GAF machine
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Running PS3 games isn't all that makes this PS5 unique. A form of PS3 distributed computing is another of its capabilities that SIE will likely leverage in executing their "unique" cloud-gaming strategy. The specifics of the strategy are unclear, but a third application detailing a distributed game engine and a fourth application detailing AI prediction in a distributed game engine may give a little visibility into the server blades that underpin the strategy.
These server blades rack into a game cloud system (GCS) that entries [0033] and [0039] of the second application in Part I say can distribute an MMO game engine across a region or around the world. Notably, the third application discusses distributing a cloud-native game engine on server hardware that FIG. 11 associates with a PS3 labeled '1100'. The fourth application continues the subject of distributed game engines, but in the context of running distributed AI prediction on server hardware associated with a PS3 illustrated in FIG. 7 labeled '700'. In both instances, the GCS server blades are associated with the same PS3 illustration that game console 1400 (i.e., the PS3-like PS5 in part I) is associated with, even though FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B of the fourth application show GCS server blades (i.e., Node A and Node 1, respectively) having dual CPUs like device 600 (i.e., game console 1400 with a different label).
Other details about the GCS suggest that it's a cross between LANL's Roadrunner and Sony/Terra Soft's PS3-based E.coli and Amoeba compute clusters. Details about the GCS server blade in particular read like it's SIE's take on a Roadrunner compute node, but with a console GPU added to solve LANL's equation.
A fuller picture of what the GCS is and does appears to be it's a CELL-accelerated system governed by AI (AI details are in entries [0081] and [0090] of this fifth application) that's designed to distribute cloud-native single-player, multi-player or MMO game engines across a centralized cluster(s) or distributed network of CELL-integrated PS5 server blades. The system's AI is also distributed across these blades, and each blade's AI agent allocates compute/rendering resources between blades and makes predictions about what will happen in the next frame before players send their inputs. If their guesses match player inputs, they keep processing their predicted frames. If no match, they abort their frames and start processing new ones based on player inputs. They do this in order to give players the perception of reduced input latency. It's the stuff of Ken Kutaragi's dreams and Stadia's promise.
It's also the stuff of Kazunori Yamauchi's dreams. Back when PS3 was novel, Polyphony Digital demoed GT5 Prologue's engine running distributed across four networked PS3s. A couple years later, Kazunori Yamauchi tweeted that he wanted to include a free-roaming mode in GT5 but couldn't in time for launch. I think Yamauchi still wants to do it for GT, but that he'll wait for the GCS to become available so that he can evolve GT live service into a cloud-native photo-realistically rendered fully simulated "GT World" brimming with visitors, live spectators, competitive racers, human motorists and NPC motorists governed by a smarter GT Sophy. That would be the perfect coming together of Yamauchi's long held desire and Kutaragi's hope to see (as told to PCWatch) Polyphony Digital create "a cyber world with more than 1,000 Cells, or thousands of them" (translated by DeepL).
In all likelihood, The GCS is still a FTG work in progress. The people working on it are former Gaikai, so they date back to a time when David Perry (Gaikai) thought cloud-native games were the future, and Tom Paquin (OnLive) had ideas for a GCS type of machine that could run the best looking/simulated game worlds in the cloud.
Today's infrastructure makes their ideas more feasible than ever. As does PSN, which will likely lock GCS games behind a PS Plus sub. This is hinted at in entries [0071], [0075] and [0076] of the third application which give the example that when players log in to play a GCS game, the GCS determines how many sever nodes should be assigned to each player based on their subscription tier (e.g., level 1/Essential = 2 nodes, level 2/Extra = 3 nodes and level 3/Premium = 4 nodes).
It seems sure that SIE will add PS5 game streaming and cloud-native games that rival the CG performances of film to PS Plus in the future.
[Part I]
[Part III]
These server blades rack into a game cloud system (GCS) that entries [0033] and [0039] of the second application in Part I say can distribute an MMO game engine across a region or around the world. Notably, the third application discusses distributing a cloud-native game engine on server hardware that FIG. 11 associates with a PS3 labeled '1100'. The fourth application continues the subject of distributed game engines, but in the context of running distributed AI prediction on server hardware associated with a PS3 illustrated in FIG. 7 labeled '700'. In both instances, the GCS server blades are associated with the same PS3 illustration that game console 1400 (i.e., the PS3-like PS5 in part I) is associated with, even though FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B of the fourth application show GCS server blades (i.e., Node A and Node 1, respectively) having dual CPUs like device 600 (i.e., game console 1400 with a different label).
Other details about the GCS suggest that it's a cross between LANL's Roadrunner and Sony/Terra Soft's PS3-based E.coli and Amoeba compute clusters. Details about the GCS server blade in particular read like it's SIE's take on a Roadrunner compute node, but with a console GPU added to solve LANL's equation.
A fuller picture of what the GCS is and does appears to be it's a CELL-accelerated system governed by AI (AI details are in entries [0081] and [0090] of this fifth application) that's designed to distribute cloud-native single-player, multi-player or MMO game engines across a centralized cluster(s) or distributed network of CELL-integrated PS5 server blades. The system's AI is also distributed across these blades, and each blade's AI agent allocates compute/rendering resources between blades and makes predictions about what will happen in the next frame before players send their inputs. If their guesses match player inputs, they keep processing their predicted frames. If no match, they abort their frames and start processing new ones based on player inputs. They do this in order to give players the perception of reduced input latency. It's the stuff of Ken Kutaragi's dreams and Stadia's promise.
It's also the stuff of Kazunori Yamauchi's dreams. Back when PS3 was novel, Polyphony Digital demoed GT5 Prologue's engine running distributed across four networked PS3s. A couple years later, Kazunori Yamauchi tweeted that he wanted to include a free-roaming mode in GT5 but couldn't in time for launch. I think Yamauchi still wants to do it for GT, but that he'll wait for the GCS to become available so that he can evolve GT live service into a cloud-native photo-realistically rendered fully simulated "GT World" brimming with visitors, live spectators, competitive racers, human motorists and NPC motorists governed by a smarter GT Sophy. That would be the perfect coming together of Yamauchi's long held desire and Kutaragi's hope to see (as told to PCWatch) Polyphony Digital create "a cyber world with more than 1,000 Cells, or thousands of them" (translated by DeepL).
In all likelihood, The GCS is still a FTG work in progress. The people working on it are former Gaikai, so they date back to a time when David Perry (Gaikai) thought cloud-native games were the future, and Tom Paquin (OnLive) had ideas for a GCS type of machine that could run the best looking/simulated game worlds in the cloud.
Today's infrastructure makes their ideas more feasible than ever. As does PSN, which will likely lock GCS games behind a PS Plus sub. This is hinted at in entries [0071], [0075] and [0076] of the third application which give the example that when players log in to play a GCS game, the GCS determines how many sever nodes should be assigned to each player based on their subscription tier (e.g., level 1/Essential = 2 nodes, level 2/Extra = 3 nodes and level 3/Premium = 4 nodes).
It seems sure that SIE will add PS5 game streaming and cloud-native games that rival the CG performances of film to PS Plus in the future.
[Part I]
[Part III]
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