Server -> thin client gaming setup?

lopkinfop

lopkinfop

lopkinfop

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i'm not sure if this is the right place for it but does anyone know if it would be possible to setup a server that could serve games to say 3-8 PC's simultaneously.

would the network speed be too slow, even with a gb port in the server per client (i.e. 3 gb network cards to serve 3 client computers)

if it is possible would the server need to process the graphics or would the client machine do that

i know the cost of something like this would be pretty huge but just a hypothetical
 
If the game being served required high performance, as most 3D games would, it's not that feasible. The graphics processing would have to be done locally for usable performance, at which point the client becomes much less thin.
 
typically, thin-client architecture is just that, thin... i.e. the end machine is really basic because everything is done server-side. for example, with terminal service and citrix the only things processed by the client are the receiving of screen refreshes and the sending of key strokes.

there is, however, another angle to attack this from. and that is running multiple screens, keyboards and mice all from the same base unit. the name of this 'technology' is on the tip of my tongue - i'm thinking multi-head, but there is a more polished term for it. anyway, it effectively is one beefy pc with lots of graphics cards and usb ports for keyboards and mice. the operating system then provides multiple concurrent sessions. an example of this is here. the issue you are going to encounter is that i dont think there is *any* way windows could do this, so your only other option is open-source... so for a gaming machine you might immediately be off to a non-starter.

i saw a *really* good website for this but i cant remember what it was called, when i find it i will post back.
 
atomiser said:
i'm thinking multi-head, but there is a more polished term for it. anyway, it effectively is one beefy pc with lots of graphics cards and usb ports for keyboards and mice. the operating system then provides multiple concurrent sessions. an example of this is here.
Click to expand...
The rough part there is that the game would then have to run on the Linux machine, which restricts game selection to a few titles.

The cost difference between 6 standard gaming PCs and the contents of 6 gaming machines in one machine and some other machines to take care of communication with the server would seem to be an uneconomical choice.
 
BillytheImpaler said:
The rough part there is that the game would then have to run on the Linux machine, which restricts game selection to a few titles.

The cost difference between 6 standard gaming PCs and the contents of 6 gaming machines in one machine and some other machines to take care of communication with the server would seem to be an uneconomical choice.
Click to expand...

oh, i agree with you entirely, merely posting it as an option as i thought it was a cool way to utilise a single base unit! plus i already mentioned about open-source limitations! ;)
 
I look after a typical terminal services / thin client environment and in this kind of setup what you want to achieve isn't possible, you can just about run multiple flash type games over lan bandwidth smoothly which is the killer for rdp.. bandwidth and like others posted above normal thin client hardware is very basic.. - however I did see something at an exhibition recently where some 3rd party software installed on one XP desktop (core2 reasonable spec with multiple graphics cards) which allowed up to 6 different pcs to act as slaves running their own copy of XP 32bit off the one host - each was independant just a usb keyboard and mouse to each station with a vga connection going back to the host which seemed pretty neat; (this wasn't typical vm desktops) so that may work but I doubt it for gaming purposes!

Ill see if I can find the link to the company that produces it, you never know ..
 
That's the niggle. Under Linux, this sort of thing becomes a bit more practicable; using many machines to play one game or using one machine to play many games (as mentioned above). Since most games require Windows, you are left with just a few solutions. Add that to the economics of it and I an led to conclude that it would not be the best idea. :)
 
it was more of a hypothetical than a serious consideration, something that popped in my head today for some reason

would older games work, say mid to late 90's games (starcraft, C&C, etc) on either of those (server-thin client or single machine-multi head)
 
This is the exact opposite of what you propose:
http://www.plastk.net/highres/24mon/

quakefrontbr2.jpg

Anybody interested in Quake 3 running at 10240x3072?
:P
 
That is awesome! The future of gaming?

just needs some good surround sound speakers at full volume

or another 24 monitors to compleatly surround you and floor pads for movement and a gun controller
 
lopkinfop said:
That is awesome! The future of gaming?

just needs some good surround sound speakers at full volume

or another 24 monitors to compleatly surround you and floor pads for movement and a gun controller
Click to expand...

Not quite the future of gaming. The middle of the screen where the crosshair would be is split between multiple screens, might make it a bit difficult to aim when sat close. Otherwise, that is a sweet setup.
 
Yeah, sat far enough away it wouldn't be much of a problem, although there are little gaps between the screens of that setup. I have a dual monitor setup on a dual arm and it theres a little gap between them it becomes very annoying.
 
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