OTOY opens beta of X.IO App Streaming services to developers worldwide—Windows apps served to any OS

Cloud graphics company OTOY Inc., today announced that its award-winning X.IO App Streaming service is now in open beta and available for developers and independent software vendors (ISVs) worldwide.

X.IO provides a white-labeled solution to developers who are looking for a quick and simple way of increasing platform and device support for graphics-intensive applications, streaming virtual reality media, and next-generation cloud-based videogames for a range of platforms including iOS, HTML5 and the Samsung GALAXY Gear VR powered by Oculus.

The service instantaneously ports even the most demanding Windows desktop applications to the cloud without needing to modify any code, enabling users to access them seamlessly on any Internet-connected device, regardless of form factor, platform, or hardware requirements. The service is already in use by hundreds of developers around the world, and running dozens of applications including leading productivity and CAD software, and content powered by Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 4.

01 – OTOY’s new X.IO cloud-based application streaming service provides numerous advantages for access to Windows applications from any device and OS, with particular emphasis on Mac and iOS.

Along with the open beta, OTOY also revealed new features of X.IO, including a new simple sign-up process for developers, industry first support of “print to file” and a range of performance improvements. In combination with one-click access to any application for users, and support for cloud storage including Dropbox, Box, Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive accounts, the new features make X.IO one of the most full-featured and versatile application virtualization services available today. As X.IO rolls out of its beta period, it will be one of the most affordable solutions as well, with pricing expected to be as low as $0.05/minute.

OTOY is demonstrating X.IO App Streaming this week at the Amazon Web Services re:Invent conference in booth 1332 of the Central Expo Hall of the Venetian Hotel. To test drive X.IO visit http://x.io.

“The response to our X.IO App Streaming service has been incredible, and demonstrates the need for an effective means of unlocking the value of software,” said Jules Urbach, Founder and CEO, OTOY. “With X.IO App Streaming we take care of the hard work, enabling workstation-class applications and performance, and a full-function user experience on virtually any device, while allowing developers to focus on making their applications, media and games the best they can be. There’s no easier, more cost-effective way to increase your user base than with X.IO.”

MORE: Why OTOY will change our 3D world: A conversation with Jules Urbach

In addition to the hundreds of developers making use of X.IO, OTOY also leverages the service to deliver its own software to users over the cloud. OTOY’s OctaneRender™ and real-time path-tracing engine, Brigade, run on X.IO to enable cross-platform use on any device as users need. Extremely complex 3D scenes that are multiple gigabytes in size and require intensive processing run effortlessly on even entry-level devices.

X.IO App Streaming offers a range of benefits, including low-cost multi-platform support for small development teams, instant collaboration solutions for large-scale subscription-based ISVs, full-function device support, a high-quality + low-latency experience ideal for app responsiveness and cloud gaming, strict security, and reduced setup and maintenance costs. For more information, or to read more about how X.IO App Streaming works, visit the OTOY blog at http://render.otoy.com/newsblog/?p=580. To test drive X.IO App Streaming, visit http://x.io.

About OTOY

OTOY Inc. is the definitive cloud graphics company, pioneering technology that is redefining content creation and delivery for media and entertainment organizations around the world. OTOY’s Academy Award®-winning technology is used by leading visual effects studios, artists, animators, designers, architects, and engineers, providing unprecedented creative freedom, new levels of realism, and new economics in content creation and distribution powered by the cloud.

Architosh Analysis

Architosh has already discussed OTOY’s application streaming technology in quite some detail, with particular focus on one of their investor partners, Autodesk, and its ambitions to deliver many of their applications in the cloud. (see, Architosh, “Autodesk talks to Architosh about Octane Cloud Workstation: Autodesk Edition at Amazon,” 20 Mar 2014.) This has been of particular interest to Architosh architecture readers, in the US mostly, who are interested in running Revit.

What OTOY has advanced to market this week is an open beta step-up that actually enables even power users to setup apps through their service. Mike Christopher, Vice President of Cloud Services at OTOY, told Architosh that “the process is something that a power user could comfortably implement.” Again, the open beta is open to anyone to sign up for. The steps involved in setting up Windows applications to be delivered through OTOY’s X.IO App Streaming service including a defined but simple way of on-boarding a zip file for an application, which the user has the licenses to run through the cloud, it gets provisioned by OTOY and then a single line of javascript is delivered back to the customer to add to their website.

02 – Another view of OTOY’s X.IO App Streaming with Octane Cloud Edition shown.

Mike Christopher noted that the “white box service” has all the tools necessary for a developer or power user to setup deliver of streaming applications. It is basically the same core Amazon Web Services technology as before but what OTOY has done is provide a beautiful, clean and simplified wrapper and front end, shielding the developer and user from the complex details behind Amazon’s AWS.  OTOY also gives developers the tools to charge people via a time-based system. Christopher said some developers charge a markup on the time-based charges OTOY charges them while others simply extend the cloud-based delivery of apps based on a particular license or subscription license pack their customers already acquired. “We charge the developer…and what the developer charges the users is varied,” says Christopher.

Finally, one of the best things OTOY has done with this release of X.IO App Streaming is deliver a way to print. Basically, they have created a way to generate a PDF for print on the remote server. Then the server sends this PDF down to the local device for printing. Christopher said this one of the most pressing issues for developers interested in the service.

OTOY’s own Octane Render cloud streaming options are still in a private beta, behind the general X.IO App Streaming release cycle but did not offer any further explanation. As you can see in the screen shots provided, the OTOY interface offers a friendly front end to the process. We definitely look forward to seeing where this technology goes and wonder, out-loud when Autodesk will deliver its cloud-based apps. We know that they are working with OTOY on this endeavor but Christopher could not comment on any of the hundreds of developers working with them on what those companies are planning and for when. This is still a beta but as an open beta it is closing in on release time for many key companies.