Overwatch Releases High Bandwidth Update for PC
By Maxwell Jeffery 15 September 2016
A new update for Blizzard’s first-person shooter Overwatch becomes available today, and it’s one that should help keep players with weaker connections in the game.
If you’ve ever had trouble with lacklustre connection times and the like in Blizzard’s popular new shooter Overwatch, you and the rest of the low-connection community may be in luck, as a new update is released that promises higher quality online play for all users on PC.
The game’s “high bandwidth” update was announced in a developer video, presented by Overwatch‘s lead engineer Tim Ford and senior engineer Philip Orwig, which can be seen below. What the update means for the title’s fanbase is that the PC version’s online play should be more stable, helping keep players with weaker connections in the game.
Those with substandard connections will be moved into a lower-bandwidth grouping in order to keep their games smooth and reliable. Meanwhile, the interpolation delay which is responsible for rendering where each player is and how fast they’re moving, has been reduced. What this means for all players is that all heroes will now be rendered more accurately in their respective locations, rather than with a slight lag on other clients.
“The net result is you will be shot around corners less, you’ll be able to predict escape moves better and the server will hear about it sooner,” claims Ford.
For players with strong connections, the interpolation delay will be shortened by over 50%, thanks to the new netcode incorporated into the game with the latest update.
Unfortunately for those currently enjoying the free Overwatch weekend on consoles, the development team are currently unsure as to how they can release a high bandwidth update for the Xbox One and PS4, though they’re reportedly working on a solution. The update is currently rolling out for PC users only, and should be reaching your region soon, if it hasn’t already.
In other Overwatch news, one player was just recently crowned the victor of the race to level 1000, a dedication that cost the player 16-17 hours of in-game time per day. Someone that has played for so long will certainly be feeling the effect of this stability update, even if more casual players don’t quite notice it.
Less lagging connections should help massively in competitive play also, something to be considered as we enter Blizzard’s second season of competitive Overwatch. The update promises to improve reliability of matches, ensuring that each game is fairer and runs cleaner for all users.
Overwatch is now available for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. The “high bandwidth” update will only be available on PC until further notice.
