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MMObility: Developments in Gaikai, OnLive shine light on streaming future
Video game streaming software and systems is a hot topic. I've mentioned more than once that I think browser-based gaming (specifically MMOs) will be the main way we get our MMO fix within five years. Browser-based gaming is already responsible for a massive chunk of our MMO gaming. All it takes is one look at the number of players of games like RuneScape, Club Penguin, Travian, Spacetime Studio's collection, War of Dragons, Glitch, Evony (and its "nearly 30 million customers worldwide"), Grepolis, Bigpoint's stable, and many, many others to see that the number of us who play MMOs through our browsers is pretty staggering. Streaming content is next. TERA recently invited players to try out the game using a streaming client that is hosted by Gaikai, a streaming service that was recently bought out by Sony for a cool $380 million. While it does not yet stream MMOs, OnLive has been adding games to its collection for quite a while, embedding itself into televisions, tablets, and PCs and now offering a mobile desktop that gives iPad users access to a virtual PC desktop. I have successfully played many browser-based MMOs through that virtual desktop's browser. Big Fish games, a non-MMO developer that produces "a new game ever day," announced that it too will offer a streaming service this summer. I squealed out loud when I heard that one. Does this mean streaming content is closer to mainstream than I previously thought?
Gaikai hits Samsung 7000 series TVs in beta, despite Sony acquisition
Streaming games service Gaikai and Samsung are still in business, regardless of Sony's recent purchase of Gaikai to establish a "new cloud service." Gaikai's cloud gaming beta is live today with a firmware update on 2012 Samsung LED 7000 series and higher SmartTV systems.Early investors in these high-end internet TVs can download the Gaikai early access program now, cracking the cloud-gaming floodgate on a few Gaikai games. Some "selected participants" will be eligible to receive a free Logitech gamepad as well.Sony purchased Gaikai for $380 million on July 2 to "establish a new cloud service" for as-yet-unannounced platforms and purposes. It was previously unclear how this acquisition would affect Gaikai's hardware-integration efforts, but it appears all systems are go, at least for Samsung.
Gaikai's cloud gaming beta arrives on cue to high-end Samsung Smart TVs
Gaikai announced with a flourish that it was partnering with LG and Samsung for Smart TV cloud gaming, so its acquisition by Sony made us wonder if those arrangements would still hold. Well, it looks like all's well with the arch-foes, at least on that front. The service has landed in a closed beta, provided you're the lucky owner of a 2012 Samsung LED 7000 series or higher Smart TV with the latest firmware update. Should you decide to download the software, you'll be offered the chance to check out the company's early access program, which will not only let you sample the cloud gaming wares, but also get you a Logitech Gamepad to boot -- provided you're a "selected participant." That'll let you kick back and test out some Gaikai games for yourself, so if you're among the select few with the right TV, check the source to see how the install works.
OnLive support dropped from Sony media player post-Gaikai purchase [Update: support not dropped, says OnLive]
Remember the Sony streaming media player that reportedly packed OnLive support? After yesterday's announcement of the acquisition of Gaikai – that other video game streaming service – OnLive support for the player is unsurprisingly kaput, Sony confirmed to VentureBeat.Presumably, Gaikai support could be added to the device in the future, but for now it's clear that Sony's game streaming intentions (understandably) no longer include OnLive.Update: An OnLive spokesperson has told Joystiq that VentureBeat's information is inaccurate. Specifically, OnLive was never going to be preloaded into Sony's device in the first place. Users will, however, still be able to download OnLive to the device. Furthermore, the OnLive spokesperson stated that the OnLive controller is still compatible with the device as well.We've contacted Sony directly to see if we can clear all this up.
Sony's House: Gaikai expansion to other Sony platforms 'absolutely' possible
Assuming it successfully clears all of the regulatory hurdles that govern these types of deals, Sony's $380 million acquisition of Gaikai (and the mysterious cloud gaming service borne from said purchase) may eventually benefit the electronics megalith's non-dedicated-yet-gaming-capable devices like cell phones, internet-connected televisions and Blu-Ray players, waffle irons, etc.Migrating Gaikai's capabilities to those devices is "absolutely within the frame," according to Sony Computer Entertainment president/CEO Andrew House, speaking with the Wall Street Journal. "It's recognition on Sony's part that the cloud and cloud streaming technologies are going to have profound and possibly a very positive impact on not only our game business, but also in the way our consumers interact with and obtain content in general."Of course, the world still has no idea what this partnership actually means in practical terms, but its nice to know that we may soon have a Blu-Ray player capable of playing modern video games. Oh wait.
