Shaga transcends the positioning of "another cloud gaming platform" and builds a decentralized, user-driven network that fundamentally changes the underlying logic of game distribution, experience, and monetization.
Author: Joey Shin @IOSG
Congratulations to Shaga on completing a new round of financing led by IOSG! We are honored to support Shaga in bringing unique value to the gaming industry through DePIN.
Pain Points and Opportunities in Cloud Gaming
The rapid development of cloud gaming has always faced a dilemma: despite continuous technological advancements, the inherent flaws of centralized architecture still lead to significant latency. Data shows that traditional cloud gaming services can increase latency by 40-150 milliseconds compared to local execution, with an increase of 85%-800%.
To achieve the best experience, physical distance and network distribution are crucial—deploying game nodes close to end users can significantly reduce latency. However, building large data centers everywhere is both inefficient and expensive.
Industry Status
Advantages of P2P Networks
Market Supply Adaptation
Google once attempted to solve this issue through its cloud gaming platform, Stadia. Although Stadia's failure can be attributed to multiple factors such as marketing missteps and mismatched user demand, a core reason often overlooked is that the technological promises were not fulfilled. The claimed "negative latency" cannot be achieved under the existing technological architecture. After all, latency is ultimately limited by the objective laws of physical distance.
Many similar situations exist. For instance, Xbox Cloud has 40 million users, but it suffers from latency issues due to its reliance on centralized data centers, which are often underutilized and far from users. This solution may be "sufficient" for some casual or single-player games, but it is clearly inadequate for competitive or multiplayer gamers seeking an immersive experience.
Industry Status
Advantages of P2P Networks
Market Supply Adaptation
The uniqueness of cloud gaming makes it an ideal testing ground for distributed networks:
Shortening physical distance and optimizing network distribution are key to reducing latency.
Cloud gaming can provide high-quality services without the need for large hardware devices.
This is precisely the advantage of P2P networks over centralized cloud services: on one hand, P2P nodes can be closer to end users; on the other hand, they do not require expensive large data centers—consumer-grade hardware can provide quality service and cover areas that traditional data centers find hard to reach.
Industry Status
Advantages of P2P Networks
Market Supply Adaptation
According to Canalys data, there are currently 2 billion gaming PCs worldwide, with an additional 100 million added each year. Despite the continuous growth in PC production, the utilization rate of devices for entertainment purposes has not increased correspondingly. Meanwhile, gaming demand is growing exponentially.
The contradiction between idle high-performance devices and surging gaming demand creates opportunities for P2P cloud gaming networks: by integrating idle computing resources, they can provide services to players who need low-cost, high-quality game access, especially emerging market users who cannot afford professional equipment.
Therefore, we believe that edge computing and low-latency cloud gaming are likely to become mainstream methods of game distribution, just as streaming platforms have made content distribution more flexible and convenient.
Shaga's Solution
Shaga is a DePIN product in the Solana ecosystem, focusing on achieving the lowest latency through edge computing.
Shaga creates a cloud gaming experience through edge computing: allowing any user to set up nodes and share gaming resources. Computing power providers can fully utilize gaming-optimized devices, while players can enjoy high-performance, low-latency gaming experiences at a lower cost. Through this model, gaming PC owners can transform their devices into micro data centers and earn passive income without any costs. Moreover, participating in the DePIN network does not require purchasing Shaga-customized hardware, significantly lowering the barrier to entry for the ecosystem.
While Shaga is compatible with both Web2 and Web3 games, it is worth mentioning Shaga's innovative support for Web3 games: through controllers with built-in hardware wallets, blockchain interactions can be easily achieved without user awareness.
Comparison with Web2 Competitors
Compared to Web2 cloud gaming giants, Nvidia and Xbox, while having a larger user base, both have shortcomings:
Higher latency
Limited game supply
Service performance fluctuates based on user distance from data centers
Shaga is expected to stand out with the following advantages:
Decentralized cloud gaming model
Edge computing to reduce latency
AI-enhanced gaming experience
▲ Source: IOSG
Comparison with Web3 Competitors
Although there are currently many Web3 projects involving gaming and decentralized computing, their technological paths and product positioning differ significantly:
Aethir focuses on enterprise-level GPU computing power services but is centered around data centers, making it closer to traditional Web2 solutions;
iAgent primarily targets AI agent training;
Deeplink also lays out cloud gaming, but latency and security are not core considerations, and it mainly relies on centralized computing power supply from miners and internet cafes.
In contrast, Shaga focuses on the cloud gaming field, building a unique competitive advantage through a "distributed node network + social incentive system"—providing low-cost, low-latency, high-quality cloud gaming services while enhancing player retention through social tasks and token reward mechanisms.
▲ Source: IOSG
Application Scenarios
#Mobile Gaming Experience
Imagine that you might not have a gaming PC, or you are away from your gaming device—in a café, library, or even on the go, you still want to play a high-quality game anytime. Without needing to carry a high-performance laptop or rely on remote cloud servers, you can simply open Shaga on any device (tablet, phone, or lightweight laptop) to "borrow" the computing power from nearby nodes, enjoying low-latency, high-fidelity gaming experiences anytime, anywhere.
#Local Multiplayer Gaming
Shaga is not just a gaming platform; it is also a social platform. With its edge computing infrastructure, Shaga not only provides a better single-player gaming experience but also brings innovation to localized multiplayer games like "Super Smash Bros," "FIFA," and "Tekken." Through the FriendGrid system, users can engage in real-time battles even if they are not in the same room.
#Gaming and Live Streaming Interaction
Game live streaming is a massive market with 7 million active streamers and 35 million daily active users. Shaga allows streamers to collaborate directly with selected viewers through the "one-click co-screen" feature, adding a new dimension of social interaction. By transforming 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 inject unique experiences into the gaming community through Shaga.
#User Experience-Centric
Shaga's construction always revolves around the needs of end users—whether they are node providers or gamers. Node providers can utilize idle computing resources to create value for users while earning additional income; gamers can enjoy an ultimate cloud gaming experience. Moreover, 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 cloud save functionality for game states, regularly creating checkpoints. If a node fails, the game will use the cloud save to restart instantly on another node. In the future, a staking and reputation system will be established to incentivize quality node operators through game theory mechanisms.
Team
The Shaga team focuses on creating user experiences, and we believe they will redefine the way games are interacted with—not only in the Web3 space but also impacting the Web2 ecosystem. Shaga transcends the positioning of "another cloud gaming platform" and builds a decentralized, user-driven network that fundamentally changes the underlying logic of game distribution, experience, and monetization. Visit https://shaga.xyz to participate and experience, or follow X (https://x.com/playonshaga) for the latest updates.
Once again, congratulations to Guido, Daeshawn, and all members of the Shaga team. We look forward to witnessing this journey and are proud to be a part of it!
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