Abstract
The purpose of this experiment was to determine how much bandwidth the PS4 uses during online gameplay. The games used for this experiment were Battlefield 4, Killzone: Shadow Fall, and FIFA 14. Data was also collected for Twitch streaming.
Method
All devices connected to the router were in sleep mode or powered down in order to isolate data usage from the PS4. Results were collected using the router’s built-in traffic monitor through a web browser. The computer and the PS4 were connected via Ethernet to the router. Data collection began after the map had been loaded and the gameplay was underway.
Data
Figure 1 Baseline Internet traffic test with no devices using the Internet and the PS4 turned off
Figure 2 Speedtest.net results from computer
Figure 2a Speed test results from PS4
Figure 3 shows a ten-minute snapshot of the bandwidth used by the PS4 during a game of Battlefield 4. The game type was Conquest on Zavod 311 and contained between 64-66 players during the time the data was collected.
Figure 4 shows a ten-minute snapshot of the bandwidth used by the PS4 during a game of Killzone: Shadow Fall. The game type was 24-player death match on The Slums. The game contained 24 active players during the time the data was collected.
Figure 5 shows a ten-minute snapshot of the bandwidth used by the PS4 during an online match of FIFA 14. An opponent was found online using the Seasons online game mode. The match was between PSG and Manchester City.
Figure 6 Shows the bandwidth used while streaming live gameplay to Twitch. The broadcast quality was set to Best. The stream did not include video from the PS Camera or audio from a microphone. The stream was of a Battlefield 4 game of Conquest with 64 players on the map Operation Locker.
Analysis
Killzone: Shadow Fall consumed the most amount of data during a ten-minute interval (32.42MB). Battlefield 4 came in second (10.48MB), and FIFA 14 consumed the least (4.45MB). Streaming to Twitch consumed about 130.23MB of data in a ten-minute interval. This was calculated by subtracting the total upload bandwidth from Figure 3 from Figure 6 in order to estimate the data usage by streaming alone. Streaming to Twitch used approximately 2.66 Mbps at its peak while playing Battlefield 4, therefore having an upload bandwidth of 3 Mbps should suffice for streaming and playing online. For Killzone: Shadow Fall and possibly other, more bandwidth consuming games, an upload speed of at least 5 Mbps is recommended.
Extrapolated Data Usage over 1-hour:
Killzone: Shadow Fall – 194.52MB
Battlefield 4 – 66.88MB
FIFA 14 – 26.7MB
Streaming via Twitch (Best quality) – 781.38MB (Estimated Upload bandwidth ONLY)
Conclusion
Although the bandwidth used between the three games varied, the PS4 generally uses very little bandwidth when playing online. This should help people that have a monthly bandwidth limit or are worried that their Internet speed is not adequate to game online.
