We've seen numerous game streaming services now like Stadia, GeForce Now, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Amazon Luna and probably more to come. They all focus on the new and shiny but what about old games? Piepacker is going to be a hit for that.
In a previous article we already went over the details of their initial announcement and Kickstarter, which has been a blinding success ended up on $220,656 in funding from over 1,000 backers. The idea is great too, giving you a legally licensed way to play retro games online in a web browser, and bring a bunch of friends along with you. It has integrated controller, webcam and microphone support to make playing older games with friends across the world an interesting and unique experience.
The Piepacker team gave us early access to take a look, so we took it for an initial spin and it worked perfectly on Linux. As long as you have a Chromium/Chrome based browser (Firefox support is to come). Check out our first video on it below for some impressions:
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It's pretty safe to say we're sold on it.
Works exactly as you expect and want it to, with it all being click and play. Being able to send a link to someone who doesn't have an account, to have them join your game in a few seconds is really quite awesome. It's a clever way to use game streaming tech that could quite easily carve out a nice audience.
Check out Piepacker on the official site. It will be opening up to everyone sometime "soon".
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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19 comments
hardpenguin May 31, 2021
Yay, finally a reliable way to play Worms World Party on Linux! :P
Last edited by hardpenguin on 31 May 2021 at 10:10 am UTC
Last edited by hardpenguin on 31 May 2021 at 10:10 am UTC
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How good is the latency?
Recently i tried to play sensible soccer via FS-UAE and even if it does a pretty good job, i spotted a frame or two of lags which in SWOS DOES make a difference.
Recently i tried to play sensible soccer via FS-UAE and even if it does a pretty good job, i spotted a frame or two of lags which in SWOS DOES make a difference.
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You can actually run something like that yourself with this awesome Retroarch based open-source software: https://github.com/giongto35/cloud-game
Demo here: https://cloudretro.io/
Last edited by Julius on 31 May 2021 at 12:05 pm UTC
Demo here: https://cloudretro.io/
Last edited by Julius on 31 May 2021 at 12:05 pm UTC
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You can actually run something like that yourself with this awesome Retroarch based open-source software: https://github.com/giongto35/cloud-game
Demo here: https://cloudretro.io/
And you have all the games bought previously? I am pretty sure, that the majority of my MAME games are not licensed. (Though some are.)
1 Likes, Who?
You can actually run something like that yourself with this awesome Retroarch based open-source software: https://github.com/giongto35/cloud-game
Demo here: https://cloudretro.io/
And you have all the games bought previously? I am pretty sure, that the majority of my MAME games are not licensed. (Though some are.)
Me? I am not the developer of that. But there are plenty of people with existing libraries of retro game cartridges for SNES etc. that are perfectly legal to play with this.
People always assume emulation is about piracy, when in fact usually these commercial services are often just about re-selling you stuff you already own.
Edit: and for games that where never licensed in the first place it is a legal grey-area anyways.
Last edited by Julius on 31 May 2021 at 3:02 pm UTC
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You can actually run something like that yourself with this awesome Retroarch based open-source software: https://github.com/giongto35/cloud-gameNice, thanks for sharing.
Demo here: https://cloudretro.io/
I've tried via wifi with a good signal, and got 0.5seconds lag with chromiu anf firefox with hw decoding and not.
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You can actually run something like that yourself with this awesome Retroarch based open-source software: https://github.com/giongto35/cloud-gameNice, thanks for sharing.
Demo here: https://cloudretro.io/
I've tried via wifi with a good signal, and got 0.5seconds lag with chromiu anf firefox with hw decoding and not.
Seems not that bad here, I guess you are pretty far away from their server?
But streaming highly input-latency sensitive games is probably a bad idea.
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And you have all the games bought previously? I am pretty sure, that the majority of my MAME games are not licensed. (Though some are.)
You can run games that you own if you like. I own all of the SNK releases during the HB and later on GOG releases. All of the Sega Genesis stuff that came out on Steam. I also have a TON of itch.io homebrew games and they work with Retroarch as is and you can use them with this.
2 Likes, Who?
https://www.gog.com/forum/general/allow_to_rent_out_collection_of_dos_games_and_play_them_via_network/page1
Dreams coming reality! Many years ago, I have proposed the same to GOG.com. If you known Polish, you can read my post. I will realize the idea, but I do not have resources, so I must try to realize others.
But.. Many of mine ideas was realized. For example Firaxis/2K was realized it in Civilization 6 game.
Dreams coming reality! Many years ago, I have proposed the same to GOG.com. If you known Polish, you can read my post. I will realize the idea, but I do not have resources, so I must try to realize others.
But.. Many of mine ideas was realized. For example Firaxis/2K was realized it in Civilization 6 game.
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Descent2.. Sensible Soccer.. sadly only chrome and says it does not support my mobile (which is android 10 april patches with chrome).
Well, maybe if they support a linux native app or Firefox.
The idea is great, the license deals will be easy and the tech for old games in browsers is basically a non-issue today.
Well, maybe if they support a linux native app or Firefox.
The idea is great, the license deals will be easy and the tech for old games in browsers is basically a non-issue today.
0 Likes
slaapliedje Jun 1, 2021
Antstream works on Linux and hasn't had much of a mention here, but it also has a ton of retro games on it. Though you can feel the latency on some games (like Metal Slug) but I could play Burgertime and such quite well! They have lots of games from arcade to Amiga, etc.
