Central to the update is a new SDK that makes integrating Network Next's technology even easier, an Unreal Engine 4 plugin, new technology that helps game developers cost-effectively target network improvements to players who need it most, an updated analytics portal, and new pricing.
Network Next is a radically new way of linking networks together. It’s a new internet built on a neutral marketplace where networks compete on performance and price to carry traffic, without locking game developers into a single vendor. The Network Marketplace connects games to thousands of private networks. Every few seconds, those networks compete on performance and price to carry network traffic, resulting in lower latency, jitter and packet loss.
"Interactive, real-time applications like multiplayer games need the best network performance possible, but the internet treats these applications the same way as browsing the web and reading emails," said Glenn Fiedler, founder and CEO of Network Next. "This just isn't good enough so we've fixed this by giving developers a way to tell the network what performance they need. So far the results are great and we're seeing latency reductions of 100ms and sometimes as much as 300ms!"
Access to Network Next happens once a developer integrates the Network Next SDK into their application. That SDK is open source and has recently been updated to include new features such as multipath, where packets are sent across multiple routes simultaneously, reducing packet loss by over 50%. A new Unreal Engine 4 plugin is also available that makes integration for Unreal Engine developers even easier.
Network Next has revamped its pricing, allowing interested game developers to get started for as little as $100/month, while interested parties can experience Network Next by signing up.