In Zwift’s defence on tech, I rode the TdZ today and it ran smoothly until my computer crashed - but this was my fault.
With 10,000 people in an event, even if 99% of people have a great experience, there are going to be 100 people who don’t. Some people’s issues could be server-related, some could be connection-speed related, some could be trainer-related (me last year) and some will be user-related (me today). My computer crashed, because the battery was flat and I hadn’t plugged it in. It would have been nice to get back into the ride after that, but it was my own fault I couldn’t.
It seems like the rider positions is showing the position of all categories together. For example, on Pritch’s stream you can see that at the start there are 3,500 in A cat in London but once out on the road there is 6,500. I did B cat at the same time on Watopia and we had 2,000 at the start and the same 6,500 out on the road. Apart from the wrong total number of riders your rider position will dramatically change as it’s your position in all the cats and not just the cat you are in. All in all it’s a complete mess.
Now, we’ve seen this bug before. Last year there was a Zwift ride on Watopia where the same thing happened, I can’t remember the name, so many bugs on Zwift I can’t remember them all.
What’s interesting about this time is that all the cats were on different worlds but Zwift still managed to merge the positions.
If you want to see Zwift fully crapping itself then Pritch’s video is a great example (language warning). Ghost riders and 0.5fps. He quits and late joins and pops up in 4th place.
A number of riders were reporting timing issues. One guy said Zwift was showing 8 minutes elapsed after we had been riding for 20 minutes. Maybe this is why Zwift doesn’t show the results board. They knew the timing would be bad so instead of fixing the problem they just ignore it.
Interesting to see that ZwiftPower is not only showing the timing but also the full power data (yay, finally something good to say). Although the 2 people in the top of Cat B finished 8 minutes ahead of everyone else. Maybe that has something to do with the timing issue. Maybe it’s another Zwift bug.
It’s not only the GPU, I rode for 70 minutes and logged 30 minutes in swift, it couldn’t even keep time!
Apparently you can’t trust zwifts measurements, but have to log each ride on your Garmin.
I couldn’t even end the ride. So nothing is saved!
In that race and wrong 8.37 elapsed now 27 mins of actual pedal time
ZWIFT 12£ a month is premium subscription prices this is pointless. Barely any new roads,either what are you spending all our good money and that of the chunky investors on
Maybe Zwift could invest more in the customer experience instead of eSports, a Zwift Bike and whatever the latest whim of senior leadership is. Zwift is fortunate to have passionate customers that tell the company exactly what they need.
The customer isn’t to blame nor is the customer’s hardware. So tired of reading all these excuses from Zwift corporate apologists that basically say if you’re not using a high end gaming machine costing several thousand dollars you shouldn’t expect a good experience.
If a Zwift customer is using hardware that meets the minimum system requirements as stated by Zwift, the customer should expect a stable and glitch free experience. Period.
It doesn’t cost several thousand dollars to max out Zwift, not even close. It’s a very common misconception, perpetuated mainly by Apple TV users who can’t conceive of anything being better. I’ve personally tried my best to challenge that view. You’re spot on that Zwift have a responsibility to maintain performance on all supported platforms, all I’m saying is that at some point the kit people are using becomes too weak and too old. It’s a 3D game, with loads of people online at once. The hardware needs to accommodate that.
And if you think I’m an apologist for Zwift, I dread to think what a critic sounds like.
The fact is AppleTV represents the lowest cost and easiest way to Zwift- which is why so many people choose it. Most consumers don’t want to think about what GPU they have or how much RAM it supports - they want to plug a device to their TV and start riding.
If Zwift wants to make onboarding as easy to use as Peloton, it needs to just work with user friendly devices like Apple TV. If Zwift only works (or only works well) with some Windows based PC with a certain Nvidia card and configuration settings, Zwift won’t be used by the average consumer.
So basically double the cost of an AppleTV and requires familiarity with Windows-based systems. Most people want something easy that just works and doesn’t require any special knowledge.
Peloton plays videos and live streams. Zwift is a 3D game. I know your point wasn’t to compare them but the demands and requirements couldn’t really be much more different.
I’m not disagreeing with you too much here anyway, it certainly shouldn’t fail on a closed system they support like Apple TV or any of the iPads. My original point was only that it’s not ‘the servers’ to blame, it’s the user’s device not coping. Turns out Apple TV isn’t as flawless as people thought. Pros and cons, just like every platform.
I kid, I kid… your point, and I don’t disagree either, is exactly why Zwift is investing in hardware. They need an easy to use, one piece of equipment, plug and play option that they have 100% control over to deliver a flawless product. We’ll see if they can pull that off! I’m not so sure they can after how they have managed so far.
Who says the Apple TV hardware can’t support Zwift?? The Apple TV 4K is probably the most bullet proof setup out there for Zwift. It is also cheap, simple, and “just works”. If you want a simple, reliable, usable Zwift experience, the Apple TV is probably the way to go.
Does it have drawbacks? Absolutely!!!
limited to two Bluetooth connections
capped at 30fps
does not render in 4K, but in 1080p
not capable of the ultra resolutions like a gaming PC
and of course, the ridiculous remote control (usable with patience ）
A gaming PC or laptop that can do ultra 4K resolution and higher FPS does not have to cost thousands, but can be built for a few hundred dollars albeit more expensive than an Apple TV 4K. @Dave_ZPCMR is absolutely right about this. But the masses aka average user is not going to be savvy enough to do this.
A new Apple TV is due out this year. Since it’s been over 3yrs since the 4K debuted, I’m sure it will be a significant upgrade and perform even better with Zwift.
I started out on Zwift w/a laptop back in the beta days. Next, I transitioned to an iPhone. Then, I went to a MacBook Pro. Nowadays, I am mostly Apple TV. I have had zero issues. In my experience (both here on the forum and w/friends who use an Apple TV), when they have had issues, it was the result of their environment (dropouts) or not being updated to the latest version of Zwift, Companion app, and/or Apple TV OS or they were not force quitting the apps after each use. Those are the usual culprits. Occasionally, it’s been a bad Apple TV (died, overheating, etc…)
I think suggesting that Zwift just works understates some of the challenges with using the AppleTV platform. If Zwift just worked on AppleTV, why do we recommend that people force closing the application after every use in order to avoid common bugs and increase the chances of a stable session? I have an AppleTV that I use with other apps and I don’t have to remember to force close any of those. Shouldn’t using Zwift on AppleTV be intuitive and work like the majority of the other apps in the store? Granted, its a minor inconvenience in my book but its not the behavior of an application that just works.
If Zwift just works on the AppleTV, why are are people who complain about the remote advised to purchase an additional aftermarket remote or told to load the remote on their phone as a workaround for the poor navigation?
The reason I speak up more is that I bought an AppleTV based on the notion that it just worked and it just didn’t. Navigating through the system menus is far worse than using a mouse and keyboard or even a touch screen. When I would encounter issues and report them, I was told you have to remember to force close each time and even that doesn’t prevent all of the issues I encountered. When I ran out of bluetooth connections, I was advised to purchase a $70 ant to BLE bridge.
I think it can be the best choice for some but it depends on your equipment and use case. It’s certainly not flawless. In my experience through using an AppleTV, iPad or PC, the AppleTV is the least capable option. I know that sounds harsh but it undeniable has most limitations in capabilities and a cursory look through the forums will tell you they aren’t without their issues, like all other platforms running zwift.
All indications are that the new AppleTV will use the a12x processor, which is already in use on some iPads today. It’s not a significant increase in performance over the a10x used the AppleTV 4k according to the log data available on zwiftilizer. I’m not sure why you’re optimistic about the the performance gains.
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