Liquid sky

Liquidsky:
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Anyone tried it yet?
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Would you try if given a chance?

 

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Get Ready to Launch Into The Brand New LiquidSky!
https://blog.liquidsky.tv/2017/02/24/preparing-launch-get-ready-fly-new-liquidsky/

Spoiler

Get Ready to Launch Into The Brand New LiquidSky!
At CES 2017, we changed gaming forever when we announced that we would be releasing the world’s first FREE Gaming PC. The world has been waiting ever since in anticipation of our upcoming Launch.

Now as March quietly rolls around, the time is almost here to release the brand-new LiquidSky!

That’s why we are pleased to announce that the new LiquidSky will be available for users to download and migrate to on March 7th, 2017!

Users will then receive access to the new SkyComputers featuring a plethora of massive updates such as vGPU upgrades, further reduced latency will be available March 14th, 2017!

Preparing for Launch: Server Maintenance March 7th – March 14th, 2017
In preparation for the New LiquidSky, we will be launching a mandatory account wipe of all SkyComputers on March 7th, in order to upgrade all of our SkyComputers.

All SkyComputers and servers will be upgraded during our system-wide maintenance which will be held from March 7th – March 14th.

During this time, users will not be able to access or create a SkyComputer.

For further details concerning all the new features and updates in the New LiquidSky, please refer to our patch notes below!

RELEASE NOTES V1.0
NEW FEATURES

• Free-To-Play Ad supported model will allow users to earn SkyCredits and use in LiquidSky For Free!
• Two factor authentication for increased account security and overall protection of SkyComputer data
• Increased compatibility with accessories with the addition of USB passthrough support on all SkyComputers
• Seamless updates have been implemented into all SkyComputers allowing for automatic updates that don’t interrupt your gameplay.
• Additional error checking will pinpoint your exact issue for accurate customer support.

PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENTS

• Graphical performance upgrades up to 4x more powerful than the previous client. featuring up to 8GB of vGPU RAM, 12vCPU cores and a massive 32GB of RAM.
• Direct X 12 support has been added to all SkyComputers for further game optimization
• Windows 2016 server functionality has been added for increased performance with many games and increased compatibility with Windows Store/Origin games.
• This fix resolves compatibility issues with most Origin games and previous titles that required Windows 10 to run.

USER EXPERIENCE

• Entirely brand-new user interface promotes clarity, ease and accessibility of all your favorites games and titles from only a click away.
• Updated notification indicators will inform you when you have free SkyCredits available to earn, so you don’t have to keep track.

UPCOMING CHANGES

• SkyLounge implementation which will feature chat channels, friends lists, party systems, lobby games and much more to compliment your PC gaming experience
• Graphical improvements and further optimization fixes for certain titles and games
• Future tools for streaming your gameplay to Twitch.tv, Youtube Gaming and much more!

Follow Us On Social Media!
BE SURE TO FOLLOW US AND STAY UP TO DATE WITH ALL OF OUR GIVEAWAYS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS!

 

If the latency isn't noticeable, this would be cool. I'm skeptical about cloud-based gaming though. I can't help but think of "PlayStation NOW" - not a very pleasant experience.
Only time will tell.

 

It's coming on 14th March

 

I expect it to be a bit broken at launch and it wouldn't surprise me. But whether they turn it into something that works, we'll see.

 

I sincerely hope this thing takes off, with really low latency like @Tanner@XoticPC said, just so I can finally ditch W10 and forever live on Linux.

Edit: Thanks for my first rep btw @hmscott lol.

 

Umm, no. This will never work for PC based games, particularly shooters, heck even RTS or simulators. Unless you have servers very close to your home, and have very good low latency internet, it will be a huge issue. This will only encourage games to ditch keyboard and mouse in favor of a console game controller (yuck). This has been tried many times before and failed. I'm sure it has its place with a particular set of gamers, but for most PC gamers, it's not an option.

