Taking Shaga as an example, explore the implementation path of DePIN+ cloud gaming in emerging markets

Author｜Joey Shin @IOSG

The pain points and opportunities of cloud gaming

The rapid development of cloud gaming has always faced a difficult problem: even with continuous advancement of technology, inherent flaws in centralized architectures still lead to significant delays. Data shows that traditional cloud gaming services will increase latency by 40-150 milliseconds compared to local operation, an increase of 85%-800%.

For the best experience, physical distance and network distribution are crucial – deploying game nodes near end users can significantly reduce latency. However, building large data centers everywhere is both inefficient and expensive.

Industry status

Google has tried to solve this problem through the cloud gaming platform Stadia. Although Stadia's failure can be attributed to multiple factors such as marketing mistakes and mismatch of user demands, the core reason that is often overlooked is that the technical commitments have not been fulfilled. The "negative delay" it claims cannot be achieved under the existing technology architecture. After all, delay is ultimately limited by the objective laws of physical distance.

There are many similar situations. As far as Xbox Cloud alone is concerned, it has 40 million users, but it has latency issues due to its dependence on a centralized data center, which is often low in usage and far away from users. This solution is still "enough" for some casual or stand-alone games, but it is obviously insufficient for competitive or multiplayer players who pursue the ultimate immersive experience.

Advantages of P2P network

The particularity of cloud gaming makes it an ideal test site for distributed networks:

1. Shortening physical distance and optimizing network distribution are keys to reducing latency
2. Cloud gaming can provide quality services without huge hardware equipment

This is exactly the advantage of P2P networks over centralized cloud services: on the one hand, P2P nodes can be closer to end users; on the other hand, they can provide high-quality services without the need for expensive large data centers - consumer-grade hardware, and can cover areas that are difficult to reach in traditional data centers.

Market supply adaptation

According to Canalys data, there are 2 billion gaming PCs available worldwide, with 100 million new gaming PCs added each year. Although PC production continues to grow, the utilization rate of equipment for entertainment uses has not increased simultaneously. Meanwhile, demand for gaming is growing exponentially.

The contradiction between idle high-performance equipment and the surge in gaming demand has created opportunities for P2P cloud gaming networks: by integrating idle computing resources, it provides services to players who need low-cost and high-quality game access (especially emerging market users who are difficult to afford professional equipment).

Therefore, we believe that edge computing and low-latency cloud gaming are expected to become mainstream game distribution methods, just like streaming media platforms making content distribution more flexible and convenient.

Shaga's solution

Shaga is the DePIN product of Solana ecosystem, focusing on achieving minimum latency through edge computing.

Shaga creates cloud gaming experience through edge computing: allows any user to set up nodes and share game resources. Computing power suppliers can make full use of game optimization equipment, while players can enjoy high-performance, low-latency gaming experience at a lower cost. With this mode, gaming PC holders can convert devices into micro data centers and gain passive benefits without any cost. Moreover, there is no need to purchase Shaga custom hardware to participate in the DePIN network, which greatly reduces the threshold for ecological participation.

Although Shaga is compatible with both Web2 and Web3 games, it is worth mentioning that Shaga's innovative support for Web3 games: through a controller with built-in hardware wallet, blockchain interaction can be easily achieved without the user's perception.

Web2 Competitors Comparison

Compared with the Web2 cloud gaming giant, Nvidia and Xbox have a larger user base, but both have shortcomings:

• High delay
• Limited game supply
• Service performance fluctuates due to the user's distance from the data center

Shaga is expected to stand out with the following advantages:

• Decentralized cloud gaming mode
• Edge computing to reduce latency
• AI enhances gaming experience

 ▲ Source: IOSG

Web3 Competitor Comparison

Although there are many Web3 projects currently involved in gaming and decentralized computing, there are significant differences in their technical paths and product positioning:

• Aethir focuses on enterprise-level GPU computing power services, but focuses on data centers and is closer to traditional Web2 solutions;
• iAgent focuses on AI agent training;

Although Deeplink is also in cloud gaming, delay and security are not core considerations, and it mainly relies on the centralized computing power supply of miners and Internet cafes.

In contrast, Shaga focuses on the field of cloud gaming and builds a unique competitive advantage through the "distributed node network + social incentive system" - while providing low-cost, low-latency, and high-quality cloud gaming services, it also uses social tasks and token reward mechanisms to improve player retention.

 ▲ Source: IOSG 

Application scenarios

#Mobile gaming experience

Just imagine, you may not have a gaming PC, or have left your gaming equipment

• you still want to have a high-quality game at any time in a cafe, a library, or even on your journey. There is no need to carry a high-performance laptop or rely on a remote cloud server. Just turn on Shaga on any device (tablet, mobile phone or thin laptop) and you can "borrow" the computing power of nearby nodes to get a low-latency, high-fidelity gaming experience anytime, anywhere.

#Local multiplayer game

Shaga is not just a gaming platform, it is also a social platform. With edge computing infrastructure, Shaga not only provides a better single-player gaming experience, but also brings innovation to localized multiplayer games such as "Nintendo Stars", "FIFA", and "Iron Fist". Through the FriendGrid system, users can fight online in real time even if they are not in the same room.

#Game and live broadcast interaction

Game live streaming is a huge market with 7 million active anchors and 35 million daily active users. Shaga allows anchors to directly collaborate with selected audiences through the "One-click same screen" function to add new social interaction dimensions. By turning passive viewing into active participation, Shaga creates a more immersive experience.

We believe this is just the tip of the iceberg, and the expansion of application scenarios will allow Shaga to inject a unique experience into the gaming community.

#User experience as the core

Shaga is built always around the needs of end users—whether node providers or gamers. Node providers can use idle computing resources to create value for users while obtaining additional benefits; while players can enjoy the ultimate cloud gaming experience. Not only that, through the FriendGrid social system, the gaming experience has stronger social attributes and immersion.

To ensure a high-quality user experience, Shaga plans to implement the game status cloud archive function and create checkpoints regularly. If a node fails, the game will be restarted instantly at another node using cloud save. In the future, a pledge and reputation system will be established to incentivize high-quality node operators through game theory mechanisms.

team

The Shaga team focuses on creating user experiences, and we believe they will redefine how games interact – not only in the Web3 field, but also in the Web2 ecosystem. Shaga transcends the positioning of "another cloud gaming platform" and builds a decentralized user-driven network, fundamentally changing the underlying logic of game distribution, experience and monetization. Visit https://shaga.xyz to participate in the experience, or get the latest updates through X (https://x.com/playonshaga).