OnLive: Sony-Gaikai deal "validates" cloud gaming

UK general manager says acquistion is good for the industry, but that OnLive sale to Microsoft would "defeat the purpose" of cloud gaming.

[user5467007]

BUT...if Sony bought OnLive instead of Gaikai then totally different story.

[Game4life]

they be jelly right?

[piroh]

of course Sony will use Gaikai for their platforms... if i bought some developer for 380 million USD, i would rather see them making exclusives for my platform, what would be the point of buyout if i let them making multiplatform games?

Onlive should be happy, now they have no competition in the world of open platforms

[gaffyh]

@piroh - I doubt they will do that. What's more likely is that PlayStation games on the service will only be accessible through certain Sony devices, but the rest of the catalog, such as multiplatform games will probably still be made available on every device.

The reason OnLive is worried is because the addition of Sony's back catalog of games differentiates their service, AND makes it better if both companies have equal rights over multiplatform games in the future. Sony's backing to Gaikai also gives them more weight from now on, and OnLive know that they have a tougher time ahead of them now.

[DeadlyFire]

@piroh
Don't worry OnLive still has competition looming. Otoy.com for details on that. They are launching a Cloud gaming service at some point. As they have stated in 2009 they plan to stream games with server side rendering, but they want their platform to have its own SDK and support a Next-generation graphical appearance that is nearly life like in all games. So its still a year or more out before a real release. Octane Render is very impressive. Could be a next-gen partner to one of the big consoles at some point.

[Red_Orange_Juice]

I hope SOny buying Gaikai means I will be able to play PC exclusives with m/k on Sony console using Gaikai
and if somehow they would make them have torphies = killer feature

[Abash]

Id be embarrassed if I was OnLive right now, saying a so bitter and jealousy fueled statement because Gaikai has more opportunities being able to be integrated with PlayStation platforms.

[guitarded77]

Well, it's probably a major blow to them and they know they will have a very, very hard time competing with Sony, and they are facing losing their business unless they get a contract with a major player.

[DeadlyFire]

This most likely means OnLive will partner with Microsoft or Nintendo or maybe even Sony at some point. Never know. They have already partnered with Ouya

I don't think OnLive wants to be sold. It just wants to be everywhere. They don't like that Sony has overlooked them.

[badz149]

Sony didn't overlooked them! but they cost too damn much! Even Gaikai wanted $500m at first but somehow Sony managed to reduce it to $380m.

OnLive has always wanted to be a big player themselves but Gaikai has always wanted to be bought by someone.

but what is this PURPOSE that he's talking about?

[adorie]

if Sony does this right and focuses on this without losing focus of their other ventures and activities, it could be a force to be reckoned with when refering to the competition.

Gaikai has proven it can be useful and provide a good experience. I didn't think Sony would buy them but I suppose my guess early on was on the money.

I think I called this acquisition, but I don't feel like digging into my comments history to refresh my memory.

Time for lunch and Uncharted Golden Abyss, then back to the real life grind. :(

[nukeitall]

I think the point of OnLive is pointless. The experience is terrible even with great internet connect (read fiber optics all the way to the wall inside house) and the compression screws up fast moving scenes.

Even movement feels laggy.

[WeskerChildReborned]

Yep, Onlive wouldn't be talking if that happened.

[Christopher]

There's nothing to say that Sony wouldn't put their service out on many platforms. They could still maintain exclusivity with their own platform (cloud or console) and storefront (PSN integration across all).

[shutUpAndTakeMyMoney]

he actually makes sense though. Why are console gamer so anti open platform? oh yeah brand loyalty.

[doctorstrange]

But... Sony could still make it available on everything.

[HammadTheBeast]

They fail to realize that Sony also makes TV's, Smartphones, Tablets, and consoles as well.

You're right, they could make it available anywhere they want to.

[darthv72]

or non-sony products as well to increase market percentage. No doubt they would make $$ being exclusive to sony products but when you open the gates to virtually anything then there is potential to make even more $$$$.

[NastyLeftHook0]

that would be huge

[ALLWRONG]

Just on Sony products.

[krisq]

OnLive is clearly shitting their pants. Wait for Sony to put Gaikai in everything they sell.

[adorie]

darkv72 has hit the nail right on the head.

