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Nintendo files patent application for cloud gaming devices

Principate

Saint Titanfall
Would love to see gaf cloud haters explaining how their favorite, Nintendo, is going for cloud now too. How will this make you feel? Are Nintendo inherently less evil than MS, just like Sony, so it's excusable in this case? Will there be Nintendo cloud memes/jokes? Will they randomly pop up in any Nintendo related thread from now on out?

My guess is no. Nintendo is like breast milk to many here, can't see anyone turning against them and becoming warriors for a cause.

Pretty sure people disliked 2the power of cloud" because it was blatantly obvious FUD, to make up for the fact the XB1 had weaker performance than PS4, and Microsoft attributed complete far out and misleading facts to sell this idea.

If Microsoft was honest and treated it as cool potential but nothing concrete their wouldn't even be a quarter of the dislike attached to it
 

Trago

Member
Makes me wonder how much an all in one bundle would cost if the handheld and console are sold separately. My wallet just shivered...
 

Pokemaniac

Member
Could it work like that Phone Google invested in where you can change stuff like the processor, battery, etc and just swap out a piece for another?
Might be a bit complicated for consumers but I imagine this wouldn't be put to use for the first year or so

This is less about swapping individual parts and more about distributing boxes that the console and handheld can ask to do stuff for them. It's essentially like if you could buy a Microsoft Azure node and stick it in your house.
 
Ignoring your full on hive-minding (risky business, junior); Were Nintendo fans generally the ones hating on cloud? Afai remember, Nintendo wasn't even in the debate seeing as WiiU had already bombed. That fight was between the bigger boys imo.

His post doesn't make any sense.

MS used the "power of the cloud"-PR (or tried to) to bluff their way through the objective fact, that the PS4 is the more powerful system.

The whole online only DRM is completely unrelated to the cloud-meme.

Edit: Exactly what Principate said.
 

Schnozberry

Member
Makes me wonder how much an all in one bundle would cost if the handheld and console are sold separately. My wallet just shivered...

Nintendo would be risking a lot by exceeding the cost of PS4 and XB1. If the home console is a booster device for the handheld, I would guess a bundle including both wouldn't exceed the price of existing consoles. At most it would have to be within $50.
 

DeaviL

Banned
If you buy an accelerator, you don't need to use cloud but you can offer your computation power to others.
I feel i can still safely laugh at "the cloud" while being a Nintendo fan.
 

Schnozberry

Member
His post doesn't make any sense.

MS used the "power of the cloud"-PR (or tried to) to bluff their way through the objective fact, that the PS4 is the more powerful system.

The whole online only DRM is completely unrelated to the cloud-meme.

Nobody hated on cloud computing as a technology principle. People weren't sure how server based cloud computing would do anything to improve the local rendering of games, which was the PR from Microsoft at the time that they have since backed away from. The truth is it doesn't. Having your own cloud node could potentially do that, especially if the device has CPU/GPU resources and the ability to offload less time sensitive computing tasks to network resources.
 

gafneo

Banned
This has me thinking. Maybe the streaming chips become obsolete after a year or 2. Since they are not too expensive, you just buy a new box while keeping the console.
 

The_Lump

Banned
His post doesn't make any sense.

MS used the "power of the cloud"-PR (or tried to) to bluff their way through the objective fact, that the PS4 is the more powerful system.

The whole online only DRM is completely unrelated to the cloud-meme.

Edit: Exactly what Principate said.

Yeah that too.
 
Nobody hated on cloud computing as a technology principle. People weren't sure how server based cloud computing would do anything to improve the local rendering of games, which was the PR from Microsoft at the time that they have since backed away from. The truth is it doesn't. Having your own cloud node could potentially do that, especially if the device has CPU/GPU resources and the ability to offload less time sensitive computing tasks to network resources.

Yep, people saw through MS' weak attempt to deflect the issue.

The potential for this sounds amazing. I wonder if NERD is involved.
 

QaaQer

Member
I'm of the opinion that this is a "McDonald!" patent that won't see the light of day or it is some-kind of streetpass/social thing. I hope I'm wrong though.

If Ninty and DeNa successfully roll out distributed cloud assisted processing based on selling optional hardware to people that supercharges processing power and connectivity somehow, then they will have achieved something remarkable.
 

Vena

Member
My biggest reservation is that this is seemingly (industry) leading cloud design or at the very least very near the forefront in design and realization. Where did Nintendo snag up this kind of talent and R&D?
 

geordiemp

Member
The implementation described in this patent actually addresses some of the major concerns with cloud computing in terms of games. It's certainly not perfect, but this model actually provides solutions for latency, data caps, and potentially even subscription costs and game preservation.