Sony invests in cloud-streaming with purchase of Gaikai
The gaming cloud company Gaikai, which partnered with Warner Bros. Interactive last March to stream an hour of gameplay in two different AAA games and more recently was in the news for partnering with En Masse to offer an instant streaming version of TERA's demo, was just acquired by Sony for the sum of $380 million. What does this mean for the company with numerous games across different platforms? Sony Computer Entertainment President Andrew House explains that the company "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." For more insight into the realm of cloud-streaming MMOs, check out Massively's look at Gaikai and browser-based gaming.
Sony buying streaming game service Gaikai for $380 million, to establish 'new cloud service'
Sony announced this morning that it will purchase game streaming service Gaikai for $380 million in a "definitive agreement" that will see cloud gaming head to Sony Computer Entertainment's various properties. The announcement shies away from saying anything too specific, but notes that "SCE will establish a new cloud service" based on today's acquisition. The implication of course is that Gaikai will offer cloud-streaming gaming via the PlayStation 3 and Vita, not to mention any unannounced future systems and other Sony properties (Bravia televisions, for instance)."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," SCE prez and CEO Andrew House said of the news, hinting at where we'll see Gaikai's tech implemented.It's unclear whether the streaming tech is intended for Sony's PlayStation 3 or for future consoles unknown (or both). It's also unclear if Gaikai CEO David Perry will remain with his company in any capacity, or if he'll move to Sony, or if he's out altogether. And how does this affect Gaikai's existing partnerships with various television manufacturers (especially considering Sony's also in the television market)? We're not sure just yet.Gaikai was recently rumored to be seeking a buyer, to the lofty tune of $500 million. Today's news sees them coming up $120 million short of that number.
Sony buys Gaikai cloud gaming service for $380 million
Cloud-based gaming service Gaikai has had plenty of spring in its step recently, and now we know why: it's been tying up a deal to sell itself for a rather substantial sum of cash. The $380 million agreement is slightly below the $500 million bandied about it in some rumors last week, so perhaps SCE execs feel like they've got themselves a bargain. SCE boss Andrew House promised that the union of Gaikai's "engineering talent" with his company's "game platform knowledge" would lead to "unparalleled cloud entertainment experiences." For his part, Gaikai CEO David Perry said he was "honored" to help Sony "grow their ecosystem." None of this sheds much light on precisely what the Japanese giant will do with its new acquisition, or how it'll deal with the potential (imaginary?) awkwardness of supplying a service direct to TV rivals like Samsung and LG. In any case, the two companies need to secure regulatory approval before getting down to the tricky stuff.
Rumor: Gaikai seeking to sell itself for $500 million
David Perry's cloud-based gaming middleware company Gaikai could soon be courting buyers, according to a report at Fortune. The company has supposedly hired bankers in order to prepare for the transaction and purportedly anticipates that its market value will ring up somewhere around $500 million or higher, according to Fortune's sources.Unlike OnLive, Gaikai provides no consumer-facing gaming service itself, but instead provides the technology required for other companies like Samsung, LG and Facebook. Gaikai's official stance on the situation is that it does not comment on rumors; a statement likely prepared by a super-cluster of servers before it was streamed to our inboxes.
