Cloud Gaming and Cloud Computing: How do They Differ? What are Their Respective Uses?
While the title of this article might sound like the title of a boring conference, don’t fall asleep just yet. We will be speaking about the impact of the cloud on gaming and the interesting innovations it is likely to bring in the not-too-distant future.
In the comments posted on various social networks, we noticed a certain amount of confusion regarding the difference between cloud computing and cloud gaming. Let’s take a look at these two different approaches to gaming via the cloud.
Cloud gaming: emphasis on the game itself
Let’s begin by taking a look at what Microsoft’s xCloud project, NVIDIA’s Geforce Now, Stradia, and similar services have to offer.
Cloud gaming can be summed up as a subscription to an online game catalog. It allows you to take advantage of the power of a game provider’s datacenters. These data centers provide you with a video signal that is in turn decoded by a device in your home (game console, PC, etc). Essentially: “pay, run, and play!”