People invest thousands of dollars on high refresh, super low response time LCD's, coupled with expensive and fast GPU's and RAM to reduce that response time significantly. Not to mention super high DPI mice for similar reasons. That's an order of magnitude of a few ms gamers fuss over. Now that few ms becomes ten times larger than that or more.

 

10 times larger on average in best case scenario.

The lag spikes are also much, much worse.

Or dual boot a Windows system for gaming only. If rebooting is too much for you, on a system with 2 GPUs you can run a VM.

With cloud gaming you're running a Windows instance remotely anyway.

 

Might depend on the kind of game. I couldn't accept latency in a shooter, but for something like an RPG it becomes a lot less important. To me anyway.

 

https://blog.liquidsky.tv/2017/03/0...content=Body&utm_campaign=EmailNewPlans030917

 

It may work for casual Gaming though
Like some ingame campaign

 

That's what I was thinking. I don't think anyone was expecting to be able to play demanding quick reaction time games on it.

 

It looks like they are serious about trying to cover low end through high end gaming:

 

Is 32GB RAM really needed for one game?

 

Was wondering that too, as well as the higher core count.

It almost looks like Server VM resource level pricing, rather than game station specific resources.

LS could tune their "VM"'s a little tighter for gaming only reservations.

 

I think "12 vCPU Cores" is actually 6C12T.
The RAM capacity on the other side has no excuse.

Did they specify what GPUs are being used and how are those shared among multiple users?

 

I saw them featured on the AMD presentation at GDC and so I think AMD is either available or will be. Both AMD and Nvidia are LiquidSky Partners as listed at the bottom of their website page:
https://liquidsky.tv/en/features

I missed the Alpha/Beta as did so many others, looking forward to seeing how release goes for them, probably check it out much later.

Maybe a delay? Today's the day otherwise:

March 14th is almost upon us, and we are proud to have such an eager and enthusiastic community with us, as we countdown the remaining hours until the New LiquidSky!

Therefore, we would like to take a moment to inform the community on our current status of release.

While we are currently working on the live release of the client, we can confirm that we will not be launching at 12AM EST March 14th, 2017.

The New LiquidSky is due for launch at the EARLIEST at the end of March 14th, 2017.

We will keep the community posted regarding any further updates concerning our official launch around the clock as we strive to bring you the future of cloud gaming.

Thank for your patience, and we looking forward to seeing you in the Sky soon~

-LiquidSky Team
https://community.liquidsky.tv/t/psa-status-update-on-the-new-liquidsky/16705

More info from another user posting in the LiquidSky Community:
https://community.liquidsky.tv/t/just-talked-to-support-not-good-news/16560
"Just talked to Support, not the best of news

• March 14th will only release the Windows updated client. OSX + Android will follow soon after...but no specified time frame.

We are initially releasing the PC Client version first by the 14th and the Mac version and Android version after that. We are doing a staggered release of the client versions to ensure that we are able to be on top of the reported issues per client version instead of being swamped all at once by the possible issues from all the client versions.

• The old client will no longer work...so that means those Android/OSX/Linux users are SOL.
  
  The current version of the Android client will not work after the update. We are working as fast as we can to release the new version for our Android users as well.
  
  
• No new servers.
  
  "We will be sticking with our current severs as of our Mar. 14 launch. We will launch our new servers in a staggered approach so that we can address potential issues for each new server There is no ETA as of the moment which one will come online first and when it will happen."

 

I guess it all depends on the cost. Game consoles are cheap. You can also assemble an inexpensive gaming desktop that can run any game out there at 1080p/60 for under $600, at least for the types of games that users might play on it.

 

True. Like with form factors, there's something for everyone, and I imagine this fits some particular niche of gamers. How large of a group that is and how well the service is implemented will determine how successful it is in the end.

 

The All New LiquidSky: Unexpected Launch Delay Megathread
LiquidSkyJustin Official Community Manager 4h ago
https://community.liquidsky.tv/t/the-all-new-liquidsky-unexpected-launch-delay-megathread/18303

"At this time, we regret to inform the community, that the official Launch for the Brand New LiquidSky has been slightly delayed.

