The Power of the Cloud and How It Helps Titanfall

Last Updated: April 4, 2014

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One of the most controversial topics in the gaming community right now is the Xbox One’s use of cloud computing, so we really hope you don’t start arguments in the comments just because we mentioned the notorious cloud. Some people feel the cloud will make the Xbox One more powerful than anyone expected. On the other end of the spectrum, some people don’t believe the cloud exists at all, and think it’s just a word being tossed around by Microsoft with nothing behind it.

Time will tell, but yesterday at Build 2014, Microsoft held a demonstration in which two versions of a video were shown: one on a high-powered PC, and the other using the cloud. The cloud held onto a frame rate of 32 FPS, even when the PC dropped to 2 FPS. Check out the comparison for yourself.

Now, one of the big concerns with cloud gaming is that you have to have a strong Internet connection for it to work, but according to Xbox Partner Development Lead Frank Savage, it might not be as big a deal as you think. He described a project that included 480,000 asteroids. The cloud gave data to the console to allow it to keep the asteroid simulation accurate. He said that if you lost your Internet connection, it would take about two hours without the Internet for the asteroids to get significantly out of orbit. Of course, the reason the asteroid simulation works that way is because the asteroids move slowly.

Savage also discussed how Titanfall makes use of the cloud. The world of Titanfall is always running on the cloud, though to be honest, we still aren’t entirely sure what that means.

It should be interesting to see where Microsoft goes with this. The new Xbox leader, Phil Spencer, certainly understands players’ doubt about the cloud, as he promised on Twitter that further demonstrations will be coming. He also hinted that the footage of the building being destroyed is more than just a demonstration video.

What do you think about the cloud?