AMD 6Th Generation Processor Brings Best-In-Class Game Streaming to Windows 10

AMD 6th Generation Processor Brings Best-in-Class Game Streaming to Windows 10

Summary Microsoft’s new operating system, Windows 10, offers gamers new opportunities to stream games and content from their Xbox One to their PCs. This functionality is unique to Windows 10 and requires a certain set of parameters to be met. One of these parameters is ample PC hardware to perform the appropriate decoding for a smooth, high- quality game streaming experience. AMD’s newest 6th Generation Processor for notebooks—codenamed Carrizo and launched in June 2015—features a special video decoder capable of decoding HD video such as Xbox One game streams efficiently, smoothly, and with very high quality. This report looks at how AMD’s 6th Generation Processor notebooks are positioned to fulfill the needs of an Xbox One gamer streaming games to a PC.

The Prevalence of Game Streaming Today Gamers are embracing game streaming. Sony, Microsoft, AMD, Nvidia, Valve, and others offer game streaming capabilities both within a gamer’s own home and out-of- home via cloud-enabled services. The game streaming Twitch has over 100 million unique viewers per month, amounting to billions of minutes of video watched per year. Sony has sold over 22 million PlayStation 4 consoles, all of which are capable of gaming streaming and sharing. Microsoft has sold well over 10 million Xbox One consoles. This console volume and Twitch traffic are evidence that game streaming is a major trend in how gamers play, share, and interact with each other.

Most game streaming services are powered directly from a PC or from a breakout box connected to a PC and then streamed. As a result, most gamers who are familiar with game streaming are PC gamers, and most games being streamed are PC games. Sony has a game streaming service for the PS4, but it only connects to other Sony devices like the PS Vita or Sony Xperia smartphones. Microsoft announced earlier in 2015 that Xbox One gamers will be able to stream their Xbox One games and content to any Windows 10 PC in their house.

Microsoft’s Xbox One Streaming to Windows 10 Since Microsoft’s announcement that Windows 10 will support streaming from the Xbox One, gamers are excited to explore this feature on both systems. This feature helps bridge the worlds of console gamers and PC gamers. Windows 10 enables multiple use cases, three of which are major use cases for Xbox One game streaming.

Xbox One Streaming to Windows 10 PC Thanks to the Xbox One and Windows 10 both having the appropriate infrastructure, gamers can stream games from their Xbox One to any Windows 10 desktop, notebook, or tablet in their home over Wi-Fi. For the best experience, gamers likely will use a desktop or notebook, as these devices generally have sufficiently robust hardware to decode the Xbox One’s output. Microsoft also announced a partnership with Oculus. The Oculus Rift VR gaming headset will be bundled with the Microsoft Xbox One controller. Windows 10 will support the Oculus Rift natively. Xbox One streaming to the Oculus Rift is possible thanks to Windows 10 and Xbox One streaming capabilities.

In addition to playing Xbox One games on a PC with an Xbox One controller, gamers can also enjoy cross-device multiplayer capability. Players on different platforms— console, desktop, notebook, tablet—can play together in the same game, either with or against each other. This capability is possible only on PCs that can play games at more than 30 FPS natively, such as notebooks equipped with 6th Generation Processors.

Another feature of Xbox One streaming to Windows 10 is DVR functionality which gives gamers the ability to capture, edit, and share game clips. DVR functionality also requires fairly robust PC hardware that can smoothly decode and capture footage in a shareable state.

Best Conditions for Xbox One game streaming Quality for Xbox One streaming to the PC will vary greatly depending on the video capabilities of PC hardware, network, and display.

The first variable is the video codec—which encodes, compresses, and then decodes the video signal—and what codecs the PC supports. The two possible codecs are H.264 and H.265. The H.265 codec is more recent and represents the future of video codecs; it actually goes by another name, “HEVC” or High Efficiency Video Coding. HEVC enables for higher-quality video playback and / or streaming using a lower bitrate, giving users better quality video.

There is also the wireless network that will determine the streaming experience: the faster the wireless network, the better the chance for a seamless Xbox One gaming experience on PC. Gamers with 802.11ac routers are more likely to have a smoother and better looking Xbox One game streaming experience than those on 802.11n. Wired networks usually will beat any wireless network, but most gamers run wirelessly and are unlikely to have both their notebook and Xbox One on wired connections.

With these conditions met, gamers will have a hard time discerning the difference between playing on their Xbox One directly or streaming their games to another device around the house. This is Microsoft’s goal with Xbox One streaming on Windows 10, and AMD designed the 6th Generation processor to meet this goal.

