Steam Instant Play Feature May Let You Start Games While They Download.
A patent filed on September 21 describes what seems to be an “immediate play” feature that would enable Steam customers to play games as they wait for them to download.
The increasing size of game files,
which may be up to 100 GB, is cited in documents to set the patent’s background and require the new technology.
In reality, Blizzard’s Battle.net already has a function similar to this. Users just need to download a portion of a game to play it,
although the gameplay is often restricted to certain portions of the game.
Over the past decade, game files have increased in size,
necessitating longer downloads and bigger hard drives to create and retain all of the data.
While storage capacity has increased in tandem with file size, hardware reading rates have lagged behind.
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The ability to prioritize game files visited most often by users is one element of file size that Valve hopes to improve.
This is comparable to the time when a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare update enabled PC gamers to delete unneeded game data.
Valve’s patent, discovered by Twitter user Pavel Djundik,
notes that current technology may create delays in game installation due to today’s huge game downloads.
This is mirrored in the increasing size of HDDs in consoles.
It also says that “latency may occur at times when the PC is loading the game data from the HDD during a gaming session” since games are so big.
This indicates that the existing methods for downloading and playing games in a synchronous manner cause delay.
Valve hopes to build on this approach by developing remote access computing systems that would “implement game-related capabilities such as ‘instant play’ of video games,” among other things.
According to the patent, this method may enhance the operation of user computers by allowing games to be downloaded more intelligibly, reducing latency during downloads.
On PCs, the functionality may free up local HDD and RAM resources,
allowing users to store more games and save resources.
According to the patent, “the single-player game data for the video game may be erased from the non-volatile memory of the client machine” if the user’s PC or the distant system from which games are downloaded determines that the user always plays multiplayer mode but never single-player mode.
Interestingly, the Steam deck is nearing completion
and has a storage capacity of just 512 GB (depending on the model you buy).
Users who want to purchase and keep a large library of games on their Steam deck would profit greatly from this new technology.
For a business like Valve, technological advances are generally a positive indication.
This kind of update may assist the business stay relevant in the current gaming market.
This may be the next stage in Valve’s support for the Steam Deck and other accessories.
However, many Steam users consider their libraries to be a source of pride.
Accessing titles inside it will be simpler than ever before thanks to this new option.
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SOURCE:
Steam Instant Play Feature May Let You Start Games While They Download
