Author: Climber, Golden Finance
There are countless gamers around the world, but most of them find it difficult to enjoy 3A games due to limited hardware facilities. For this reason, many large companies such as Tencent, Alibaba, Microsoft, and Nvidia have laid out cloud gaming tracks. According to an IDC report, the global cloud gaming market revenue is expected to reach nearly US$7.7 billion by 2026, with a five-year compound growth rate of 40.8%.
Cloud gaming is a cloud computing technology that relies on the cloud to run games and render images. However, whether players play 3A games directly or use cloud gaming platforms, they generally face problems such as high fees, high latency, and high-performance equipment.
The emergence of DeepLink just fulfills the desire of ordinary players to explore 3A masterpieces.
DeepLink is a decentralized AI cloud gaming protocol and a Web3 cloud gaming platform with a remote control tool as the entry point. It integrates artificial intelligence, blockchain, and streaming media technologies, and can provide high-quality, low-latency cloud gaming experience, allowing players to equally enjoy the top gaming products in a low-cost, low-threshold manner.
For a long time, the project co-founder and CEO Mr. YONG HE has had the long-cherished wish to help ordinary players and reshape the traditional market game landscape. He hopes to truly break the barriers of high-end games by building a technological force that integrates AI + cloud gaming technology + blockchain. For this reason, Golden Finance also interviewed Mr. YONG HE to talk about DeepLink's project mechanism characteristics, future plans, and views on the cloud gaming track.
Golden Finance: First, please briefly introduce your experience in the encryption industry and the DeepLink project.
YONG HE: I first started paying attention to the crypto industry in 2016, and founded DeepBrain Chain in 2017. In 2020, I met and learned about the founder and CTO of the DeepLink project. At that time, I personally invested $1 million out of recognition. Two years later, the founder of DeepLink invited me to serve as the co-founder and CEO of the project. I have been promoting the development of the project until now, and have helped DeepLink raise a total of $9 million.
Simply put, DeepLink is a decentralized AI cloud gaming platform that overcomes the challenges of cloud gaming, provides ultra-low latency and high-resolution rendering, and supports a wide range of gaming platforms. The main products include DeepLink Protocol and DeepLink Software.
The relationship between DeepLink and DeepBrain Chain can be understood as follows: DeepBrain Chain has been developed for 7 years, and the main network was launched 3 years ago. The project will soon release a blockbuster product - an artificial intelligence public chain. The test network has been opened, and dozens of artificial intelligence projects are being built and developed on it. The main network will also be officially launched in August, and we will also hold a press conference in Silicon Valley, USA. And our goal is to make DeepLink the first benchmark application on this new AI public chain.
Golden Finance: What prompted you to join the DeepLink project? What is its past development history? Who are the main team members?
YONG HE: DeepBrain Chain had a cooperative relationship with DeepLink in the early days, and I am very optimistic about the prospects of this project. In addition, I also have a lot of crypto market resources to help it. In addition, DeepLink is also an application product developed based on DeepBrain Chain, and I also hope to make it an industry benchmark project.
The technical team has accumulated more than 13 years of technology in the field of cloud gaming, which makes the project world-leading in this field and can surpass big brands such as Amazon and Microsoft in technology. In general, the price of our cloud games is 20% of the previous price of cloud gaming manufacturers, which is 80% cheaper, so this is a revolutionary solution.
In October 2020, the DeepLink project was launched. In 2021, the core team was formed and DeepLink product design and development was carried out. In 2022, multiple DeepLink remote control function test versions and official versions were launched. In 2023, we cooperated with the largest Internet cafe chain in South Korea, and the DeepLink software has been downloaded more than 1,400,000 times, with users in 100 countries.
The DeepLink team has rich experience in the field of cloud gaming and has a strong technical background. The project founder and CTO Garland was the dean of Shunwang Research Institute, China's first company to provide cloud gaming solutions, specializing in technology research and development; and co-founder and CMO Brando Murphy was previously at EveyRealmn, a well-known American venture capital fund, and obtained Web3/Metaverse certification.
