoid of issues. The core problem revolves around the difficulty in evaluating the quality of gameplay experience delivered by gaming-service providers like Shadow™, GeForce Now™, etc. Current methods used to assess the quality of game streaming are inadequate due to lack of access to pristine original images, an essential feature because game images evolve in response to user input during gameplay. The lack of such testing is further exacerbated by the high cost and time-consuming process of collecting scores for gaming visuals in large quantities for evaluation.
Spirent Communications' new patent, however, promises an alternative solution. The said patent outlines a way to test how well various devices such as phones or tablets can handle cloud-based games over cellular networks. It proposes the use of a special app that can track game visuals and reaction times. The device connects to a mock game over the network, enabling testers to gauge the performance under different game situations.
As we envision the future of cloud gaming with this technology in place, an improved gaming experience is foremost. Gamers could expect minimal freezing of frames during highly intense game situations, thanks to complex games now being effectively stress-tested for performance. For instance, in Battlefield™, a shooter genre game, which requires high video performance for quality gaming experience; even a frame freeze of a second could jeopardize a player's performance in the game. With this testing method, such issues could be minimized, enriching the player's overall gaming experience.
This patent also holds significant promise for device manufacturers and network operators. They can objectively evaluate and optimize the cloud gaming performance of their devices or networks, leading to improved customer satisfaction. It also provides an invaluable tool for builders of cloud gaming services and video devices, allowing them to fine-tune video quality during the development phase of new services and devices.
And while this patent significantly advances the current landscape of gaming benchmark testing, it's essential to underline that, like every patent, there's no guarantee that it will appear in the market or be implemented as envisioned.
In sum, Spirent Communications' patented method could be a game-changer for game service providers, device manufacturers, and ultimately, for the gamers themselves - a significantly improved and stable cloud gaming experience.
P.S.: Notwithstanding intriguing as it is, it is a patent, and thus, there is no certainty when or if it will see the light of day in the market.