Unfortunately, our partners were unable to prepare our Data Centers in time and our vendors were also unable to keep up with the release of the brand new Client. We were just informed of this delay last night and it was an unforeseen variable that was out of our control.

We are working overtime with our partners to hold them accountable for their errors and ensure that LiquidSky is launched quickly so our users can get back to gaming.

Upon release, all of our Data Centers should also be available for use unless noted otherwise.

When Is The New LiquidSky Being Launched?
While we do not have an exact timeframe, our client is ready to be released and we are simply waiting on our partners to finalize the Data Centers for launch.

At the latest, The New LiquidSky will still be released within the next few days or early next week.

At this time, we'd like to give a personal apology to the community and our users for the delay. We are extremely sorry for the inconvenience and apologize for the extended wait. We are just as excited to be releasing the future of Cloud Gaming and promise that we will work tirelessly day in and day out until we finalize our Official Launch.

Throughout the week, LiquidSky Staff will be available here on the forums answering ANY and ALL questions concerning the Launch.

All status updates concerning the Launch will be made directly on this thread as well.

We thank you again and are extremely proud to have such an eager, enthusiastic and understanding community by our side every step of the way. We are truly thankful for all your support and look forward to bringing you the future of Cloud Gaming soon.

EDIT: Delays are no fun, so stay tuned as we have plenty of fun events lined up to pass the time until the release of the Brand New LiquidSky!

Be sure to stay tuned to the forums and our social channels to be a part of the fun! "

Spoiler: Additional details

https://www.reddit.com/r/LiquidSky/comments/5zjty4/jason_explains_why_liquidsky_is_late/

Spoiler: Earlier Delay Message

Launch Day Update: The Future of Cloud Gaming is Almost Here!
LiquidSkyJustin Official Community Manager 1d ago
https://community.liquidsky.tv/t/launch-day-update-the-future-of-cloud-gaming-is-almost-here/17579

With over 1.5 million users and the world in anticipation, we are proud to be releasing the future of Cloud Gaming with the Brand-New LiquidSky!
However, due to unforeseen circumstances in finalizing various performance upgrades/optimizations, The Brand New LiquidSky will NOT be released on March 14th, 2017.
While our release has been delayed, our additional client optimizations and performance upgrades will ensure that your experience in LiquidSky features even faster speeds, better graphical performance and even further reduced latency!

Here at LiquidSky, we are working tirelessly around the clock, to ensure that we can provide our users with only the BEST cloud gaming experience no matter what it takes.

LiquidSky will continue to provide updates on this announcement page as our situation develops, and updates will be posted across all of our social channels as well.

We'd like to extend a personal thank you to the community for their patience and we look forward to providing you with a product that gamers everywhere can enjoy!

Thank you and see you in the Sky soon!

-LiquidSky Team

 

Still coming soon...

Spoiler: Delay Update Edits...

EDIT: Delays are no fun, so stay tuned as we have plenty of fun events lined up to pass the time until the release of the Brand New LiquidSky!

Be sure to stay tuned to the forums and our social channels to be a part of the fun!

EDIT 2: For our users waiting, we can now confirm that our Data Centers will be operational and come online next week. Therefore, The New LiquidSky will be launching next week and our client will become available for download on our site after our official release.

Users will be able to connect to our Frankfurt, San Jose, London, Milan, D.C and Dallas Data Centers and begin logging into their SkyComputers following our release.

Our Data Centers in Mexico, Chennai, Sydney, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Seoul and San Paulo will slowly become available over the next two weeks. Updates regarding the availability of these servers will be made periodically upon release.

EDIT 3: As an update, LiquidSky is still currently on track for an official release later this week. Our Data Centers are finally in the midst of being brought online and the brand new LiquidSky will be AVAILABLE this week.

While we are a small development team, we are working tirelessly around the clock and are extremely grateful for the patience and support of our community. We are extremely sorry for the delays of our Launch as we intended on releasing LiquidSky much sooner to our users and community.