The core technical team members have been deeply involved in the cloud gaming industry since 2011. Members come from companies including Cisco, Intel, Nvidia, Huawei, etc. DeepLink was born based on more than ten years of research and development.
Golden Finance: What are DeepLink's main products and services? How does the project work, and what are its mechanisms and principles?
YONG HE: DeepLink's products are divided into two parts, the underlying protocol DeepLink Protocol and DeepLink Software. DeepLink Protocol is a decentralized AI cloud gaming protocol that integrates artificial intelligence technology, blockchain technology, cloud gaming technology, and more.
DeepLink Protocol shares GPU computing power in a distributed manner and has ultra-low latency game rendering technology, providing users with an environment where they can comfortably play large AAA games. The protocol supports a wide range of uses, including allowing developers to develop products such as NVIDIA's cloud gaming service GeForce Now, and even create cloud Internet cafes and cloud e-sports hotels.
On the other hand, DeepLink Software is developed based on the DeepLink protocol. It is a cloud gaming platform. Users can enjoy the fun of cloud gaming by downloading the software, which means that users can use the cloud gaming platform DeepLink Software to remotely enjoy large 3A games.
In this project, we use DLC as a circulating token. When a user rents a GPU in the DeepLink network to play games, the user needs to pay DLC to the smart contract, and then the smart contract will destroy all DLC. GPU machine providers can get DLC rewards, and GPU servers are provided by miners around the world. At the same time, we can predict the image quality through AI super-resolution technology, fill in and render the details of the picture to improve the user's gaming experience.
Golden Finance: In terms of project positioning, the narrative belongs to the frontier field of encryption. So what is the business operation logic of DeepLink? How did you implement it? What are its characteristics and functions?
YONG HE: On the GPU machine supply side, since DeepLink Protocol is developed based on the DeepBrainChain public chain, GPU miners first need to add the GPU machine to the DeepBrain Chain's GPU network, and then rent the machine themselves with DBC Token or have others rent the machine, and then add these rented GPUs to the DeepLink network again to obtain DLC rewards. However, DeepLink Protocol will charge a commission for each cloud game usage time that is 20% to 30% higher than the GPU in Deep BrainChain. Each cloud game rental is settled with DLC, and DLC will be 100% destroyed in real time, thereby forming deflation for DLC.
On the user side, DeepLink Protocol can support the upgrade of traditional Internet cafes and traditional e-sports hotels and transform them into cloud Internet cafes and cloud e-sports hotels, thereby saving 80% of the one-time investment in host equipment, thus completely revolutionizing the Internet cafe industry.
In addition, DeepLink Software can also be downloaded and used by individual users, allowing them to run 3A games on ordinary devices anytime and anywhere, thereby lowering the threshold for users to play 3A games. The price is only 20% of the price of traditional cloud games, which is extremely competitive in the industry.
Golden Finance: DeepLink Protocol is a decentralized AI cloud gaming protocol. How do you promote the integration of AI and Depin?
YONG HE: First of all, the application on Depin: traditional 3A games require high-end equipment and a lot of computing power, such as GTA5, PUBG, Black Wukong, etc. on Steam, which often require hundreds of GB hard drives and high-end GPUs. If players play these games through cloud games, they will need a large number of cloud GPUs and cloud physical facilities, which are provided by Minner, and Minner will get DLC token rewards from them.
If users want to play games through the cloud protocol, they need to consume these tokens. We charge by the minute, which forms the practicality of the tokens.
Application of AI: Most gamers pursue the realism and smoothness of the game screen, but most players do not have the hardware conditions. When the physical equipment cannot meet such high requirements, AI technology can be used for enhancement. At this time, players can use the DeepLink platform to enhance the color of the screen, giving users a more realistic experience.
So DeepLink combines AI and Depin to serve games. From this point of view, we are a game infrastructure platform, but unlike the previous GameFi platform, our project is 2 orders of magnitude more difficult than it.
Therefore, DeepLink can also be understood as an entrance to the gaming field, through which players can access any 3A game.
