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This is pointless and nothing new. Remote desktop in the browser has never been an issue, so obviously playing games isn't an issue either. The pointless part

This is pointless and nothing new. Remote desktop in the browser has never been an issue, so obviously playing games isn't an issue either. The pointless part is that he's connecting to a "server" that's next to him, not in a DC in London. I guess if you really wanted to play GTA V on the toilet, on your phone, it solves the issue - but really...

andybak 11y ago
Nothing is new. It's simply a case of joining the dots. 1. AWS can run Windows and therefore Steam. Nothing new. 2. Steam home streaming works over VPN. Nothing new. 3. VNC can stream games. Nothing new. etc. But put all these pieces together and the first person to wrap it up and make sure all the legal parts are in place might make a fortune.
- mryan 11y ago
  I agree with your point - as hackers, we are often too quick to dismiss something as "nothing new" because we have seen something similar before ("I don't need Dropbox, I have rsync"). That being said, in this case these three dots have been joined up multiple times already, so there really is nothing new here. The interesting challenge is in reducing latency so that remote games are actually playable when the server is not on the same LAN.
  - abluecloud 11y ago
    This is my point, it's been done. The problem that still exists is the lag you'll get when not playing at your house, so nothing has changed. Apparently people don't get that. Now, if he gets this running between his house and work, I'll be give him some credit.
    - rrss1122 11y ago
      I'm sure he's holding his breath waiting for your credit.
      - abluecloud 11y ago
        great riposte.
- abluecloud 11y ago
  What are you talking about, these pieces have already been put together multiple times. http://www.pcworld.com/article/2359241/how-steam-in-home-streaming-can-turn-your-old-laptop-or-windows-tablet-into-a-pc-gaming-force.html http://www.pcworld.com/article/2359241/how-steam-in-home-str... http://shield.nvidia.co.uk/play-pc-games/ http://shield.nvidia.co.uk/play-pc-games/ http://store.steampowered.com/streaming/ http://store.steampowered.com/streaming/ This guy isn't running it from AWS though, like I said. He's running it from a "server" that's right in front of him. By the way, have you ever tried RDCing a remote Windows machine and done some trivial tasks in the GUI?
  - phoboslab 11y ago
    These are not running in the browser, though. And previous Remote Desktop solutions that are viewable in a browser can't handle 60fps (let alone anything >10fps for full motion).
  - SeeDave 11y ago
    >By the way, have you ever tried RDCing a remote Windows machine and done some trivial tasks in the GUI? I have, and the only real issues with latency/bandwidth were with over satellite connections.
    - icebraining 11y ago
      Yeah, I regularly log in to machines in France and Canada and it works fine (on a 50mbps connection, at least).
  - bshep 11y ago
    I actually have an AWS machine that runs Steam + VPN and I can stream games to my home laptop, it works really well. I also have non-steam games that I've added like Star Wars: The Old republic, Starcraft II and Diablo III and they all work well using the same system. The only glitch I've noticed is that if steam starts before the VPN, I have to RDC in and restart steam so it picks up the VPN network. (If anyone has any idea how to fix this I would be very grateful)
adam12 11y ago
> Remote desktop in the browser has never been an issue, so obviously playing games isn't an issue either. at 60 fps? I few years ago I was lucky to get 3 fps from a local server.
vojant 11y ago
Facebook wasn't new, Twitter wasn't new... Sometimes reusing existing components, and making them better is enough to do something great. It doesn't need to be always original work.
rohit89 11y ago
There is definitely a use-case for being able to play wherever without being tied to a location even when at home. Plus the fact that you don't need to install anything on the client machines.
PhasmaFelis 11y ago
> This is pointless and nothing new. Remote desktop in the browser has never been an issue, so obviously playing games isn't an issue either. That is completely wrong. Remote desktop doesn't really care about latency or framerate. The vast majority of updates will change only a few pixels (e.g. moving the cursor or typing a letter), and when fullscreen updates do occur (switching apps), it's okay if it takes a visible fraction of a second for the update to sweep across the screen. Gaming needs to be high-speed, it needs to be low-latency, and it needs to be seamless. 30FPS is an absolute rock-bottom minimum, and gamers are increasingly demanding 60FPS (or more). Some specific genres, like rhythm games, are so sensitive to timing that you can tweak their input-detection settings based on the latency of your television.