[BlmThug]

Onlive is inferior to Gaikai and also they are very jealous that Sony bought Gaikai and not OnLive

[shutUpAndTakeMyMoney]

Ss if they will. Sony would want you to buy a netflix box to play netflix movies if they owned it.

[majiebeast]

I think someone is sad Sony bypassed em for superior technology i tried both of them and Gaikai was by far the better choice in GFX,lag,framerate,loadtimes and ease.

[paddystan]

I agreed, Gaikai was very user friendly, easy to use, less lagg and had better graphics. There were just too much shit to do so for get to use OnLive. I mean, registration, downloading and installing the software and going through tons of other menus before I could try a game. Also, the menu was lagging and there were advertisments everywhere.

Gaikai is way better than OnLive, especially here in Europe.

[specialguest]

Onlive have games streaming nearly 60fps, but the graphics are so terrible. There's also that input lag. Gaikai runs at a lower framerate, but the graphics are surprisingly good. Easily giving it to Gaikai as the better service.

[Megaton]

Don't get bitter because you weren't acquired, son.

[NastyLeftHook0]

bingo

[Xperia_ion]

They can both coexist

[ChunkyLover53]

Sure they can, they've coexisted for years now. Nobodies really paid attention to either of them.

[Nicaragua]

Dvd existed for years and nobody paid attention to it - then sony put it in the ps2.

Blu-ray existed for years and nobody paid attention to it then sony put it in the ps3.

Draw your own conclusions.

[MySwordIsHeavenly]

Blu-ray existed for about six months before the PS3 came out. People knew that the PS3 would be the first affordable blu-ray player. People paid attention to blu-ray from the start, but were waiting for the PS3.

[joeorc]

"Blu-ray existed for about six months before the PS3 came out."

try over 3 year's before the PS3 came out, and in consumer product form!

Sony Shows First Blu-Ray Recorder
Drive uses blue-laser technology to boost DVD storage to 27GB.
By Martyn Williams, IDG News

Mar 3, 2003 9:00 am

http://www.pcworld.com/arti...

[snake-OO]

@joeorc
when was the first commercial blu ray movie released because i can guarantee you that no blu ray movie came out in 2003.

[hellvaguy]

"Blu-ray existed for about six months before the PS3 came out"

Yes for $500 bluray players existed before ps3 (with almost no movie selection). Not really surprising why they didnt sell well.

Lets give the full picture here folks before cutting and pasting fragmented "facts" to prove our points.

[MySwordIsHeavenly]

Lol. The dinosaur is upset the meteor's coming.

[hkgamer]

I think Onlive is just doing some PR bullshit...
Sony hasn't even announced what their plans with Gaikai are yet so nobody will know until then.

What is interesting about Gaikai at the moment is that it can run on browsers and is somehow compatible with facebook and youtube. So if Sony were to not have gaikai on those two sites then it will be quite stupid.
Sony is also trying to find partners with their playstion certified devices, so it should be safe to say that Gaikai should appear on those android devices.

Onlive shouldn't be too worried about what Gaikai are upto at the moment, Onlive is doing great and has many features that others cannot even imagine to do.

[joeorc]

"Sure they can, they've coexisted for years now. Nobodies really paid attention to either of them."

the fact that Sony did pay attention to them, and did buy them means they did in fact pay attention to them.

I have stated this before and i will say it again, the Chipset that was put inside the PS3 was done for a reason.

The Cell chipset was designed for such a reason, now that ARM cortex SOC chipset's are getting to be where they are
it is no wonder Sony purchased Gaikai.

http://www.econectados.com/...

that is the thing about cloud and Grid computing, you build machines designed to take advantage of those Technologies,which Sony exactly did with the design of the PS3 in mind.

[joeorc]

I am getting Disagree's about the PS3 design, for cloud and Grid computing?

if So, i would really love to read your explanation as to why you disagree.

for instance if you even, read the link i showed you, you would Have seen, that it was about the cloud and Grid computing environment , right?

so this for example:

" Sony is helping this
project through the Play Station 3"

They have developed a folding client that runs on the PS3 while the user is not playing. By April 2007, the console accounts for around 40% of all
teraFLOPS at an approximate ratio of 35½ PS3 clients per teraFLOPS."

so since Sony was already making use of the PS3 in a Grid Computing environment, which by the way you did not see Microsoft's or Nintendo's systems being ran in a Grid environment for computing, but the PS3 was.

so your telling everyone here that Sony could or would not use this very same type of Grid Computing environment for say Gaming purposes?

