Based on preconfigured settings, it will disrupt the network connection in a way that will make it difficult for other players in the lobby to continue playing. When this happens in an online lobby, the host can take advantage of not having to rely on a stable connection.Ī lag switch will sit between the game system and the router. If the network becomes slow, people in the room can still go on as normal and the video call will start to stutter and get slow. The people in the room will not be disrupted by a network issue, but the people on the video call will. Think of it as a conference call when several people join in over video. If players can’t communicate with you, their game may begin to freeze while they wait for updated information from the host.įor the host, a disruption in the network connection will not disrupt your game as much since you are not relying on network speed to run around the game.
If you are the host and your network connection begins to degrade, all other players in the lobby will suffer as they are relying on your system to host the game.
This gives the host a clear edge over others and it is where lag switching becomes the scourge of humanity! Each player in the lobby will send their location and actions to the host and the host will send back info about other players. This is where a player in the lobby will be selected as the host and all other players in the lobby will treat this player like it were a dedicated server. The cheaper alternative to hosting game lobbies is a P2P system. Since this comes with an increased cost for the game publisher/developer, it is not one we get to see very often, unfortunately. A dedicated server that hosts the game is ideal and creates a level playing ground for all players as everyone has to communicate with the same server, who is not a player in the game lobby. When playing a game online, there is always going to be a central host. A lag switch is just a way to control those hiccups and make them happen on demand and in a controlled way. There are plenty of regular network-related hiccups that can cause someone to lag. It is important to note that not everyone who lags in an online lobby is cheating or using a lag switch.
Faster ping, means less lag and a better game lobby for everyone. Ping describes the speed at which your system is able to communicate with the server. When it comes to connection performance, you will often hear the word ping or latency be used. It can be caused by a connection with slow speeds or simply due to disruption in your network that causes the connection to drop for a second or so at a time. To put it simply, lag is network delay or disruption. Lag is not exclusive to lag switches, it is a very common annoyance to people who take part in online gaming. What Is Lag?īefore going into depth on what a lag switch is, it is important to have an understanding of what lag is. Rather than falling out of the game, your in-game character can appear to jump around and become difficult for other players to kill. Here is everything you need to know about lag switches in gaming.Ī lag switch is a simple device that will disrupt network traffic to your game system in a way that will not cause you to disconnect from the lobby. If you are someone who spends time playing online video games, you have heard of the term “lag switch” and have been thinking to yourself, what is a lag switch? The short version is they are one of the worst things to happen to online gaming.