A system and method of playing a video game in a streaming mode includes executing a selected video game on an assigned game server, receiving execution control signals corresponding to user inputs to a client device to generate multiple video frames. Encoding the video frames in a shared hardware compression. Some of the encoded video frames depend on a preceding frame. A first and a second encoded video frame are transmitted to the client device. A first feedback signal from a decoder in the client device identifies that the second encoded video frame was not received the decoder. A third encoded video frame dependency is adjusted to produce an adjusted third encoded video frame that depends from the first encoded video frame and the adjusted third encoded video frame is transmitted to the client device.

An apparatus for managing an online game. The apparatus including a processor and a memory. The processor is configured to identify a set of client devices engaged in an online game; identify game parameters associated with client devices in the set; define group of client devices from the set of client devices, wherein the at least one group of client devices includes client devices with similar game parameter; determine communication latency between each of the client devices in the group of client devices and a server; define subgroup of client devices from each of the group of client devices, wherein the subgroup of client devices includes client devices with a similar communication latency; and enable the client devices in the subgroup of client devices to engage in a game session of the online game.

The present invention relates to an application that is configured to be operated in a multi-participant environment on a computer network. The application manages participants in an online session of a multi-user application so that if one of the participants exits the session, the session can continue without interruption. The application initiates an online session of the multi-user application, wherein the online session includes two or more participants comprised of network computers that are communicatively linked to a computer network. If the application detects that a first participant has disconnected from the online session, wherein the first participant is responsible for managing certain managerial functionality associated with the running of the multi-user application, then the application broadcasts a notification to existing participants of the online session over the communication network, thereby notifying the existing participants that the first participant has disconnected from the online session. The initiating application then re-assigns the functionality associated with the first participant to an existing participant of the online session. The participants can be communicating in a peer-to-peer arrangement or can be performing server duties in a client-server arrangement.

A lag detection method includes: obtaining a first image frame and a second image frame in a running process of an application; converting a difference image between the first image frame and the second image frame into a grayscale image; determining, according to grayscale values of pixels in the grayscale image, whether a lag occurs from the first image frame to the second image frame in the running process of the application. A difference image between two image frames in a process video is converted into a grayscale image, and a lag situation between the two image frames is determined by using the grayscale image, so that the lag situation can be determined without the need of obtaining an FPS value in a running process of a terminal application.

An apparatus for managing an online game. The apparatus including a processor and a memory. The processor is configured to identify a set of client devices engaged in an online game; identify game parameters associated with client devices in the set; define group of client devices from the set of client devices, wherein the at least one group of client devices includes client devices with similar game parameter; determine communication latency between each of the client devices in the group of client devices and a server; define subgroup of client devices from each of the group of client devices, wherein the subgroup of client devices includes client devices with a similar communication latency; and enable the client devices in the subgroup of client devices to engage in a game session of the online game.

A method for cloud gaming. The method including generating a video frame when executing a video game at a server, wherein the video frame is stored in a frame buffer. The method including determining a maximum pixel clock for a chip-set including a scan-out block. The method including determining a frame rate setting based on the maximum pixel clock and an image size of a target display of a client. The method including determining a speed setting value for the chip-set. The method including scanning the video frame into the scan-out block from the frame buffer. The method including scanning-out the video frame from the scan-out block to the encoder at the speed setting value.

A method is disclosed including setting, at a server, a server VSYNC signal to a server VSYNC frequency defining a plurality of frame periods. The server VSYNC signal corresponding to generation of a plurality of video frames at the server during the plurality of frame periods. The method including setting, at a client, a client VSYNC signal to a client VSYNC frequency. The method including sending a plurality of compressed video frames based on the plurality of video frames from the server to the client over a network using the server VSYNC signal. The method including decoding and displaying, at the client, the plurality of compressed video frames. The method including analyzing the timing of one or more client operations to set the amount of frame buffering used by the client, as the client receives the plurality of compressed video frames.

Client machines running game executables of a video game(s) may utilize a file system proxy component that is configured to track read operations made by the game executable during a game session, to generate access data based on the tracked read operations, and to report the access data to a remote system. This telemetry approach allows the remote system to collect access data reported by multiple client machines, to catalogue the access data according to client system configuration, and to analyze the access data to generate data that is usable by client machines to implement various game-related features including, without limitation, “instant play” of video games, discarding of unused blocks of game data to free up local memory resources, and/or local prefetching of game data for reducing latency during gameplay.

An apparatus for managing an online game. The apparatus including a processor and a memory. The processor is configured to identify a set of client devices engaged in an online game; identify game parameters associated with client devices in the set; define group of client devices from the set of client devices, wherein the at least one group of client devices includes client devices with similar game parameter; determine communication latency between each of the client devices in the group of client devices and a server; define subgroup of client devices from each of the group of client devices, wherein the subgroup of client devices includes client devices with a similar communication latency; and enable the client devices in the subgroup of client devices to engage in a game session of the online game.

This document relates to techniques for addressing disruptions that prevent applications from receiving user input, prevent users from providing input to an application, and/or prevents or impacts users from receiving application output. One example method involves detecting a disruption to an interactive application during interaction by a user with the interactive application, generating automated user inputs, and providing the automated user inputs to the interactive application during the disruption to the interactive application.