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Sony asking PS4 devs to try PS Vita remote play before submission
A major feature of the PlayStation 4 is native remote play support on the Vita for PS4 games. During last night's presentation, Gaikai CEO David Perry talked about the work being put in to ensure the fastest response times for remote play. It's a big part of the PS4 and speaking to Engadget, Sony worldwide studios president Shuhei Yoshida said Sony is requests developers for its new console test their game on Vita using remote play before submitting for certification.Yoshida said the addition of remote play with the PS Vita means developers can create custom control layouts on Vita. "Some PS Vita games make use of the edge of the screen to add contextual buttons – that works really well, I think, and it's easy to see. So that kind of thing I'd like to see developers do on PS Vita over remote play." Of course, the onus is entirely on the developer, but custom controls for the handheld would be swell.
Pre-order PlayStation 4 at GAME starting now
We may not know what it looks like or how much it costs or when it's launching, but if Sony's event yesterday convinced you of your need for a PlayStation 4 and you live in the UK, know that retailer GAME has already opened pre-orders – £20 will secure you a PS4 console when it launches Holiday 2013.If you're anxious to look at some hardware, Sony released some press shots of the new DualShock 4 and PS4 Eye camera. What we do know about the PlayStation 4 so far is that it's heavily reliant on sharing and cloud-based technology, a result of the $380 million Gaikai purchase, and all PS4 games will feature remote play with the Vita.
(Hopefully) play your favorite PS3 MMOs on the PS4 thanks to cloud streaming
The just-announced PlayStation 4 might not be natively compatible with games made for its predecessors, but that doesn't mean you're out of luck if you were hoping to play your favorites on the new console. David Perry, founder of the Gaikai streaming service, announced today at the Sony PlayStation event in New York City that the aim is to make the PS4 make use of the PlayStation Cloud to stream older games. This is, of course, wonderful news for fans of PS3-era MMOs (DC Universe Online? Free Realms?) who want to enjoy their beloved titles on the shiniest new gaming device.
PlayStation 4 will stream PS1, PS2, PS3 games
The PlayStation 4 will use the "PlayStation Cloud" service to stream PS1, PS2, and PS3 games, solving the backward compatibility problem with technology developed by Gaikai. This functionality was first reported last week by the Wall Street Journal, and confirmed today during the PlayStation unveiling event.In the presentation, Gaikai founder David Perry expressed PlayStation's desire to use this service to stream "everything ever," but no specific games were revealed. On one hand, that suggests the PS4 isn't natively able to play legacy discs; on the other hand, there's tech built in to play those games on the system via streaming.This is part of "PlayStation Cloud," the services of which will be rolled out gradually.
PS4 features PS Vita remote play powered by Gaikai
The PlayStation 4 will allow games to be played via remote play on PlayStation Vita. The news was announced at the PlayStation 2013 event by industry veteran and Gaikai CEO David Perry. Using Gaikai technology, PS4 remote play on the Vita promises "reduced transmission times so the gameplay is snappy and immediate," said Perry. Mark Cerny's Knack, announced earlier during Sony's event, was shown running on a PS Vita. The "goal," said Perry, is for all PlayStation 4 games to support remote play.
PlayStation 4 supports remote play on PlayStation Vita
Sony is eking more out of its Gaikai acquisition than we thought -- it's using the streaming game technology to allow for remote play on the PlayStation Vita, advancing what we saw with the PS3. From a brief demo on stage, the company showed gameplay of the PS4 title Knack on the Vita with little apparent degradation in the visual quality -- it's not leaning on the smaller system's processing, after all. There was also a hint that remote play might not be exclusive, although there's nothing specific in this regard. Not every game will support remote play, either, so don't expect it to be a ubiquitous feature -- but it may help justify the Vita as a companion. Check out our liveblog of Sony's event to get the latest news as it happens!
