Sony Hooking Up With Gaikai?

[Hero-of-Time]

Sony is expected to announce a deal with OnLive or Gaikai during its E3 press conference on June 4.

 

Ok, so we typically don't cover console news post hardware release, but this supposed announcement is a little interesting. Sony, the brains behind the PlayStation 3 and the recent PS Vita, will supposedly announce a cloud gaming deal during the Sony press conference on June 4. The deal will allow either Gaikai or OnLive games to be streamed on PlayStation hardware.

 

The rumor stems from an E3 preview piece which makes reference to a "partnership deal between PlayStation and a leading cloud gaming service," but declines to go into any further detail. However Ross McGrath, SCEE PlayStation Plus Content Manager, hinted earlier this week that the service may require PlayStation Plus.

 

"If you don't have a PS+ subscription, now is the time to get one. For real. Just get 3 months if you aren't sure. Trust me," McGrath tweeted.

 

Out of the two, Onlive seems to be the likely candidate. OnLive VP of Engineering Joe Bentley said last year that the company was in talks with Microsoft and Sony about bringing its cloud gaming service -- along with support for its OnLive Wireless Controller -- to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

 

"Absolutely, they would make great consoles," Bentley said. "Our controller is a hybrid between a PS3 controller and an Xbox controller. It's all compatible, it would just work. There are OnLive guys chatting [sony and MS], but we'll see where it goes. But it would absolutely work, we're ready to work with everybody."

 

That was yesterday, but Gaf have just posted this about Gaikai.

 

Gaikai has major announcements for E3, which has the potential to change the future of video game, the game consoles and the way in which we play.

[Cube]

I've never heard of Gaikai, but it does make sense for OnLive to get themselves on consoles. I'd imagine that it would also be a brilliant service for game demos - being able to play a demo straight away without a long wait would be a great thing.

 

I have OnLive on my tablet and it seems to work fairly well, apart from that a ton of buttons on a touch screen isn't particularly great. Still, it was great when I was showing off the capabilities of my tablet compared to someone with an iPad and I loaded up the Darksiders demo. Helped that nobody there knew about OnLive or that I was streaming the game.

[flameboy]

As people may know I've very much been a supporter of cloud gaming. Gaikai and Onlive do offer very different services. Whilst onlive have their console and such gaikai have concerntrated on hosting demo code for major publishers via various sites, go to eurogamer and there is a tab for the service and you can play a number of games.

 

I've used my onlive console a fair amount playing through Deus Ex bit by bit and played through FEAR 3 on it. I've never had any major problems sure the odd texture muck up but its still really impressive. Just got a new tablet and the service on that is pretty impressive and there is a controller you an buy to allow for a better experience.

 

Onlive have a playpack bundle where you pay £6 a month and get access to a ton of older games (still though stuff like arkham asylum is on there) and its great, I wonder if maybe Sony might tap into this side of things? Add it to Plus or something? Doesn't detract too much from their own current business practices and gives them the chance to try out new revenue streams?

[Dcubed]

Wow! Sony's E3 conference just got a lot more interesting for me!

 

The question now is, how will it be implemented and what will it be used for?

 

Just instant streaming demos? (ALA current PC Gaikai) Or something more?

 

This could be really interesting, especially if they roll in Gaikai's service in with PS+. Get free ad supported (with intrusive ads as detailed in this recently filed patent http://www.google.com/patents?id=lDb9AQAAEBAJ&pg=PA1&dq=sony+entertainment&hl=en&sa=X&ei=mLS-T8TGIqqI6AHM__GqCg&ved=0CEYQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=sony%20entertainment&f=false) versions of retail games when you subscribe to PS+ perhaps?

 

Could we be looking at PC games on PS3/Vita? Use of the Vita with the PS3 as a Wii U ripoff? PS3 games on Vita? PS1, PS2 and PS3 backwards compatibility on PS4/Vita!?

 

Or maybe, just maybe... What if the PSCloud... IS the PS4!? If they're not gonna do anything new with the controller, why spend the money on a big hardware boost when you can give people PC level graphics in 1080p 60FPS via the cloud on their current PS3? Saves Sony a ton of money on R&D, manufacturing etc and they can take advantage of their current userbase (no need to start from zero!) AND it kills used games in one fell swoop.

 

Of course latency is still the big problem and it's one that has only been solved locally (Wii U)

Edited May 25, 2012 by Dcubed

[Cube]

Plus you'll b cutting off a colossal chunk of the market (those who don't have a good enough internet connection).

