Methods for Cloud Based Game Streaming and Setting Data Rates Between Remote Clients and Servers

摘要

A computer-implemented method for online game streaming is provided. One example method includes receiving a request from a remote client to access a user account. The user account identifies information regarding the user and digital content available for the user to access from the remote client. The request is received over an Internet connection at a hosting service that includes one or more servers and the digital content including a video game. The method includes receiving selection of the game by the hosting service from the remote client and initiating, by the hosting service, a data rate test of the remote client. The data rate test is configured to identify a maximum available data rate between the remote client and one or more servers of the hosting service. The data rate test includes gradually increasingly the data rate and then gradually decreasing the data rate to identify an active data rate for streaming interactive content of the video game. The method also includes assigning the remote client to a server and setting the compression level to attain the active data rate having packet loss and latency that is within a predefined acceptable level.

主权项

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
receiving a request from a remote client to access a user account, the user account identifying information regarding the user and digital content available for the user to access from the remote client, the request being received over an Internet connection at a hosting service that includes one or more servers and the digital content including a video game; receiving selection of the game by the hosting service from the remote client; assigning, by the hosting service, the remote client to a server, the server is configured to execute the game; initiating, by the hosting service, a data rate test of the remote client, the data rate test is configured to identify a maximum available data rate between the remote client and a server of the hosting service, the data rate test includes,
gradually sending an increasingly higher data rate test stream from the hosting server to the remote client while the remote client provides feedback to the hosting service as to a level of packet loss and latency, wherein when the packet loss and/or latency provides an indication of a sharp increase, that indication is indicative that the maximum available data rate has been reached; andgradually reducing the data rate test stream until the remote client reports in the feedback over a period of time that the data rate test stream is experiencing a packet loss and/or latency that is within a predefined acceptable level, the predefined acceptable level being set as an active data rate for streaming interactive content of the video game to the remote client from the server, wherein setting the active data rate for streaming includes setting compression level of an encoder used by the server of the hosing service, wherein the server is configured to receive user input from the remote client to control actions of the video game, server is configured to execute the control actions and returns audio/video to the remote client to render the video game, the predefined acceptable level is calculated such that the rendering of the video game provides a perception of local rendering of the video game on the remote client and not on the server of the hosting service.