PlayStation 4's dedicated video hardware will allow seamless video uploading, streaming, sharing
Lead system designer Mark Cerny took the stage at today's PlayStation 4 announcement event, and he's just revealed some very interesting features of Sony's newest console. Cerny said that the PS4 is equipped with always-on, always available hardware for both video compression and decompression, which means that playing and recording video won't take up the CPU during your gameplay. This makes for a lot of interesting features, like seamless uploading and downloading of video -- you'll be able to just hit the "share" button on the new Dualshock 4 controller, browse through "the last few minutes of gameplay," find what you want to send, and then upload it while you continue on through your game.Cerny also said that having this much video running around will allow players to share and view video at will: You'll be able to browse through videos of potential opponents before you play against them in a game, or view streaming videos on a PS Vita or "companion apps" on tablet hardware. Players will also be able to interact while watching each other play, or even "take over the controller" remotely via video streaming. The hardware sounds very impressive indeed. Stay tuned to the Joystiq liveblog and to the site all day today for more info on the PlayStation 4 and how it all works.
Try Anything and Instant Broadcast announced for PlayStation 4
Dave Perry, co-founder and CEO of Gaikai took the stage during today's PlayStation 2013 event in New York City to announce the integration of Gaikai's tech into Sony's future PSN architecture. Part of the new feature set introduced will include the ability to find anything in the PlayStation Store, press the X button on the controller, and the game demo or media will immediately start playing. "Try it for free, share it if you like it, and pay only for the games which you fall in love with," Perry said.The "instant broadcast" side of that equation allows players to broadcast and share gameplay videos using existing, connected social networks, such as Ustream and Facebook. Friends are able to post comments to your screen, which Perry described as "peering over your shoulder."Gaikai technology will also power PS Vita remote play and the ability to stream past console games to the PS4 hardware.
Sony registers 'PlayStation Cloud' domains
Trademark and domain sleuth Superannuation has dug up several domains that allude to a PlayStation Cloud product. Sony's Gaikai service has registered domains for sites such as PlayStation-Cloud.com, PlayStation-Cloud.org, and PS-Cloud.net.In early 2009, Sony registered a trademark for PS Cloud. Shortly after, a "100% fake" mockup made the rounds. Since then, we hadn't heard a whisper about this until the recent domain registrations.Earlier this year it was reported the next PlayStation would stream PlayStation 3 games, giving some consumer-facing purpose to Sony's $380 million acquisition of Gaikai. Sony is expected to announce the next PlayStation tomorrow. [Image Credit: faithie via Shutterstock]
WSJ: Sony will use Gaikai streaming tech to play PS3 games on the PS4
We're just a few days away from Sony's February 20th "see the future of" PlayStation event where we expect to see the next edition of its home console, and the rumor mill is buzzing. The latest one tonight comes from the Wall Street Journal, with a report that connects Sony's $380 million purchase of cloud gaming service Gaikai last year with a method to provide backwards compatibility on the PlayStation 4. The WSJ reports Sony has been "investing heavily" in preparing Gaikai for an influx of PS4-equipped gamers, while also developing better cameras for its Move and the DualShock+touchpad controllers we've seen recently. What's not revealed, however, is any potential pricing plan, or whether cloud games will work using existing cloud saves. While buying fully digital copies of games we already own is less than appealing, if Sony can implement something like the abandoned UMD-to-PSP Go "good will" plan, then there may be benefits for all. In the last gen Sony used hardware, then software and then nothing at all for backwards compatible gaming, while Microsoft went all software -- we'll see how it balances out this time around.
WSJ: New PlayStation to stream PS3 games
The next PlayStation will be able to stream PlayStation 3 games, according to unnamed sources "familiar" with Sony's plans. The claim comes from a new report published by the Wall Street Journal, and suggests that online streaming of current PS3 games will be paired with new games sold on optical media through regular channels.Sony's cloud service hinges on its $380 million acquisition of streaming company Gaikai, which was announced last year. If the PlayStation 4 houses architecture different enough from the PS3 to preclude effective backwards compatibility, streaming may be pitched as a solution.Sony's official word on the matter is expected during the PlayStation event next week on February 20.