Gaikai bringing cloud gaming to Samsung this summer
Game streaming service Gaikai is partnering with Samsung to add its cloud gaming service to Samsung televisions, the company announced today. The partnership is dubbed "Samsung Cloud Gaming," and will bring Gaikai's game lineup to Samsung televisions starting some time this summer (the Samsung 7000 series is the first to get the streaming treatment).Gaikai says that a "diverse selection of AAA content appealing to both families and gamers alike" will come with the service when it arrives later this year. From the handful of screens we've seen, games like The Witcher 2 and Limbo apparently represent the all-encompassing scope of Gaikai's game offerings.%Gallery-157083%
Gaikai-powered cloud gaming coming to Samsung Smart TVs (update: hands-on video and impressions)
At this point, most people (in the tech world, at least) are quite familiar with Gaikai's cloud gaming platform, which lets users have a not-quite-console quality gaming experience on any device. The technology has found its way onto Facebook and in LG TVs, and now Gaikai's bringing gaming to Samsung TVs, too. Called Samsung Cloud Gaming (SCG), it'll be available via the Smart Hub on Samsung 7000 series and up Smart TVs in the US this summer. The technology powering SCG is the same as what's behind LG's service, but Sammy's customized the UI to suit its sensibilities. We got a chance to speak with Gaikai CEO David Perry about his company's latest partnership, so join us after the break for more. Update: Video hands-on added after the break. We also demoed the service playing Darksiders, and aside from some mild stuttering the button masher was smooth enough to play using a USB-connected controller. We're told that the software we viewed isn't final, so it may not reflect the final look. Joe Pollicino contributed to this post. %Gallery-156996%
TERA offers instant streaming demo courtesy of Gaikai
If you've been curious about TERA but are unsure of putting your money down or waiting for a lengthy download, then En Masse has a treat for you today. The studio has partnered with cloud gaming service Gaikai to offer an instant streaming version of TERA's demo. Players can get right into the game with no download by visiting the new TERA demo page. Massively tested this out and confirmed that the game does indeed launch within seconds and allows you to test drive one of three pre-made characters in this action combat world. There is no cost associated with using this feature. VP of Publishing Chris Lee thinks this is a perfect way to spread the word of TERA: "Gaikai's powerful cloud streaming service gives players a chance to enter the action combat world of TERA almost instantly. Within seconds of accessing TERA through Gaikai, players will be immersed in the skill-based combat of a true action MMO where they will experience the depth of a traditional MMO alongside the visceral satisfaction of an action game." Gaikai offers tailored cloud-based gaming services for studios. We recently spoke with Gaikai's CO Dave Perry about his company's ambitions and goals within the MMO industry. [Source: En Masse press release]
The Soapbox: Games-as-a-service sucks for the consumer
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. If you pay close attention to game industry marketing-speak, you've probably heard of something called games-as-a-service. It's an initiative that's been gaining momentum in recent years, as publishers and development houses look to increase revenue, strangle used game sales, and clamp down on both PC and console piracy. It's also championed by a few of our more clueless game "journalists," more often than not due to their (desire for a) cozy relationship with the aforementioned industry players. Put simply, games-as-a-service seeks to change both the definition and the public perception of the phrase "video game" from a product that you buy to a service that you rent, thereby granting developers and publishers complete control over the end-user's experience. If that sounds somewhat nefarious, that's because it is. It's also something that MMORPGs have been doing for two decades.
Hawken to be playable via Gaikai prior to official release
Hawken keeps surprising us. First, we were surprised that the really great-looking mech shooter is being made by an indie studio, then it surprised us to learn that it would be free-to-play. And here's another surprise: Dave Perry's cloud gaming system Gaikai has signed a deal to let players see Hawken running through the service in advance of the planned December 12 release date.Gaikai allows nearly any game to be streamed directly from its servers to any browser, which means that the first impression of the graphics-intensive Hawken will be playable anywhere Gaikai will run (including on some tablets, and computers of all shapes and sizes). This deal makes a lot of sense from both sides: Hawken needs a large audience to get its free-to-play engine running, and Gaikai could use a big title to connect users to its servers. The Gaikai demo will be on playhawken.com and a few other sites, so eyes open until then.
NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang announces cloud-based, virtualized Kepler GPU technology and GeForce GRID gaming platform
We're here at NVIDIA's GPU technology conference here in San Jose, California and CEO Jen-Hsun Huang just let loose that his company plans to put Kepler in the cloud. To make it happen, the company has created a virtualized Kepler GPU tech, called VGX, so that no physical connections are needed to render and stream graphics to remote locations. So, as Citrix brought CPU virtualization to put your work desktop on the device of your choosing, NVIDIA has put the power of Kepler into everything from iPads to netbooks and mobile phones. While the virtualized GPU has application in an enterprise setting, it also, naturally, can put some serious gaming power in the cloud, too. Fear not, for Jen-Hsun's crew has created GeForce GRID technology that leverages Kepler's cloud capabilities to augment online gaming services like Gaikai by greatly reducing input latency by up to 30ms. Naturally, NVIDIA's not spilling the secret sauce that makes it happen, but you can read all about the new technology at the PR and source below. Sean Buckley contributed to this post.
Wikipad's Android tablet amps up with Gaikai game streaming, quad-core, 10-inch screen
Wikipad's Android 4.0 gaming tablet still hasn't received a definitive release date despite having just half a season left to meet its launch target, but that hasn't stopped its creator from boosting the feature set. When the tablet does arrive, it will now bake in Gaikai's game streaming service for you to start playing games as soon as the shrink wrap's off the box. In return for the long wait since CES, Wikipad is also giving its slate a heavy makeover: the 8.1-inch screen is ballooning to 10.1 inches, while a lighter body will carry an unnamed quad-core processor and an option for 3G. Otherwise, you're looking at much of the same formula that first emerged in January, which includes traditional gamepad-like controls on either side as well as front and back cameras, 1080p video support and 8GB of space to store your games when you don't want to bring a microSD card. We're looking forward to getting our paws on those dual analog sticks soon, but for now you can check the news release after the break.
Gaikai and Wikipad team for game streaming to tablet
Game streaming service Gaikai has teamed up with Wikipad to integrate its service into the "first tablet to offer an attachable, console-quality gamepad controller." Competitor OnLive offers a tablet option for game streaming, albeit via touch controls or a compatible gamepad.Never heard of Wikipad? Join the club! The device was revealed at CES, but has already gone through some changes since the original concept: replacing the 8.1" version with a 10.1" screen, and adding a quad core processor, lighter body and optional 3G for mobile. The launch date for the device is still a mystery.As for Gaikai, it's still doing its thing on PC and working on Facebook.
Gaikai brings its cloud gaming to Facebook, launches beta application
Gaikai's certainly grown leaps and bounds since its early days, and today the cloud gaming firm takes another step by joining the largest social networking platform on the globe. For starters, this first beta of Gaikai's Facebook application is available to North American / European gamers, offering support for browsers such as Internet Explorer, Chrome, Safari and Firefox on Windows, OS X or Linux machines. Gamers who've fiddled around with the outfit's previous betas or Walmart's Gaikai powered Gamecenter will know the drill: streaming game demos in the frame of your web browser. Ready to try before you buy? The setup is serving up samples of Saints Row: The Third, Dead Rising 2, Magicka, Sniper: Ghost Warrior, The Witcher 2, Orcs Must Die! and Farming Simulator 2011. Gaikai CEO and co-founder David Perry told us that while the outfit's current Facebook rigging is still centered around demos, it's primed to push full titles if and when a publisher requests it. "Our goal is to get games as accessible as movies and music," he told us "so games get the chance to compete." Gaikai v1.0 is live on Zuck's site now, so click the source link below, pop in your Facebook credentials and you should be all set. Sean Buckley contributed to this post.
Stream a Mass Effect 3 demo through Gaikai
Want to see what this Mass Effect 3 stuff is all about? Do you have a web browser? Gaikai has negotiated exclusive streaming rights to BioWare's latest, and is using those rights to provide a web-based demo.
CCP considering the cloud, wants to put EVE gameplay on mobile devices
EVE Online developer CCP is looking for a way to bring its Internet spaceships into the cloud. CCP's chief marketing officer David Reid said at last week's Fanfest in Iceland that the company is in talks with OnLive, Gaikai, and other services to try to bring the popular space simulation MMO to one of their platforms.Reid said there "isn't some giant announcement" for release on any other platforms but PC and Mac at this time. But he also said CCP is thinking about ways to bring elements of EVE, including the upcoming Planetary Interaction system (in which players can set up to harvest resources from virtual planets) "finding their ways to tablets and mobile devices." CCP is considering a number of ways to do that, and "to add new sorts of experiences" to the game.