Allowing consumers to spin up their own local cloud nodes is actually an ingenious solution to a bunch of standing issues.

I dont see how it does. The whole issue with cloud computing for my understanding is that your ping can still be 16 ms even locally.

In that time the game has ran a complete cycle, done all its CPU and GPU stuff and output a frame.

The only use I understand is for complex CPU computations like collapsing buildings (funnily enough...MS demo was ....), I just cannot see how it will be used to make game consoles more powerful at playing games other than the usual power of da cloud baseless claims.
 

GDGF

Soothsayer
My biggest reservation is that this is seemingly (industry) leading cloud design or at the very least very near the forefront in design and realization. Where did Nintendo snag up this kind of talent and R&D?

NERD.

They were an independent tech house called Mobiclip and Nintendo bought them out (and changed their name, of course)

http://www.nerd.nintendo.com/

Here's an Iwata Asks about the company: http://www.nintendo.co.uk/Iwata-Asks/Iwata-Asks-NERD/NERD/1-Introduction/1-Introduction-759158.html
 

Schnozberry

Member
I'm of the opinion that this is a "McDonald!" patent that won't see the light of day or it is some-kind of streetpass/social thing. I hope I'm wrong though.

If Ninty and DeNa successfully roll out distributed cloud assisted processing based on selling optional hardware to people that supercharges processing power and connectivity somehow, then they will have achieved something remarkable.

The only way it could possibly work is if it wasn't optional. The only way it works as an optional device is if the handheld device doesn't require it to function but can use it for additional resources while they are connected together. Otherwise adding a cloud processor to your existing standalone console becomes a dubious value proposition for most consumers, especially Nintendo's traditional market of families.
 

blu

Wants the largest console games publisher to avoid Nintendo's platforms.
Oh, the patent specifically discussed creating P2P networks only across the users ISP branch? Wow, that's brilliant, but seems unlikely.
The patent doesn't discuss anything beyond P2P. The rest is logical conclusion. You ping for the closes supplement, and if one (or multiple) happens to live on your provider's network you naturally make use of those, as they are likely the lowest latency supplements in the whole wide world (from your POV).
 

Pokemaniac

Member
Oh, the patent specifically discussed creating P2P networks only across the users ISP branch? Wow, that's brilliant, but seems unlikely.

What the patent describes is basically a cloud node that can be directly connected to the console and can be shared with other users in a P2P fashion when not in use.

So long as there is a sufficient install base, there should always be available nodes that are relatively nearby.

Data caps could throw a monkey wrench into that, but, at that point, you're probably better off buying your own box anyway.
 
Well... so much for fun.

To be fair, all I know about the cloud is that it was a bogus marketing term which no doubt helped to fail the Xbox JUAN
 

RaidenXZ

Member
So the games will literally be better the more systems this sells? Marketing genius or disaster waiting to happen? Lol
 

Schnozberry

Member
NERD.

They were an independent tech house called Mobiclip and Nintendo bought them out (and changed their name, of course)

http://www.nerd.nintendo.com/

I thought NERD was mostly focused on SDK/Middleware stuff. Their wheelhouse was mostly in Video Codecs prior to being acquired by Nintendo. I guess they would make the most sense, but I have to imagine Nintendo partnered with someone as well.
 

Principate

Saint Titanfall
What the patent describes is basically a cloud node that can be directly connected to the console and can be shared with other users in a P2P fashion when not in use.

So long as there is a sufficient install base, there should always be available nodes that are relatively nearby.

Data caps could throw a monkey wrench into that, but, at that point, you're probably better off buying your own box anyway.

I'm glad I never have to deal with data caps. (well almost never)

So the games will literally be better the more systems this sells? Marketing genius or disaster waiting to happen? Lol

You can literally "Be a part of something amazing"
 

Clov

Member
I thought NERD was mostly focused on SDK/Middleware stuff. Their wheelhouse was mostly in Video Codecs prior to being acquired by Nintendo. I guess they would make the most sense, but I have to imagine Nintendo partnered with someone as well.

I remember hearing a while back that they were experimenting with some sort of cloud technology, so this might be related.
 

Principate

Saint Titanfall
I remember hearing a while back that they were experimenting with some sort of cloud technology, so this might be related.

Iwata specifically mentioned cloud stating the tech was very limited as it's biggest usage was latency. Makes sense that they patent a form of cloud computing that try to do it's absolute best to minimise latency.
 