Engadget's CES 2013 Preview: Gaming
With CES looming like an electrically charged storm of news and announcements, it's time for us to give you our best bets on what you'll see come January. During the month of December, we'll bring you a series of CES preview posts, forecasting what you can expect when the news deluge begins. For more of what's to come, check out our hub. Gaming and CES are estranged partners -- CES spawned the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3 for short) way back in 1995, after gaming exhibitors required more space than CES could offer. As such, the game industry's presence at CES is ... well, there isn't much of a presence to speak of. Smart, smaller companies have traditionally taken good advantage of this; CES 2012 featured the unveiling of the Wikipad and Razer's Project Fiona, while Gaikai gave us our first hands-on with its LG-based game streaming service. As for the big three console manufacturers? Nintendo gave press another chance to check out the Wii U, but it was nothing more than the E3 demo many had seen months earlier.
Gaikai sued over alleged patent infringement
A Delaware company called T5 Labs has filed suit against cloud-gaming service Gaikai for alleged patent infringement, putting the technology that underpins Gaikai's fancy cloud-computing/game-streaming wizardry under the legal microscope.Specifically, T5 Labs claims that by "providing a system and methods of sharing a graphics processing unit (GPU) between a plurality of programs," Gaikai is "actively, knowingly and intentionally" using the technology covered by T5's patent for "Sharing a graphical processing unit between a plurality of programs."Multiple programs using the same GPU may sound like something that every single computer does on a regular basis, but T5's patent actually covers a specific scenario involving servers, remote terminals and compression algorithms. No specific dollar amount is listed in the complaint, but T5 is seeking damages, attorney's fees and "a judgement permanently enjoining Gaikai from further infringement."Gaikai has "no comment at this time" regarding the situation.
Gaikai site updated with images from Uncharted, LittleBigPlanet, other big PS3 games
Gaikai's website has been updated with hints of big PS3 games on the streaming service. The background of gaikai.com now features stills from Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Uncharted 2, Killzone 3, and more. In the actual text of the website, Gaikai still says it "cannot share any details at this point in time" regarding the service's integration with Sony platforms. Sony acquired Gaikai earlier this year.In addition, PlayStation LifeStyle discovered a job listing for an "Android/Java programmer," which suggests that the company still plans some sort of mobile integration. Perhaps it could tie into PlayStation Mobile, the Android-based game initiative Sony just launched.
OnLive and Gaikai functionality still on board for Wikipad
During a private demo of the near-final Wikipad this week, Joystiq was able to grill Wikipad president of sales Fraser Townley about next month's launch. Specifically, we wanted to learn whether OnLive and Gaikai functionality – the former with its recent change in ownership and the latter having recently been picked up by Sony – were still planned for the device."Yes," Townsley assured Joystiq, to both applications appearing on the device. Speaking on the situation at OnLive, Townsley said he didn't have much knowledge what was happening at the company, but promised that "if [the service is] still running when we launch Wikipad, it'll be there."While Wikipad will have physical units for purchase in-store through official partner GameStop, all other major retailers will be taking orders online. When asked what would be a successful launch for the $499 tablet – which comes with the controller dock and 16GB of memory – Townley couldn't provide exact numbers, but said that "a point or two" of total tablet market share would be desirable.%Gallery-162928%
Hands-on with Wikipad, the $500 Android gaming tablet (video)
The Wikipad is an anomaly. It's a 10.1-inch, $500 Android tablet aimed squarely at gamers -- an expensive portal to a platform many mobile game developers have abandoned due to piracy. It's got an IPS display with 1,280 x 800 resolution, an NVIDIA Tegra 3 T30 quad-core 1.4GHz processor, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean (at launch). So ... it's not quite as sharp in the graphics department as some other tablets on the market, nor is it as pretty as its main handheld gaming competition, the PlayStation Vita. On top of that, it's from an engineering firm that you've never heard of -- Wikipad is also the name of the business behind the tablet, and this is the company's first product launch. Oh, and did we mention that the main selling point is an attachable game controller that frames half the tablet in a mess of plastic buttons, joysticks, and speakers? And no, the controller won't be sold separately, nor will it work with any other tablet. Defying all logic, however, the Wikipad feels like a surprisingly solid piece of equipment (regardless of the fact that the prototype model we used was hand-built). From the light but solid construction of the tablet's chassis, to its grippy molded rear -- which helps both for gripping the tablet without the controller attached and assists sound