This year’s E3 is all about game streaming services, and Bethesda is looking to capitalize on the new trend. To that end, the company is working to integrate new tech into its game engines to heavily reduce the latency inherent in streaming services. Users will be able to test this tech by streaming the 2016 reboot of DOOM on iOS devices later this year, completely free of charge.
Interested gamers can sign up here to be included in the test. They will be notified if they are selected to be part of the beta test group.
Bethesda announced its Orion framework yesterday and stated that Orion should reduce latency by 20% per frame. Orion should also ease the bandwidth strain by up to 40%, which should be music to some users’ ears. If Google’s Stadia and other game streaming services are any indication, gamers will need a constant connection speed between 25-50 Mbps for adequate streaming. In some markets, that means a more expensive plan; in others, it’s not feasible at this time.
Orion will be enmeshed into Bethesda game engines, which should also reduce any latency caused by processing overhead. Direct integration may also make it easier for game developers using a Bethesda engine to improve streaming features in their own games.
The future of gaming certainly looks like it’s heading toward an online software-as-a-service structure. The next year will tell whether or not gamers are on board.
You can sign up for the free DOOM iOS beta here. Streaming for PC and Android should be coming down the pipeline.