Sony to Acquire Gaikai

[Scott Tortorice]

More proof that cloud-based gaming is going to be big in the next few years:

Sony to Acquire Gaikai

Sony Computer Entertainment announces they are acquiring Gaikai in a deal worth approximately USD $380 million, confirming rumors they were planning to purchase the cloud-gaming service co-founded by industry veteran Dave Perry. "By combining Gaikai's resources including its technological strength and engineering talent with SCE's extensive game platform knowledge and experience, SCE will provide users with unparalleled cloud entertainment experiences," said Andrew House, President and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. "SCE will deliver a world-class cloud-streaming service that allows users to instantly enjoy a broad array of content ranging from immersive core games with rich graphics to casual content anytime, anywhere on a variety of internet-connected devices."

The next 10 years of gaming is going to be a fascinating experience.

[Redwolf]

So did they find a way to change the laws of physics yet?

Or do they use some of those faster-than-light neutrinos to do something about the turnaround time.

[Scott Tortorice]

I have seen The Cloud...and it is beautiful!

Admittedly, it was only a brief taste, but wow. I could definitely see this catching on.

Nexus' high praise of Mass Effect awoke a desire in me to try the demo again. Unfortunately, I am so lazy now that the idea of installing the demo via Steam only to have to delete a few minutes later sort of killed the interest in me. But then I saw that EA's Origin has a streaming demo, via Gaikai, so I figured why not. Let me tell you: I am impressed.

The demo for ME2 was ready to play in about 45 seconds (again, no installation, just streaming content like YouTube). I could tell that the demo was running with maxed-out graphics because they looked way better than what I could probably have run the game on my system (because the program was not being run locally, this is possible). Once all the cut scenes stopped playing, the gameplay began - this being the real test of cloud gaming. In all honesty, I could not tell that I was not running the game locally! Inputs were instantaneous and fluid - there was no delay that I could discern whatsoever. Unfortunately, this streaming demo cutoff somewhat anticlimactically in the middle of a firefight, but I had absolutely no problems aiming & firing with accuracy, as well as taking cover during that brief exchange. It seemed to me to run just like any other online multiplayer title, except I didn't need to turn down the graphics to preserve FPS. Wicked cool!

Any negatives? Two. First, every three to four minutes there was a hiccup where sound would get garbled and the stream with glitch for a half second - I suspect this is a buffering issue. Second, the demo was being run at 480P, so the resolution was not sharp. But that was all I could see problem-wise, and I suspect both were due to EA using budget servers for a brief demo.

All things considered, I am impressed. I definitely would like to try cloud gaming again and really put it through its paces with a longer, more intense experience at a higher resolution (Hawken is going to be the first major title to be streamed via Gaikai, so I guess we'll all get a chance to try the cloud with a more robust experience this fall). But if this is an indication of the possibilities of cloud-based computer gaming, sign me up! The idea of running all my favorite games this way via a tablet, with maxed out graphics no less, is intoxicating! Lack of mods is an issue for PC gamers, though (however, Gaikai has already mentioned dedicated servers for popular mods is a possibility).

BTW: my internet plan is Verizon Fios 30/30 mbps. Curious how this would work with a slower connection.