amplification when the device is laid down -- nothing about the device feels cheap. As a tablet, it's speedy and responsive. Apps load quickly and smoothly, and it's got extra loud speakers for gaming without headphones (or for David Guetta, as was demonstrated to us). The custom skin it was running felt a bit rough -- the apps get reorganized with a gaming focus and slapped onto a flippable cube, which caused some visual stuttering from pane to pane. Another feature of the custom OS is a special 3D game launcher, which includes sections for Nvidia's Tegra Zone, PlayStation Mobile games, GameStop-suggested titles, and Google Play. There are some less than exciting ad banners attached to this launcher, but they're easily ignorable. Though Gaikai is still working with the Wikipad post-Sony buyout, CEO James Bower told us the game streaming service won't be there at launch -- he's hoping it'll arrive by year's end, "but that's up to Sony."%Gallery-166636%
Source: OnLive averaged 1800 concurrent users, CEO promised to protect patents against Gaikai [update]
A source confirmed to have been affected by today's OnLive company shift has stepped forward, telling Joystiq that staff were shocked when company CEO Steve Perlman announced OnLive would be restructured. Employees had joked, before the 10am meeting, that perhaps the company had finally been purchased. They thought the news would be good. It wasn't. Our source, who wished to remain anonymous, said that Perlman "showed no remorse" when detailing the decision to staff and explained to laid-off employees that any vetted stocks were worthless – as OnLive is "nowhere near going public" – no severance would be offered, and all flexible spending accounts were gone. [See update below] At 2pm today, a second meeting was called for employees that received an offer letter to remain with the restructured company, under an undisclosed investor. Only those with offer letters know the company behind the move, our source said. Prior to the news, OnLive employed 180 to 200 individuals. Less than fifty percent of staff – and our source speculates closer to twenty percent – received an invitation to the new company. Employees that remained included management and select members of the operations and engineering teams required to keep the service moving forward. Despite its claim of two million users, our source says that the average peak amount of concurrent users was around 1,800. The two million number accounts for anyone who has signed up for the service; actual usage was remarkably lower. Following the meeting, management told laid-off staff to pack their belongings, return any key cards, and exit the building by 4pm today. When reporters were spotted photographing the building, management requested laid-off employees to exit through the garage and not the front door. Multiple offers were made to purchase the company over the last few months, including one from Hewlett-Packard. Company management said it was investigating offers; however, it was widely known to employees that Perlman was looking for an offer in the range of $1 billion. "Steve got all excited when Gaikai got acquired, because it kind of validated everything we did," our source told us when asked if Sony's acquisition of the streaming service company changed an attitude in the office. At around the same time Sony made the acquisition, OnLive's patent for gameplay streaming went through. "So all of a sudden, Steve was like 'When the time is right, we're going to hit them with our patent because we're not going to let some two-bit company ride our coattails,'" the source claimed, explaining the threat was made to the entire company soon after Gaikai was acquired. "I guarantee that some time in the future, Steve is going to go to court and sue the shit out of them for stealing our ideas," the source said. Joystiq has contacted OnLive regarding the allegation of a potential patent scuffle. Update: Joystiq has learned that laid-off employees will keep their benefits package until the end of August, with the option of opting into COBRA on September 1. Additionally, laid-off employees that aid in the transition to the new investor, may be rewarded in company stock; however, it should be noted that OnLive is still not a publicly traded company. In separate meetings, laid-off OnLive employees received a termination package, which included a check for their last week of work and approved, unpaid PTO. Update 2: Though the new owner of OnLive has yet to be revealed, the new investor appears to be an individual "impressed" with what OnLive has been able to accomplish and not a major company – this according to Perlman during today's internal announcement meeting. Update 3: Another source has come forward to dispute the claim that OnLive CEO Steve Perlman showed "no remorse" when announcing the company's restructuring. "Steve said he was very, very sorry and shouldered all the blame at the company meeting this morning," the new source – also requesting to remain anonymous, but confirmed as an employee – told Joystiq. "Steve has always worked harder than anyone at OnLive and therefore has my respect as well as many others within the company," the sourced, who was also let go this morning, added. We have changed our headline address this conflict. Have any additional information about today's OnLive restructuring? Please contact xav [at] joystiq [dot] com.
