What is Cloud Gaming?

It is a technology that allows you to play streaming video games over the Internet and on any screen (desktop, laptop, tablet, smartphone or TV). The big names in the video game industry are already on the bridge to offer their cloud gaming service (Microsoft, Nvidia, Google, Sony, Electronics Arts or Amazon) but other players are also present as the French Blacknut who offers its services in association with some computer manufacturers like Thomson.

To understand Cloud Gaming, you first have to explain how the games work now. When launching a game from a PC or console, whether it is a physical disk or a downloaded title, the machine executes it thanks to its processor, its graphics card and the other components available for its processing. This usually requires a sufficiently powerful computer or a console of last generation for the most sophisticated games especially in terms of graphics.

With Cloud Gaming, you can enjoy the best graphics on any device with a screen. The calculation for all graphic processing is done by the servers. Note that to gain access to the plethora of games available on Cloud Gaming platforms a subscription is necessary to partially support the cost of the infrastructure. Generally, subscriptions are around 15 € per month.

How does it work?

The principle of Cloud Gaming is to run the games on servers of the service provider that are hosted in a data center. Then the images of the games are transmitted over the Internet in real time on your screen as you receive the image of a movie or television program. Obviously, the main difference is that you can use a joystick, keyboard and mouse to control the game whose commands will in turn be retransmitted to the server to execute the movement of your avatar for example.

Cloud Gaming for whom?

Of course, if you are a seasoned player and have all the gear you need to run the latest games, whether it's a PC for a gamer or a next-generation console, Cloud Gaming is probably not the answer for you. Nevertheless, if you feel like playing some older games or even newer ones without buying them, you can enjoy Cloud Gaming on your PC or console via a service provider as we have seen earlier.

The real benefit of Cloud Gaming will be for players who travel a lot and want to play from anywhere where there is a fast internet connection. Thus, it will be possible to enjoy your favorite games on laptop, smartphone, tablet and even on a TV.

Advantages and disadvantages compared to classic gaming

The main advantage of Cloud Gaming is to enjoy an extensive collection of video games. Of course, this will also depend on the service provider and its partnerships with game publishers but the offer is growing more and more as the major players in this industry have announced that they want to develop Cloud Gaming.

In addition, if you do not want to invest in new hardware, you can take advantage of the computing power of servers to play the latest games in maximum quality. Note that vendors regularly update their server infrastructure as new components come on the market. This always ensures the best quality of service possible without subscription increases.

Of course, there are also some disadvantages to this technology. The first is that it is essential to have a fast and stable Internet connection. Thus, fiber will be highly recommended to take full advantage of this technology. It is also necessary that the latency is the lowest to ensure the best responsiveness. The goal is that the commands you enter (moves, spells, sword, fly, etc ...) are executed as quickly as possible especially in multiplayer games.

Finally, for mobile gamers, please note that the streaming game consumes much more data than video streaming. It will be important to check that your internet subscription package is able to support it.

Thomson and Blacknut offer a Cloud Gaming solution

The Thomson high-tech brand has come closer to Blacknut, French forerunner in streaming video games with no less than 250 games in its catalog. Among the best-known titles are : “Outcast, Another World by Eric Chahi, Gravel or Blackguards 2”.

Blacknut's gaming platform is preinstalled on Thomson notebooks  but is also available on Android TVs and branded smartphones . One month is offered as part of the partnership. The multi-screen subscription is 14.99 euros per month without commitment.