Bigfoot Networks plans to solve your lag problems

[Izuno]

http://www.bigfootnetworks.com/index.php

and the news story:

http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/news/?id=12038

key quote:

Bigfoot plans to use this financing to bring its first product to market this summer: the world's first Gaming Network Accelerator card, which purportedly will cut down on lag in online games.

"Bigfoot Networks products will infuse online gaming with blazing speed, making them a ton more fun," says Harlan Beverly, inventor, co-Founder, and CEO of the company. "We are to online games what 3D video cards are to graphics: essential. Eventually, we plan to completely eliminate the dreaded lag monster."

What do you think?

[Furyo]

I think I need to see this in action before I can label it anything but BS marketing

[Bic-B@ll]

seconded

[OL]

Like pings arent ridiculously low already with a decent connection :roll:

[Bic-B@ll]

the end part there is key

[Tequila]

Like pings arent ridiculously low already with a decent connection :roll:

Pretty much.

As for this, I'll believe it when I see it. I just don't see how the power to do this can be in their hands.

[Section_Ei8ht]

I'll buy a PhysX card before I buy one of those. Sounds like a marketing ploy for a network card.

[Zacker]

Sounds like a hardware version of PowerPlay.

[Schmung]

Gimmick tacular. Card in your PC has a lot less to do with your ping than the routers/switches and infrastructure thats between you and the server. Furthermore, it's probably going to do more harm that good for some people as I'm guessing it will be incompatible with certain ISPs networks.

[rockdude86]

only way something like this would have any use is if they can "compress" the send data even more so that there are less bits send.

however i dont really see that happen...

[Kamikazi!]

only way something like this would have any use is if they can "compress" the send data even more so that there are less bits send.

however i dont really see that happen...

Yeah.. the game would have to support that, or someone would have to develop a plugin for the servers.

[Izuno]

The core question is, do these guys really know something about network lag etc that everyone else doesn't? if there is any chance of them making 3rd party cards, like video cards, that dramatically improve lag and latency issues, then you mean companies like Cisco etc that have a huge interest in providing this product could not do it? Maybe so :roll:

I'm not saying it's a marketing gimmick, i'm just wondering how realistic this is. The fact that they got $4 million in VC funding makes me wonder how serious this is...

Here's something on Bigfoot's founder:

http://2006.sxsw.com/interactive/confer ... 1b91f2552b

We shall see...

[Fletch]

the only thing that i could see working would be if the card essentially had it's own processor to take care of all the packeting.

But as has been said, lag is almost universally in the journey, not the destination.

[JAL]

I'm not believing it until I see it.

[ReNo]

Maybe buying the product just lets you route your packets through an uber speedy, relatively direct service provider rather than bouncing here there and everywhere, and the card is just an object to make you feel like you are getting something for your puchase