andybak 11y ago

Nothing is new. It's simply a case of joining the dots. 1. AWS can run Windows and therefore Steam. Nothing new. 2. Steam home streaming works over VPN. Nothing new. 3. VNC can stream games. Nothing new. etc. But put all these pieces together and the first person to wrap it up and make sure all the legal parts are in place might make a fortune.

mryan 11y ago
I agree with your point - as hackers, we are often too quick to dismiss something as "nothing new" because we have seen something similar before ("I don't need Dropbox, I have rsync"). That being said, in this case these three dots have been joined up multiple times already, so there really is nothing new here. The interesting challenge is in reducing latency so that remote games are actually playable when the server is not on the same LAN.
- abluecloud 11y ago
  This is my point, it's been done. The problem that still exists is the lag you'll get when not playing at your house, so nothing has changed. Apparently people don't get that. Now, if he gets this running between his house and work, I'll be give him some credit.
  - rrss1122 11y ago
    I'm sure he's holding his breath waiting for your credit.
    - abluecloud 11y ago
      great riposte.
abluecloud 11y ago
What are you talking about, these pieces have already been put together multiple times. http://www.pcworld.com/article/2359241/how-steam-in-home-streaming-can-turn-your-old-laptop-or-windows-tablet-into-a-pc-gaming-force.html http://www.pcworld.com/article/2359241/how-steam-in-home-str... http://shield.nvidia.co.uk/play-pc-games/ http://shield.nvidia.co.uk/play-pc-games/ http://store.steampowered.com/streaming/ http://store.steampowered.com/streaming/ This guy isn't running it from AWS though, like I said. He's running it from a "server" that's right in front of him. By the way, have you ever tried RDCing a remote Windows machine and done some trivial tasks in the GUI?
- phoboslab 11y ago
  These are not running in the browser, though. And previous Remote Desktop solutions that are viewable in a browser can't handle 60fps (let alone anything >10fps for full motion).
- SeeDave 11y ago
  >By the way, have you ever tried RDCing a remote Windows machine and done some trivial tasks in the GUI? I have, and the only real issues with latency/bandwidth were with over satellite connections.
  - icebraining 11y ago
    Yeah, I regularly log in to machines in France and Canada and it works fine (on a 50mbps connection, at least).
- bshep 11y ago
  I actually have an AWS machine that runs Steam + VPN and I can stream games to my home laptop, it works really well. I also have non-steam games that I've added like Star Wars: The Old republic, Starcraft II and Diablo III and they all work well using the same system. The only glitch I've noticed is that if steam starts before the VPN, I have to RDC in and restart steam so it picks up the VPN network. (If anyone has any idea how to fix this I would be very grateful)

adam12 11y ago

> Remote desktop in the browser has never been an issue, so obviously playing games isn't an issue either. at 60 fps? I few years ago I was lucky to get 3 fps from a local server.

vojant 11y ago

Facebook wasn't new, Twitter wasn't new... Sometimes reusing existing components, and making them better is enough to do something great. It doesn't need to be always original work.

rohit89 11y ago

There is definitely a use-case for being able to play wherever without being tied to a location even when at home. Plus the fact that you don't need to install anything on the client machines.

PhasmaFelis 11y ago

> This is pointless and nothing new. Remote desktop in the browser has never been an issue, so obviously playing games isn't an issue either. That is completely wrong. Remote desktop doesn't really care about latency or framerate. The vast majority of updates will change only a few pixels (e.g. moving the cursor or typing a letter), and when fullscreen updates do occur (switching apps), it's okay if it takes a visible fraction of a second for the update to sweep across the screen. Gaming needs to be high-speed, it needs to be low-latency, and it needs to be seamless. 30FPS is an absolute rock-bottom minimum, and gamers are increasingly demanding 60FPS (or more). Some specific genres, like rhythm games, are so sensitive to timing that you can tweak their input-detection settings based on the latency of your television.