[Daft]

Game streaming + PS Vita. Unnf. I'd love the option (although I'd probably stick with downloading/disk for the most part).

[flameboy]

Plus you'll b cutting off a colossal chunk of the market (those who don't have a good enough internet connection).

 

I don't think this is a problem. Sony clearly aren't going to throw all their eggs into this and it is just an option. I think its going to clearly initially obviously aimed at people with consoles and an internet connection of which there are obviously plenty. To me it's no different to how PSN is inaccessible to that portion of the market. It doesn't mean these people are being cut off and its not fragmenting the market in any way.

 

Speed isn't going to be an issue if you've got a console and it's online then chances are your connection will meet the 2MB speed required for such services I know not everyone will)

 

Out of the two I'd be more excited if it was Gaikai providing the tech than Onlive despite the fact I "own" Onlive games....this is because benchmark tests have shown their server PC's running the games are actually higher spec than those of Onlive.

[Hero-of-Time]

More rumblings regarding this rumour.

 

In a move that will rock the next generation of console gaming, Sony is close to agreeing an acquisition of a high profile cloud gaming firm, MCV understands.

 

It was reported earlier this week that Sony was to reveal a partnership with a cloud gaming firm – specifically either OnLive or Gaikai – at E3 next week.

 

Subsequent chatter had seemingly calmed the rumours, suggesting that the proposed agreement was to do with Sony streaming TV services, and not consoles.

 

However, MCV understands that the deal is far more extensive than anyone could have predicted and will see Sony fully acquire one of the two firms. The deal, our source says, “is close to being signed”.

 

So they aren't just teaming up but acquiring the company. Man, next week can't come fast enough.

[flameboy]

Buying out right makes me think move that its Gaikai more than Onlive just because they don't have their own system and have seemed more open to their tech running across numerous platform. Part of me does wonder this move could be as much about getting sony content out to other devices other than PS3. With things like Smart TVs being the focus? I mean whose to say you couldn't buy a Sony TV with this tech built in pay on the also rumoured multi tiers of PS Plus to get content straight to their TV.

[Rowan]

Buying out right makes me think move that its Gaikai more than Onlive just because they don't have their own system and have seemed more open to their tech running across numerous platform. Part of me does wonder this move could be as much about getting sony content out to other devices other than PS3. With things like Smart TVs being the focus? I mean whose to say you couldn't buy a Sony TV with this tech built in pay on the also rumoured multi tiers of PS Plus to get content straight to their TV.

 

Very good point. With rumours of an Apple TV (which I presume will allow you to play games on) being developed it could be good competition too.

[flameboy]

Very good point. With rumours of an Apple TV (which I presume will allow you to play games on) being developed it could be good competition too.

 

Yeah...I mean there is still a place for "premium" home consoles with physical medium that the likes of ourselves crave. BUT getting that presence in the living room via other means is certainly what companies want.

[Hero-of-Time]

More rumours regarding this service.

 

The rumoured deal between Sony and Gaikai will allow PS3 and maybe Vita to play old PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 1 games, GamesIndustry International reports.

 

Sources say the deal will be for first-party Sony games, but that the service will be open to third-party publishers who want to flog their old games.

 

Gaikai creator David Perry and his beguiling stare to the rescue!

It's all going to be announced at E3 during Sony's conference on Monday. That conference takes place from 2am Tuesday morning here in the UK. Eurogamer will be covering it live on both sides of the Atlantic.

 

Gaikai already has plenty of publisher partners on PC. And Sony obviously believes there's an appetite for PS2 games, because there have been HD Collection re-master releases of games like God of War, Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, Jak and Daxter, and Ratchet and Clank.

 

The launch fleet of 60GB PlayStation 3s could even natively play PlayStation 2 games. But Sony put an end to that party.

 

Exactly what the rumoured Gaikai and Sony partnership will entail remains to be seen. It could stretch far beyond PlayStation 3 and into Vita and Sony televisions and tablets.

 

GamesIndustry International also points out that it could be a tester for a backwards compatibility streaming service on PlayStation 4, which would be tasty like a lollipop.

[flameboy]

Now that is an awesome idea....although with playstation classics now extending beyong PS1 and including PS2 you have to wonder as to it purpose. But then again like it's been said this offers up many different ways of offering Sony content.