However, we hope that you will be as excited as we are to experience the brand new LiquidSky! We look forward to seeing you in the Sky soon!

EDIT 4: For those who are unaware, our new website is now up and available featuring additional information regarding our upcoming Launch.

Our new website can be located at https://liquidsky.com357.

Once our client is released, you will be able to download it from the link above.
https://community.liquidsky.tv/t/the-all-new-liquidsky-unexpected-launch-delay-megathread/18303/1159

 

It's been a bit long of a delay, I think it's time...

 

Side note, I love how futuristic devices are always lit like gaming PCs.

 

Wow, the download just came up for me - I had to exit and reenter my browser to have the Windows download show for me.

I'm not going to have time to play with it, but thought you would like to know LiquidSky is up and available

The Brand New LiquidSky Launch Day FAQ
https://blog.liquidsky.tv/2017/03/23/brand-new-liquidsky-launch-day-faq/

 

If anyone tried it yet then please give your opinion upon it

 

It doesn't look like it is working well yet, but I didn't read a lot of reports, found this one right off:

Missing features / Errors / Problems with LiquidSky 2.0
https://community.liquidsky.tv/t/missing-features-errors-problems-with-liquidsky-2-0/22319

Lots of good details in his posts, and he keeps updating.

If you want to track the issues check out the rest of the forums, sign up and interact there for detailed help on Liquid Sky.

LiquidSky Scheduled Patch Release Within the Next 24 Hours
https://community.liquidsky.tv/t/liquidsky-upcoming-scheduled-patch/23774/10

" LiquidSkyJustinOfficial Community Manager

We can confirm that these bugs will be fixed in our upcoming update.

Our data centers are not full, but users are receiving this error due to an authentication error in the client.

Clients were also logged out every 20 minutes due to a "timeout timer" bug that was left in the client upon release.

Both of these will be fixed in our upcoming patch."

It's very early days, likely lots of bugs in the clients and server will be found and fixed, I'd look at it like an early paid beta. There is an Ad Class account for no cost as well.

 

Good to see they're actively patching it at least.

 

A great solution for gaming on the go tho.

Tried it on my Chromebook using my schools gigabite internet, and man, I am maxing out - the one issue is that, you can max all you wan't but the experience isn't near the same as having your own machine.

Games like CSGO which live off the slightest input delays become.. annoying - but other than that, it is a great concept, I can see this become a potential future solution for gaming on the go

 

How about the experience in games like witcher 3 or watchdogs or even GTA 5?

 

Work flawlessly, I don't have Witcher 3 tho.

I'd advice lurking on subreddit page for feedback from users and employees alike

 

I'd 2nd the reddit, and add going direct to the LiquidSky Community forums:
https://community.liquidsky.tv/

Spoiler

 

Ah true, completely forgot that.

They have recently (after their relaunch) devoted a lot of time to help people on their own forums.

Also 1 more thing, your internet speeds dictates how good the latency is between your client and their virtualized WS, in all essence the only thing you have to worry about is a low ping and a decent connection. The machines they have are connected to blazingly fast interwebz so no problem on their end.

 

Likely better for slower paced games, RPGs and the like.

 

It could be that this mode of mobile gaming, accessible by phone, tablet, low performance mobile (slim) laptop / tablet 2 in 1 hardware could push forward gaming that fits the distributed model.

Growth based on revenue shapes products over time, and people really want slim hardware for mobile, and at the same time want the better visuals and gaming that require high performance CPU / GPU - what better way to provide it?

This could affect long term the need for bulky high performance laptops for gaming while at the same time open up high performance gaming to a wider audience.

We need a new generation of distributed application protocols to allow high speed low latency interaction at the client side, removing latency from the equation.

It's likely not doable given what tools we have today. This is a huge opportunity moving forward. But, so has it been since I first did research on this in the early 80's. Higher speed and lower latency networking has pushed off the need for this for a long time.

