Android Gaming In The Cloud

The beauty of gaming in the cloud means games can be played from anywhere. NVIDIA recently released GRID BETA app available free for Android 4.1 and up at the Google Play Store. Android users can find that there are a variety of Android devices compatible with streaming games. NVIDIA SHIELD was displayed earlier this year at CE3. The future is through GRID streaming to a variety of devices including SHIELD and Android Tablets. The foundation of these cloud gaming servers are the GRID K520 and K340 boards. It is the first dedicated cloud gaming platform.

Grid Beta

The NVIDIA GRID cloud gaming beta is only available exclusively to SHIELD owners in Northern California. Android users can instantly stream high-quality PC games to SHIELD. The GRID beta app is available with SHIELD Software Update 65, or for download from the Google Play store. The app will run a network test when you launch it and may issue warning messages or prevent play if it finds any problems with your network connection to the GRID servers.

NVIDIA CLOUD GRID gaming app for Android requires a gaming portable Internet connection with at least a 10 Mbps download speed, Home network with 40 ms or less ping time to the GRID cloud gaming servers in San Jose, CA, NVIDIA GameStream™-Ready 5 GHz Wi-Fi router. There is also a SHIELD Software Update 65 available for download from the Google Play store. The company states, the app will run a network test when launched and may issue warning messages or prevent play if it finds any problems with a network connection to the GRID servers.

The future of Android Gaming remains growing and popular. Android fragmentation is still present. Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang stated "Android is the most disruptive operating system that we've seen in a few decades, in a couple of decades," Android is not just about phones," “We believe that Android is going to be a very important platform for gaming in the future, and to do so we have to create devices that enable great gaming to happen on Android." "Android is probably the most versatile operating system that we've ever known." The market expects the worldwide gaming platform for Android to expand in particular areas within Asia.

IDC reports, “The number of paying smartphone and tablet gamers will surpass the number of paying GOH gamers worldwide in 2013 and rise at a rapid rate through 2017. The number of GOH bundles shipped, meanwhile, should fall at an average of nearly 7% per year over the next five years. “ According to IDC, “Total mobile/portable gaming revenue, including digital and packaged game software, GOH hardware bundles, and direct advertising revenue going to platform suppliers and game developers/publishers, is forecast to approach $23 billion in 2017.”

The California limitation is due to NVIDIA GRID servers being located in San Jose, CA. Android users need a ping time of 40 ms or less to the GRID data center, as well as at least a 10 Mbps Internet download speed. The company also stated it is also possible that Android users outside of the area, with a fast enough internet connection, can meet these requirements and participate but we expect the best experience in Northern California.

The free beta period will last for at least three months.