1 Likes, Who?
Antstream works on Linux and hasn't had much of a mention here, but it also has a ton of retro games on it. Though you can feel the latency on some games (like Metal Slug) but I could play Burgertime and such quite well! They have lots of games from arcade to Amiga, etc.
Did they ever add MP to that? The big deal is MP with retro games. Also Metal Slug 1 was SLOW even on the original MVS cab. It's the most unpolished game of the series. Source: Owned and original MVS cab with it and 3 other games from the 90's.
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slaapliedje Jun 2, 2021
I'll have to check again and report back about MP. I thought it was really the only thing missing on it (not that I actually like playing games multiplayer with strangers). They do have an amazing high score thing, though I felt like there were AI bots or something that held the top three for every single game....Antstream works on Linux and hasn't had much of a mention here, but it also has a ton of retro games on it. Though you can feel the latency on some games (like Metal Slug) but I could play Burgertime and such quite well! They have lots of games from arcade to Amiga, etc.
Did they ever add MP to that? The big deal is MP with retro games. Also Metal Slug 1 was SLOW even on the original MVS cab. It's the most unpolished game of the series. Source: Owned and original MVS cab with it and 3 other games from the 90's.
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I'll have to check again and report back about MP. I thought it was really the only thing missing on it (not that I actually like playing games multiplayer with strangers). They do have an amazing high score thing, though I felt like there were AI bots or something that held the top three for every single game....
I don't play games online with strangers myself but I have a lot of friends and family that I play with and online MP is a must have these days since LAN gatherings were killed when the latest pandemic hit.
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slaapliedje Jun 3, 2021
MMOs (specifically WoW) killed our LAN games... but that was many moons ago.I'll have to check again and report back about MP. I thought it was really the only thing missing on it (not that I actually like playing games multiplayer with strangers). They do have an amazing high score thing, though I felt like there were AI bots or something that held the top three for every single game....
I don't play games online with strangers myself but I have a lot of friends and family that I play with and online MP is a must have these days since LAN gatherings were killed when the latest pandemic hit.
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MMOs (specifically WoW) killed our LAN games... but that was many moons ago.
Sorry to hear that. My original crew was 17 deep. We lost some around 2000ish when many of us became parents. Dwindled down to 6 to 9. Then around 2010 spiked back up for a few years to 15 to 17 bi-weekly. Now we are a solid 9 with ppl floating in and out to as high as 23 on good weekends.
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slaapliedje Jun 4, 2021
Nice! These days I prefer to get together to play RPGs and not have to lug thousands of dollars of equipment around. Or in the case of most of my friends, they don't even have rigs that can game decently enough anyhow. Though sadly... I do have enough old hardware that if we did a LAN party with some older games, I own enough for myself that people wouldn't have to bring their own :P Cheap thinkpads on ebay... kind of a curse!MMOs (specifically WoW) killed our LAN games... but that was many moons ago.
Sorry to hear that. My original crew was 17 deep. We lost some around 2000ish when many of us became parents. Dwindled down to 6 to 9. Then around 2010 spiked back up for a few years to 15 to 17 bi-weekly. Now we are a solid 9 with ppl floating in and out to as high as 23 on good weekends.
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[quote=slaapliedje]
I had a 8 man LAN setup with Dell Optiplex desktops from 2012 to 2016 that I got for free from my job as they were upgrading. Those machines ran games from Doom (1993) to UT2k4, Xonotic, L4D2, Killing Floor with no issue. I also had arcade cabs + custom Raspberry Pi cabs. I sold it all. Moved to a small home. My most recent LAN meet was during this past weekend and we all played on a mix of laptops (their own) and local MP games on my HTPCs.
My family stayed in the low tier of computer gaming and don't go over $400 for a new rig or $800 for a new laptop. That said I'm great at getting deals and finding physical freebies.
We do play some board games and miniature games like - Cards Against Humanity, DS9 Fluxx, Zombies!!!, Heroclix, Marvel/DC/Valiant Deckbuilder and Hero's Quest along with card games like Poker, Spades, Uno and the like.
Nice! These days I prefer to get together to play RPGs and not have to lug thousands of dollars of equipment around. Or in the case of most of my friends, they don't even have rigs that can game decently enough anyhow. Though sadly... I do have enough old hardware that if we did a LAN party with some older games, I own enough for myself that people wouldn't have to bring their own :P Cheap thinkpads on ebay... kind of a curse!
I had a 8 man LAN setup with Dell Optiplex desktops from 2012 to 2016 that I got for free from my job as they were upgrading. Those machines ran games from Doom (1993) to UT2k4, Xonotic, L4D2, Killing Floor with no issue. I also had arcade cabs + custom Raspberry Pi cabs. I sold it all. Moved to a small home. My most recent LAN meet was during this past weekend and we all played on a mix of laptops (their own) and local MP games on my HTPCs.
My family stayed in the low tier of computer gaming and don't go over $400 for a new rig or $800 for a new laptop. That said I'm great at getting deals and finding physical freebies.
We do play some board games and miniature games like - Cards Against Humanity, DS9 Fluxx, Zombies!!!, Heroclix, Marvel/DC/Valiant Deckbuilder and Hero's Quest along with card games like Poker, Spades, Uno and the like.
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