Next-Generation Cloud Gaming

云游戏(CG)是一个规模庞大、增长迅速、价值数十亿美元的产业。CG使用户能够在几乎任何设备和任何地方玩高质量的游戏，而不需要高端游戏机或安装/更新软件。这大大增加了潜在的用户数量，从而扩大了市场规模。大多数主要的IT公司都提供云游戏服务，比如索尼PlayStation Now、谷歌Stadia、Nvidia GeForce Now、亚马逊Tempo，以及最近的微软XCloud。在游戏行业中，加拿大传统上是世界上最重要的玩家之一，目前有110多家游戏公司在加拿大运营，其中包括EA、育碧、Rockstar、Square Enix和Capcom。因此，这个话题对加拿大及其博彩业很重要。为了保持在这个市场上的重要地位，加拿大需要提供该领域的尖端技术、知识产权和专业知识。 在这个项目中，我们与AMD Canada合作，目标是设计下一代云游戏系统，优化质量、比特率和延迟，不仅为玩家和观众提高体验质量，还为服务提供商降低成本和最大限度地减少资源。与CG硬件/系统提供商AMD合作是一个极好的机会，可以推动这一主题的最新技术，造福加拿大公司和博彩业。这项提案中的想法是由PIS和多名AMD研究人员和工程师共同开发的。所有建议的想法对于改进AMD提供的实际产品和服务都很重要，例如AMD Radeon Sky系列显卡和AMD RapidFire软件开发工具包(SDK)。将在该项目期间开发的算法和模型将为AMD和其他在这个快速增长的云游戏市场工作的加拿大公司提供竞争优势。

Cloud gaming (CG) is a large, rapidly growing, multi-billion-dollar industry. CG enables users to play high-quality games on virtually any device and anywhere, without the need for high-end gaming consoles or installing/updating software. This significantly increases the potential number of users and thus the market size. Most major IT companies offer cloud gaming services, such as Sony PlayStation Now, Google Stadia, Nvidia GeForce Now, Amazon Tempo, and recently Microsoft xCloud. Within the gaming industry, Canada has traditionally been one of the significant players in the world, with over 110 gaming companies currently operating in Canada, including EA, Ubisoft, Rockstar, Square Enix, and Capcom. The topic is therefore important to Canada and its gaming industry. To stay a significant player in this market, Canada needs to offer leading edge technologies, intellectual property, and expertise in the subject. In this project, we partner with AMD Canada with the goal of designing next-generation cloud gaming systems that optimize the quality, bitrate, and delay, to not only improve the quality of experience for both players and viewers, but also to reduce the cost and minimize resources for service providers. Collaborating with AMD, a CG hardware/system provider, is an excellent opportunity to advance the state-of-the-art in this subject for the benefit of Canadian companies and the gaming industry. The ideas in this proposal were jointly developed by the PIs and multiple AMD researchers and engineers. All proposed ideas are important for the improvement of actual products and services offered by AMD, such as the AMD Radeon Sky Series Graphics Cards and the AMD RapidFire Software Development Kit (SDK). The algorithms and models that will be developed during this project will give a competitive edge to AMD and other Canadian companies working in this rapidly growing cloud gaming market.