The Engadget Interview: GameStop CEO Paul Raines talks tablets, OUYA and the MVNO that never was
Looking to unload your unwanted gaming gear? You're probably on your way to GameStop. As the largest dedicated video game retailer in the world, it's hard to imagine a games enthusiast who hasn't browsed its wares a time or two. Over the last few years, however, the firm has been expanding outside of retail sales -- dipping its fingers into digital distribution, streaming and even phones and tablets. The brick-and-mortar store even seemed to be flirting with building a mobile network. With all these changes underfoot and a new console cycle just around the corner, it seemed like a good time to catch up with GameStop CEO Paul Raines to get some perspective.
Wikipad specs get real: 10.1-inch 1,280 x 800 display, 1.4 GHz Tegra 3, Jelly Bean
The Wikipad gaming tablet has been ticking off boxes on its way to becoming a real product, and after bedding down with Gaikai game streaming and settling in to a 10.1-inch form factor, the rest of the hardware is now set. The chunky handheld will brandish an IPS display with 1,280 x 800 resolution, NVIDIA Tegra 3 T30 quad-core 1.4GHz processor, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, at least 16GB storage and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Other notable items include 8-megapixel rear / 2-megapixel front cameras, six hours continuous gaming battery life and a 2D-only screen instead of the 3D originally touted -- at least, for the first model. The controller remains the same with a pair of triggers, bumpers, joysticks and start/select buttons, and will cover the slate's speakers and route sound out the front. The rest of the story is yet to come, namely exactly what that price will be and when you'll actually be able to pew-pew with it, but the company has promised to 'fess up soon. Meanwhile, though airy for a tablet at 560 grams (1.2 pounds), it's not exactly PS Vita or Nintendo 3DS XL territory -- but then a heavyweight contender could be exactly what handheld gaming needs.
Distro Issue 48 arrives with the Nexus Q, Levar Burton and more
After a brief respite to recover from last week's hot dog and homemade ice cream comas, our tablet mag is back in action. Getting our e-publication affairs back in order, Brian Heater sits down with Levar Burton to chat about Reading Rainbow, a new iPad app and Star Trek gadgetry. Hitting on another bit of childhood nostalgia for many of us at Engadget HQ, Alexis Santos drops by NASA's Launch Control Center (LCC) for a tour after more than three decades of operation. On the review front, we roll up our sleeves and put both the Nexus Q and the Samsung Series 9 through the wringer while offering some in-depth impressions. "Eyes-On" takes a peek at the Google booty offered to I/O attendees, "Hands-On" our latest gadget outings and Gaikai's founder admits his reliance on the PowerPoint gods in the Q&A. Don't take our word for it. Snag your copy of the e-magazine with a few clicks on the download links that follow. Distro Issue 48 PDF Distro in the iTunes App Store Distro in the Google Play Store Distro APK (for sideloading) Like Distro on Facebook Follow Distro on Twitter
