Idea Nyx is Alienware’s tackle a family gaming server
4 mins read

Idea Nyx is Alienware’s tackle a family gaming server


Concept Nyx on RGB stand
Enlarge / RGB not included.

Scharon Harding

It isn’t unusual to have a number of players dwelling underneath a single roof. However what occurs when all these players need to play on the identical time? Wi-Fi mayhem, arguing over who will get to make use of the most effective {hardware}, and, typically, separation as relations retreat to their respective gaming caves. Alienware is wanting into that fixing that drawback, with one highly effective, mysterious laptop.

An R&D venture introduced as we speak, Idea Nyx is basically a family server with sufficient computing energy to permit a number of folks to stream PC video games off it concurrently. I checked out a prototype in individual and noticed it powering two gaming periods at one time—one person fragging on a non-gaming laptop computer, and one other on a bigger display match for a lounge.

The idea is that members of the household could stream their games off the computer at the same time.
Enlarge / The concept is that members of the family might stream their video games off the pc on the identical time.

Alienware

Alienware confirmed me two players taking part in directly however its lab is at the moment testing Idea Nyx with 4 players taking part in concurrently. A spokesperson instructed me there’s “principally no efficiency drop” when including an individual, however the demo wasn’t lengthy sufficient (underneath 10 minutes) to verify that for me.

Idea Nyx is like cloud gaming companies, akin to Nvidia GeForce Now and Google Stadia, however as an alternative of streaming video games off a server in some far-off datacenter, you are streaming off one proper in your own home. Since every part is going on extra regionally, Alienware expects “decrease latency, higher bandwidth, and extra responsiveness,” Glen Robson, Dell Applied sciences’ Shopper Options Group CTO, mentioned in a weblog publish as we speak.

And like cloud gaming companies, Idea Nyx would allow gaming on sometimes non-gaming gadgets. For instance, you could possibly theoretically sport on a Dell XPS with out a discrete graphics card.

Concept Nyx looks like a large desktop.
Enlarge / Idea Nyx seems like a big desktop.

Scharon Harding

Clearly, this all requires a variety of computing energy. I might inform Idea Nyx was stacked based mostly on its dimension, however Alienware would not verify what or what number of CPUs, graphics playing cards, or different parts had been inside. It is also unclear what kind of cooling strategies could be used to maintain issues operating cool for extended intervals.

One factor I appreciated about Idea Nyx is that whereas it encourages relations to sport regularly, it additionally encourages bodily closeness, which you do not normally affiliate with PC gaming. A split-screen characteristic Alienware is experimenting with would permit two players to play on the identical display directly. Which means you could possibly play Halo Infinite whereas your child performs Cyberpunk 2077, and each get pleasure from the most effective display in the home whereas sitting subsequent to and, dare I say, speaking to 1 one other.

Alienware additionally demoed Idea Nyx holding monitor of the place you might be within the sport, so you could possibly transfer from the pc in your bed room to the one in the lounge and preserve taking part in with ease.

What's inside?

Scharon Harding

In that very same vein, Idea Nyx seems to simplify sport entry by unifying all PC video games underneath one app, no matter the place you initially acquired it from. “Gaming on Idea Nyx goals to be as easy as entry your favourite music, TV reveals, and flicks,” Robson mentioned.

As an idea, Alienware could by no means flip it into one thing you may really purchase. Nonetheless, Alienware will proceed to develop the venture, so it is doable we’ll see one thing prefer it and even simply a few of its options in a delivery product sooner or later.

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