Golden Finance: I saw that DeepLink provides two services: DeepLink protocol and DeepLink software. So who are the main service objects of these two products? What benefits can users get from them?
YONG HE: Our customers are both B-end and C-end customers, and they can benefit from it as long as they use our software protocol.
DeepLink Protocol targets:
3A game companies: Help convert 3A games into cloud games, so that 3A games can run on any low-end device including mobile phones, helping to increase the user base of 3A games by more than 10 times.
Internet cafes and e-sports hotels: Help traditional Internet cafes upgrade and transform into cloud Internet cafes, reduce the hardware investment of Internet cafes by more than 80%, and increase the net profit by 3 times in 4 years.
Cloud gaming all-in-one hardware manufacturers: Manufacturers integrate DeepLink Protocol to enable players to play 3A games through low-end CPU configuration + high-end gaming screen, helping players save 80% of hardware investment
Cloud gaming handheld hardware manufacturers: Manufacturers integrate DeepLink Protocol, the price of handheld game consoles is 30% of the price of traditional handheld game consoles, and the gaming performance is more than 5 times that of traditional handheld game consoles.
DeepLink Software's target customers are mainly individual gamers, and it meets the needs of gamers who only have mobile phones or PCs with poor performance to play high-end 3A games.
Since the cost is low, the fees paid by users are also low. The earlier GPU providers participate, the greater the benefits, because the total number of DLC rewards per year in the first four years is fixed at 2 billion. The earlier you participate, the fewer machines you have, and the more DLC you can get.
The advantage of DeepLink as a crypto project is that it is cheap to use. Our price is about 20% of theirs, because we make use of idle computing power. The second advantage is that both individuals and institutions can provide computing power.
The computing power covers a wider range. We have now covered 100 countries, while centralized cloud gaming products such as Microsoft's Xbox cloud gaming have only covered more than 10 countries after 4 years of development, and users in most countries around the world are still unable to use it.
7. What stage of development is the project currently in? What are the outstanding performances so far? For example, financing, number of users, transaction volume, etc.
YONG HE: The DeepLink project has been in development for 4 years. The first two and a half years were mainly for R&D, and DeepLink Software was launched one and a half years ago. At the beginning of July this year, we have exceeded one million users in more than 100 countries, which is the first milestone event.
The second is that our DeepLink Protocol product has been used in Korean Internet cafes and Chinese e-sports hotels, and we will gradually expand it in the future.
In terms of financing, as of March this year, DeepLink completed angel round and A round of financing, totaling US$9 million.
Currently, DeepLink is conducting a public sale, and users outside of China, the United States, South Korea, and Singapore can participate. The main markets are Japan and Europe, with 70% of the market share coming from Japan. The first three phases have raised more than 3 million US dollars, and the current phase is the fourth phase. In the fifth phase, which is the end of Q3 this year, it will be listed on the exchange.
Golden Finance: I noticed that DeepLink’s project token is DLC. Could you please introduce the economic system of the DLC token and its main purpose?
YONG HE: DeepLink is a circular economy system and also a deflation model. In this system, those who produce and provide DLC are GPU providers, that is, providers of 3A gaming equipment, and they can get token rewards. Currently, the total amount of tokens per year is 2 billion, which is worth about 6 million US dollars according to the market price.
Consumers of tokens are individual players, Internet cafes, e-sports hotels, etc. Players who want to play large-scale 3A games can download DeepLink Software and spend only $0.1 or $0.2 per hour, that is, pay through DLC of equivalent value.
All paid DLC will be left to the smart contract and then destroyed, so it is a deflationary model design. As the number of people increases and the duration increases, more DLC will be destroyed. Its mining output mechanism is similar to Bitcoin, which is also halved every four years.
Therefore, the circulation method is that the user side consumes tokens, the miner side generates tokens, and deflation is generated through the destruction mechanism, forming a closed loop.