If so..LMAO

OK what ever float's your boat!

yea just like Sony was not paying any attention to the cloud gaming industry environment.LMAO

[JBSleek]

Why are you always so butt hurt that people don't agree with what you say?

"Sure they can, they've coexisted for years now. Nobodies really paid attention to either of them."

He was clearly talking about consumers and not any company.

"yea just like Sony was not paying any attention to the cloud gaming industry environment.LMAO "

Relax kid your words aren't some infinite wisdom that we all must listen and agree with.

[Outside_ofthe_Box]

***"if So, i would really love to read your explanation as to why you disagree."***

People don't like facts that's why. JB and Chunky included.

[paddystan]

Somebody's jealous here.

[wenaldy]

I can smell a peanut butter jelly across the pacific..

[adorie]

Don't they call it Jam in UK/Great Britain? :D

[beerkeg]

We call peanut butter 'peanut butter'
And jam is made from fruit. I don't know what peanut butter jelly is though.

[MaxXAttaxX]

He said "across the Pacific" not Atlantic.
Maybe he's in Hawaii or other countries on the very East.
Unless he messed up lol.

[NastyLeftHook0]

seems onlive is jealous.

[chrisgay]

You guys must be kidding- he's totally right. Cloud gaming's only advantage is hardware compatibility. Why on Earth would I cloud game on a console I invested so much in? Cloud gaming should be an inexpensive alternative to such an investment.

He isn't jealous, he's concerned that a market he helped to create may be going up the shitter.

[MaxXAttaxX]

Sony makes smartphones, tablets, handhelds and consoles.
So I doubt it will be used for just one system.

Gaikai is like OnLive, but with better performance and now with Sony PlayStation games catalog. It's a smart move for Sony.
You can't blame people for thinking that this is just jealous PR talk from Onlive.

Options are good. Instant demos and game trials is what I hope for.

[plmkoh]

He probably missed part about Gaikai being even on LG TVs and Sony putting their PS products on HTC phones.

[Qrphe]

Well it MAY be out of context since it seems to be just a quote even in the article. However, his point is narrow-minded due to the possibility that pushing a superior cloud gaming technology in Sony devices would offer an inceptive to buy Sony hardware if cloud gaming is what one is looking for, specially if Onlive lacks PS3 games (making its library potentially smaller than Gaikai's).

[L6RD7BLU3]

I had no idea that i couldn't use gaikai yet, i could of sworn Sony just bout them soooooo what logical point is onlive trying to use if we're not even using the service yet

[will_c_75]

Didn't Gaikai announce a partnership with Samsung at E3, to put it into their smart TVs? If that holds up, then then other TVs could start to add it, and make it a standard feature. Like the big Netflix, Vudu, and Amazon buttons, that sit on the top of my TV remote.

[HaVoK308]

That "Validates" it huh? I thought better infrastructure and no ISP data caps would validate it. I tried the TERA demo over Gaikai and it worked, but barely. The textures were horrible and the lag unacceptable. And that's with 30meg connection living on the East Coast.

It has a long, long way to go.

[DivineAssault]

what a fool.. If anything, it will get gaikais name out to the ppl who dont know about it.. I never even heard of gaikai until the rumors of sony buying it hit the web.. Just like blu rays becoming the definitive media form, gaikai being in Sony products will help it take off.. It might even put onlive out of business.. Thats why they made a deal with Ouya, to try & keep themselves relevant & alive

[SpecialK]

I dont think onlive is bitter or anything near it...

Onlives plan has ALWAYS been that it could be used on anything, laptops, computers, TV's, maybe even tablets. It turns anything that can output HD video and connects to the internet into a high end gaming device.

How would they do that if they became restricted to one companies products like Sony???

Its not in their business plan to be bought.

Ive always seen them as a gaming platform that will stand on its own. Its the gaming version of something like Spotify. It doesnt want to be bought and doesnt need it to be successful...

[HelloHowAreYou]

Sony's acquisition and partnership of Gaikai means that they have different tech to stream movies, videos, music and games. With the testing of Sony's earlier cloud service and now Gaikai, it makes it even better.