Now that we have such high performance GPU / CPU hardware for mobile, it's tipping the performance balance back toward the client side - but only for fat full sized laptops.

We still don't have a slim high performance solution, and I don't see anything coming soon to change that.

Someone's gotta take the initiative to develop gaming paradigm's in parallel with new toolkit's to split the rendering load while simultaneously keeping the low latency low response time interactions on the client side.

IDK what LS's model is completely yet, maybe it's still evolving, but they gotta be thinking about this need and looking for a solution - or even better, developing it themselves.

 

This is not going to work smoothly over the Internet any time soon, but they could potentially learn from VR, which let the HMD device perform the final warp on the rendered frame using new gyro data. Pushing the idea a bit further, how about programming the client to do a screen space 3D warp using locally calculated physical data?

 

That is a lot of buzzwords.

If I understand you correctly, that would require a fiber connection, as you would prefer minimum latency for best performance. Again, this is where the end user is essentially the one that has to figure their preferences out.

 

@jaug1337

There was a typo. It's "warp", not "wrap".

A faster connection will always be better. But client side warping is done to make the lag more tolerable whether it's VR or cloud gaming. It doesn't require a specific level of connection. Adding depth into the equation doesn't change the big picture. (There is at least 25% bandwidth loss going from RGB to RGBZ, probably more than that, but not on a level where going from normal wideband/mobile to fiber is required.)

BTW, fiber helps with bandwidth, which may not have much impact on latency unless you have a bottleneck nearby. Though for cloud gaming higher bandwidth might result in lower compression lag. Warping also works better when the image is not badly compressed.

 

Once the tech is in place, it will come down to how many users still are unwilling to let whether or not they can play a game depend on circumstances beyond their control, like ISP connection issues, server uptime, etc. I know the idea of having to be online to play single player games for DRM or whatever is still a very sore spot with a lot of people.

 

How about a personal server? Even local connectivity within one's home is attractive to plenty of people. Office workers also don't mind being able to game during the lunch break when the work PC isn't up to the task. The latency shouldn't be too bad when both ends are located in the same city.

Besides, if cloud gaming does take off, then the distributor might consider offering a subscription that applies to both local and cloud installs.

 

That's a good solution, especially if your city has a robust fiber network.

 

That's an interesting idea, to provide both local run and distributed run game installs, but the distributed install scenario is going to depend on an infrastructure server to provide compute and render service for the games.

For a service like LiquidSky, the LiquidSky proprietary server software would need to be installed on your home server, work server, as well as their own servers to provide a working home for those game installs to support local and remote access.

That would be an awesome architectural offering, run anywhere gaming with client software for display on your PC / Console, and server software for hosting the rendering and compute loads.

The current web browser client is a pale shadow of what we all could be using for distributed computing.

 

Would still depend on available bandwidth, not everyone can host a node at home.

 

You would "host" it for yourself and your home only. Essentially installing on your desktop / home theatre PC (Console?), and then run to any device with the client software to display the game locally.

Bandwidth at home should be much higher than your Internet connection, perhaps almost as good as a local install on your display device.

I would be akin to the Nvidia solution, playing PC games on your handheld, but with hopefully better display device integration to reduce lag even further.

 

Haven't tried the Shield type apps, but I've heard at least on those that input lag is acceptably low.

 

There is still one missing link (pun intended). I'm not sure about Liquid Sky, but in some early attempts at cloud gaming, serious custom-built hardware was used for compression to keep the latency low. Replicating that functionality at home isn't easy. (This is different from NV Shield PC streaming or Steam Link where the higher bandwidth available through a local connection makes compression easier.) Even if no extra hardware is required, compression might eat a large chunk of the GPU's throughput, leaving less for rendering,

Bandwidth at home should not be a major issue for most people provided they can watch/stream high-definition video content without buffering. The same applies to the client side.

 

Did they mention how they're handling it in the current client? It sounds like compression is occurring on server and user side but I can't tell.