The value of DeepLink lies in the fact that DLC has a wide range of applications. There are four main usage scenarios:
1) Individual users need to purchase DLC to pay for GPU machine time to play high-quality cloud games. Users pay about 0.1-0.2 USD worth of DLC Token to the smart contract for 1 hour of use, and then the smart contract will destroy these tokens.
2) For every hour of use of the cloud GPU machine, Internet cafes and e-sports hotels pay approximately 0.1-0.2 USD worth of DLC Tokens to the smart contract, and the smart contract will then destroy these tokens.
3) Miners need to purchase DLC for staking to participate in mining. The more they stake, the more DLC rewards they will receive for machines with the same configuration, showing a nonlinear growth relationship, but the maximum reward is 2 times.
4) Users need to use DLC to pay for the advanced features of DeepLink software. This DLC is worth $72 per year.
Golden Finance: Whether users provide GPU computing power or play AAA games, what is the minimum configuration requirement of the DeepLink protocol for personal computers? How do you ensure the security and privacy of user data?
YONG HE: For the user side, there are no requirements for the device. Even a computer from ten years ago can play it, as long as you download our software. Mobile phones can also play it, as long as you spend DLC and connect to the cloud software.
The required network speed is only 5 megabits of bandwidth, which is equivalent to the network speed used by ordinary users to watch videos. A computer with 10 megabits of bandwidth is sufficient, and ordinary users can play it using 4G or 5G networks.
In terms of user privacy, because we are based on the blockchain protocol, we do not have access to user information. In addition, we use encryption technology to save and transmit information. No centralized organization knows user information, so user personal information is very safe.
Golden Finance: What is DeepLink's roadmap and future plans? How do you see the prospects of DeepLink?
YONG HE: I am very optimistic about the future prospects of DeepLink, because the market size of cloud gaming itself is very large. There are more than 2 billion gamers in the world, Steam also has hundreds of millions of users, and Microsoft's Xbox and Sony's PS have sold hundreds of millions of game consoles.
However, due to the limitation of device hardware, there are still a large number of users who have not been exposed to high-end games. According to the sales data of GPUs of NVIDIA and AMD, only 100 million users can access high-end games, and 95% of players cannot. At this time, cloud gaming technology is needed to solve the problem, so giants such as Tencent, Microsoft, and Amazon have launched cloud gaming platforms, but they are centralized, expensive to use, and cover a limited number of countries.
The price of our project is only 20% of theirs, and we can reach more users and respond faster. In addition, centralized cloud game manufacturers cannot build 100,000 data centers around the world, but through distributed cloud game protocols, they can easily exceed 100,000 nodes, thereby obtaining nearby distribution and enjoying computing power.
Therefore, from the perspective of the C-end market, there is a potential of 1 billion users in the future, and on the B-end, Internet cafes and e-sports hotels around the world need to reduce their investment in high-end gaming equipment to obtain higher returns without affecting the user experience.
Of course, there will be a market for VR, AR, XR and other head-mounted display devices in the future, and we now support Apple's Vision Pro. This device itself does not have enough computing power to play high-end games, but by opening the web version of DeepLink Software, it can be connected to a PC gaming computer or the cloud to play 3A games. Players who own Vision Pro can download the software from our official website to try it out, which is great.
The goal for 2025 is to support multiple brands of VR and AR devices, DeepLink downloads exceed 6 million times, the scale of shared computers reaches 20,000, and the number of cooperative cloud Internet cafes reaches 300. By 2026, we hope to achieve DeepLink downloads exceeding 15 million times, shared computers reach 50,000, and establish cooperative relationships with 800 cloud Internet cafes.
Golden Finance: What recent DeepLink project activities are worthy of crypto users’ in-depth participation?
YONG HE: We are planning to cooperate with many well-known exchanges to conduct airdrops, which will be released soon. We will also hold some online activities from time to time, and users can apply for them after participating. The basic rewards range from tens to hundreds of dollars, and the rewards for the lucky draw activities can be as high as thousands of dollars.
In our Telegram community, there is a weekly lottery of $10,000 recently. Everyone is welcome to participate and experience it.