Xbox One’s Architectural Similarities to AMD’s 6th Generation Processors One reason consumers, OEMs, and ODMs should look at an AMD processor when considering a device or technology for Xbox One game streaming is AMD’s 6th Generation Processors are architecturally very similar to the processors in the Xbox One. The Xbox One uses both AMD CPUs and AMD GPUs, so the Xbox One and 6th Generation Processors share nearly the same graphics architecture. The Xbox One and AMD 6th Generation Processors both use AMD’s Graphics Core Next (GCN), 6th Generation Processors. The intent is seamless gaming and multimedia experiences, including Xbox One game streaming to Windows 10. AMD’s 6th Generation Processor is specifically designed to address the needs of a multimedia and gaming-heavy user, and thus it is optimized for game streaming.

Carrizo’s Design is Optimized for Streaming & Battery Life Currently, AMD’s 6th Generation Processor is the only known notebook processor with integrated graphics as of publication to be doing HEVC decoding in hardware. As a result, a 6th Generation processor powered notebook is able to smoothly decode 4K Ultra HD smoothly. Since the Xbox One is a 1080p console, there is an even lesser burden on the 6th Generation Processor’s UVD (Unified Video Decoder) to decode the video, which can result in even better performance.

The video decoder in Carrizo is the sixth generation of unified video decoders from AMD. It makes AMD’s 6th Generation Processor uniquely capable of decoding, natively in hardware, both HEVC / H.265 as well as H.264 in 4K or below. This capability means that any notebook with an AMD 6th Generation Processor is already primed for Xbox One game streaming capability and Ultra HD video playback. In the case of Xbox One streaming to Windows 10, the footage will in most cases be 1080p and at 60 FPS, which means that the capabilities of 6th Generation Processors are well beyond what is needed for an optimal experience.

The 6th Generation Processor’s architecture and efficient video decoder make it extremely power-efficient. AMD also has power-gated the UVD; when the notebook is not video streaming, it is not unnecessarily consuming power. In some cases, AMD’s 6th Generation Processor more-than-doubles the amount of video playback a user can experience, and increases in game streaming time are similar.

In HEVC, AMD claims that they are able to get 5 hours of smooth 1080p playback while unplugged. When doing only local HD video playback with a 50WHr battery, the 6th Generation Processor is capable of up to 9.5 hours of H.264 1080p video playback, thanks to the more-than-50% reduction in platform video power consumption.1

1 AMD internal lab measurements on AMD “Carrizo” GardeniaDAP FX-8800P (15W A1 DVT) Win 8.1. PowerDVD, 1080p Big Buck Bunny video with 50WHr battery Page 3 AMD 6th Generation Processor: Best-in-Class Game Streaming for Windows 10 June 2015 Copyright ©2015 Moor Insights & Strategy

AMD’s 6th Generation Processor is Designed for Gaming The 6th Generation Processor from AMD is designed for battery life and video streaming capabilities, and it is designed for gaming as well. AMD ensured its 6th Generation Processor was equally balanced in terms of CPU and GPU performance while also being power efficient. It features AMD’s latest and fastest Excavator CPU cores which bring significant IPC improvements and power efficiency improvements.

AMD’s 6th generation processor also has eight 3rd generation GCN cores and supports DirectX 12, which is extremely important for Windows 10 and gaming. Because this GPU is GCN—and therefore DirectX 12 capable—it can be used to stream cross- platform between a PC and an Xbox One.

At the June 2015 launch, AMD said their 6th Generation Processor can play Counter Strike: Global Offensive and League of Legends at well over 30 FPS. They accomplished this frame rate with their lower-power 15W part. AMD also has a more powerful 35W "FX" variant capable of even higher frame rates. The 15W variants, however, will also come in at lower price points and, in most cases, longer battery life.

AMD also has the ability to enable dual graphics thanks to DirectX 12, which allows them to harness the power of the processor as well as any dedicated GPU that might also be in the system. Because DirectX 12 allows for shared resources, gamers can make full use of both their APU and dedicated GPU, if their notebook has one in addition to the installed AMD APU.

Call to Action There is no denying the momentum of game streaming in the industry, as it has become a standard feature of virtually every gaming platform. Because of this reality, it comes as no surprise that Microsoft is taking Xbox One game streaming with Windows 10 PCs seriously. Through AMD’s implementation of their newest Excavator CPU architecture, 3rd generation GCN GPU architecture, and ultra-efficient UVD decoder capable of hardware HEVC decoding, AMD has shown that they are ready to support Microsoft’s vision. AMD’s 6th Generation Processor in notebooks is uniquely positioned to provide the best possible experience for gamers looking to do game streaming from their Xbox One. ODMs, OEMS, and consumers should consider AMD's 6th Generation Processor for Xbox One game streaming with Windows 10.

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