Technical Insights into Cloud Gaming Advertising Trials: Low‑Latency RTCDN Solutions by iQIYI Live Cloud

Interview with Chen Kunzhong, iQIYI Live Cloud RTCDN team, discussing the deployment and technical details of cloud gaming advertising trials.

Global context: over 2.5 billion gamers, video game market valued at $150 billion; cloud gaming can shift the industry by delivering games from data centers to any device.

Technical challenges: video streaming latency and bandwidth; any delay >75 ms causes noticeable desynchronization.

iQIYI’s solution – RTCDN built on WebRTC:

Encoding: prioritize speed, no B‑frames, slice‑based encoding, encode‑while‑transmit to minimize encode/decode delay.

Transmission: WebRTC over UDP for ultra‑low latency, FEC to reduce packet loss, limited NACK retransmission.

Playback: small GOP interval, key‑frame caching for fast start, GCC congestion control for adaptive bitrate.

Current performance: end‑to‑end latency around 100 ms under good network conditions, meeting most game requirements.

Platform support: SDKs for mobile, PC, TV; seamless cross‑device switching; H5 web support in progress.

Advertising trial model: instant “click‑to‑play” ads that launch a game session without app installation, enabling high conversion and user acquisition.

Resolution strategy: focus on 720p‑1080p for broad compatibility while preparing for 4K/HDR as 5G networks mature.

Multi‑player support: same RTCDN stream can carry multiple players’ video feeds, enabling collaborative gameplay.

Future outlook: 5G’s low latency will greatly improve cloud gaming experience; AI and other emerging technologies will further shape the ecosystem.