The growth in computer games and wireless networks has catalyzed the production of a new generation of hand-held game consoles that support multi-player gaming over IEEE 802.11 networks. Understanding the traffic characteristics of network games running on these new hand-helds is important for building traffic models and adequately planning wireless network infrastructures to meet future demand. This paper examines the traffic characteristics of IEEE 802.11 network games on the Nintendo DS and the Sony PSP. Analysis of a variety of games from several different genres shows that despite some overall similarities, most of the games have significantly different network characteristics. In addition, the games and hand-held platforms differ in their ability to handle degraded wireless network conditions and in the amount of broadcast traffic sent. The results should be a useful beginning to building effective traffic models for this new generation of network games.
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