Edge’s low latency is a big advantage for gamers and game streamers
Online game makers covet the edge, too.
Gameye, a game session hosting firm, has completed what it says was Europe’s first real-world matchup of 5G networks versus 4G/LTE infrastructure that tested latency, packet loss, and download speeds.
Gameye, which is billing itself as a 5G edge-optimized platform, found that 5G infrastructure was like “Fortnight Battle Royale” compared to the more Atari Pong-like 4G/LTE network.
The host teamed with Deutsche Telekom’s mobile-edge player MobiledgeX for the test. The trial consisted of running “Counter Strike: Global Offensive” by Valve and “Pacer” by R8 Games on Frankfurt, Germany-based public cloud servers and MobiledgeX’s Edge-Cloud platform distributed around the country.
Test results revealed the 5G network was fast and stable, characteristics prized by gamers. And the edge systems pulled latency down a further couple notches. Home gamers tied into 5G infrastructure reportedly also will feel the speed.
The top download speed during the trial in Germany was 800 Mbps, which according to Gameye could mean that downloading 148Gb “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare” could be completed in less than half an hour.
Gameye’s chief product officer, Ralph Heersink, told game publication Gamasutra that such setups could bring competitive esports to mobile devices, which would be no small feat.
In January, another vendor hoping for broad adoption of 5G and edge services, U.S. telecommunications company Verizon Communications Inc., opened a training center in Los Angeles specifically for 5G gaming.
Verizon has tied itself Dignitas, a unit within digital-sports company New Meta Entertainment, which sponsors several esports teams. The teams get to use Verizon’s training center, and Verizon gets its name in front of many mobile-dependent young consumers.
The twin appeal of 5G networks and edge systems is rising in Asia, too.
DouYu International Holdings Ltd., holds exclusive livestreaming rights to 29 game tournaments in China. Executives of DouYu, which raised $775 million in its U.S. initial public offering last July, are extolling the importance of 5G and edge computing to their future.
Riding on the “edge” in roller coaster theme parks
Article Topics
5G | DouYu | edge computing | Gameye | LTE | MobiledgeX | network | performance | Verizon
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