GDGF

Soothsayer
I thought NERD was mostly focused on SDK/Middleware stuff. Their wheelhouse was mostly in Video Codecs prior to being acquired by Nintendo. I guess they would make the most sense, but I have to imagine Nintendo partnered with someone as well.

Someone else could have their hand in this as well, yeah, but for a long time the scuttlebutt's been that NERD was working on some kind of top secret cloud technology so the timing is right. No one from NERD is talking, though.
 

Schnozberry

Member
I remember hearing a while back that they were experimenting with some sort of cloud technology, so this might be related.

It was from an Iwata Asks in 2013 from NOE that had the NERD President Alexandre Dellatre in it.

“The developers at Nintendo headquarters need to spend their time developing the actual platform, so I think we’d like to explore areas that they don’t have time for. For example the possibilities which are opened up by the combination of cloud technologies and new software paradigms like general purpose GPU programming.”
 

Clov

Member
Iwata specifically mentioned cloud stating the tech was very limited as it's biggest usage was latency. Makes sense that they patent a form of cloud computing that try to do it's absolute best to minimise latency.

It was from a Nintendo Direct in 2013 from NOE that had the NERD President Alexandre Dellatre in it.

“The developers at Nintendo headquarters need to spend their time developing the actual platform, so I think we’d like to explore areas that they don’t have time for. For example the possibilities which are opened up by the combination of cloud technologies and new software paradigms like general purpose GPU programming.”


The puzzle pieces seem to fit, here. I'm really interested in seeing exactly what this is.
 
How exactly do you guys think the NX handheld will use the extra processing power away from home? Paid service for when they are out of range of a Supplemental Computing Device?
 

Mpl90

Two copies sold? That's not a bomb guys, stop trolling!!!
My biggest reservation is that this is seemingly (industry) leading cloud design or at the very least very near the forefront in design and realization. Where did Nintendo snag up this kind of talent and R&D?

Well, from the cloud itself, ain't it obvious
 
Yep, people saw through MS' weak attempt to deflect the issue.

The potential for this sounds amazing. I wonder if NERD is involved.
MS has shown what cloud computing can do in it's infant stages with Crackdown, and to a lesser extent with games like Forza, Halo, and Titan fall. Crackdown computing effort dwarfs even powerful pc architectures. They have more to show, and need more developers to get on the bandwagon before it's actually a reality that meets the premise of the vision. Crackdown will be the first example of the promise being met.

Yet you all refuse to believe it. And when MS does it, it's deflection. Even though they never specifically said cloud computing would produce results immediately and dwarf ps4 power; they simply stated that it was a revolutionary power component for the future of the system and a feature worth considering.

When Nintendo does it, it's AMAZING!!!
 

Minions

Member
Who knew.... Nintendo would be the first always online console.


Seriously, I wonder if it will be since it seems to use cloud computing. Maybe in home console mode it works offline?
 

Schnozberry

Member
I would consider MS cloud services if they gave me the option of hosting my own. I'm a very big fan of local cloud solutions. Looks like someone didn't read the OT.

Microsoft's Azure Platform is very good at what it does. The physics stuff in crackdown looks really cool, but that's about the only proof of concept they have for it to have any real effect in a gaming context. Maybe Nintendo has some better ideas? I hope they do.
 

Lonely1

Unconfirmed Member
Who knew.... Nintendo would be the first always online console.


Seriously, I wonder if it will be since it seems to use cloud computing. Maybe in home console mode it works offline?

If you buy the supplemental computing device.
 

blu

Wants the largest console games publisher to avoid Nintendo's platforms.
What kind of connection do you think they could use? In the part I quoted earlier, it says that the "dedicated game device" could be a PC, smart phone, etc even. I'm thinking they would want a standard.

USB 3.1?

It has to be something fast enough for HDD accesses, but even at that speed, the possible boost to something like graphics seems like it would only be rather minimal (using a ~1 GB/s connection).
Sorry, Fourth, just saw you post.

A standard universal bus is apt for the local supplement, but keep in mind the supplements can be separated from you via a network. Those remote ones will not be able to provide you with the BW or latency the local one can. So I'm thinking asymmetric scenarios here, based on whether a local supplement is present or not. Also, in this line of though, it could be an entirely proprietary link to the local one.
 

Minions

Member
If you buy the supplemental computing device.

If you don't own one it requires a connection to function since you will "borrow" someone elses computing that is not in use correct? I wonder what happens if there are no devices available for sharing.
 
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