Iwata weighs in on cloud gaming again, has latency concerns

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata was asked to discuss cloud gaming during a previous financial results briefing. At the latest meeting, Iwata commented on the topic once again.

[MNGamer-N]

Ha. I am imagining hitting the jump button, then a minute later, it jumps. It's already frustrating enough fighting my TV's video lag, I can't imagine how frustrating it would be to add another layer of lag. I think Nintendo is right on waiting this one out, and letting Sony do the legwork.

[isarai]

Well i used to use Gaikai quite often back when they were just a cloud gaming service, and honestly while there was still some latency, it wasn't too bad. In fact most of the time i completely forgot i was even gaming on a cloud service. Even so it's not like it's being used primarily for cloud gaming on the PS4, in fact that seemed to be the lowest priority for using it, mostly it seems they are using it for social features.

[dumahim]

Really? I thought they made it clear that this was how they would allow people to play previous generation PS games on the PS4.

[isarai]

@ dumahim

It was never confirmed, it was more of an idea that could possibly be implemented

[dumahim]

Actually, they did cover this in the reveal.

http://www.joystiq.com/2013...

[guitarded77]

Sony's "legwork" will end up working out to patent after patent which will put Nintendo so far behind in the game. Kinda like how they have had to start from scratch with Nintendo Network. Still, I don't think cloud would benefit Nintendo right now, with the exception of backing up data.

[specialagent4532]

Meaning using a cloud gaming service as an alternative to a hard drive.

[Godmars290]

Like they did with disc based over cartridges?

Yeah, that worked out really well for them... :/

[dumahim]

Yeah. Like the PS3 controller lag on Pinball Arcade. I think the developer said it's like a 1 frame delay, but it's still noticed and affects your reaction time. I'm sure it'll work fine for some titles though.

[specialagent4532]

Yeah but letting Sony do the legwork will mean by the time Nintendo releases it's cloud gaming. Sony will be miles ahead and Nintendo will end up getting critized for having an outdated cloud gaming service.

[DeadlyFire]

I think you mean Microsoft/Sony doing the leg work. Sony knows bandwidth is the major issue with it so they are waiting. Microsoft has already hinted Cloud gaming.

Maybe with 25 or 50 Mbps it could be possible nearly flawless. 100 Mbps and higher likely would be the sweet spot for Cloud tech. If you lived in the dial up era of multiplayer gaming then Cloud gaming might be for you! As it would see lag similar to those games in some cases.

Nintendo might need Cloud gaming. So they could reach out to it at some point. OnLive/OTOY are open to new partners I believe.

[lilbroRx]

I wish people would stop trying to force one companies ideas and methods onto others. I have no interest in large scale gaming over a network. I want to physically hold and own what I purchase.

I'm so tired of people saying Nintendo should do "X" like *insert* is doing. Most of them only ask for things like that because they want to have Nintendo act under their preferred companies shadow, read "be subservent" instead of doing new things,(which seems to upset/anger a lot of people.)

The only change I want from Nintendo is for them to start releasing more games. The rest of their business practices are just fine.

[LightofDarkness]

Except for them tying digital purchases to physical machines instead of user accounts, which is a pretty pathetic omission in this day and age. There's no point blazing down that trail, we all know it won't lead us anywhere good.

I agree with the most of your sentiment, though. It's just that there's a point, where in the name of self-reliance and unique vision, you become simply myopic and outmoded when compared to your competition, and this has been true of many facets of Nintendo's previous efforts. And to say that it hasn't harmed them in any way is outright denial, in many cases.

Sticking to cartridges saw them lose out on many third party developers with the N64.

Insistence on a proprietary and smaller disc format saw them miss out on more support with the Gamecube.

Skimping on the online and high definition (as well as a standard pad controller) saw the Wii left in the dust this generation within 3 years.

While they often innovate and take some steps forward, they'll just as often take steps back that cause them to essentially stagnate, moving nowhere at all. The Wii U is sowing the seeds of everything they've done wrong since the Super Nintendo: they've opened the doors to the third party developers and those developers simply don't care at this point. Too little, too late.

I quite like my Wii U, but it NEEDS GAMES NOW. And it needs to update its policy on digital purchases or once again face being left behind by more mature business models that better cater to consumer needs.

[specialagent4532]

No Nintendo doesn't need TV services or having two versions of wii u. Besides new ips, innovative games it had the golden opportunity to have wii u games playable at the DMV office, the park, etc. Making the first console /handheld system. A true innovation in video game history beating beating it's competition to the punch. Brought back map editors, alternate paths, free unlockables for its games along with offline multilayer out smarting its rivals by proving that online is not the end all be all. Plus offering remastered collector editions of last generation titles at $40.00 like the Zelda collection (wind waker majora mask, twilight princess, skyward sword). Along bringing glassles 3D technology and augmented reality to the gamepad. See sometimes you have to think outside the box....

[klecser]

If anything is true of the last 20 years of tech, it is that there have been a lot of promises and not a lot of delivery.

Cloud gaming SOUNDS great on paper, but when you get into the practice of internet infrastructure, it will be full of problems.

Mark my words: Someone will debut cloud gaming and it won't work properly. People will voice this and the reply of the company will be: "Well, I guess you should get better internet access."

Cloud gaming is an idea that caters to only the gamers that can afford the best equipment and infrastructure. It is an exclusionist technology push.

[CouldHaveYelledUiiW]

3 great comments above me,
what more can I say?

MNG "Int"
lilbro "Well Said"
klec "Int"

[BlackWolf]

I will second you on that.

[PopRocks359]

And I third.

[ATi_Elite]

CLoud Gaming Sounds great but it's more of a gimmick than something good.

LAG is the killer and there is NO way to get rid of the LAG.

With most games going MP you got LAtency and player LAG so the Cloud is just not capable to handle all that.

selling a few SP only games through the cloud is about it.

[Jek_Porkins]

Cloud gaming like OnLive? I've tried it and the games looked pixelated, and ate up some of my monthly bandwidth, I have similar concerns with digital content because games are obviously getting larger and for me to download a 50gb game it could take 15 hours or more, and I have a 12mbs connection, but only a 150 gig bandwidth allowance.

Basically if a company went all digital and cloud, I couldn't game, not because I don't want to, but because I cant.

[Lifebanisher]

latency wouldn't even matter that much once google fiber dominates the world mwhaha

[HmongAmerican]

I just bought Demons Soul's last month on PSN and play a lot of session online. Sometimes I get kickout of PSN for no reasons and my online game session ended right there. The game take you back to the main menus. My questions is "what if I play game on the cloud and I get disconnect?"

[guitarded77]

Then you get booted. The cloud is constantly loading data to different levels of memory on your console. It's not running from your hard drive. It's taking bits of digital info, like when you stream a movie on Netflix... if you lose the connection, it stops.

[HmongAmerican]

Dam! that suck.

[deafdani]

Ok, no cloud gaming, but... how about some cloud saving?

Oh, yeah... cloud saving would be useless if you can't activate your Nintendo Network ID on another Wii U console.

So, how about fixing that, and then putting cloud saving?

Please? That is, in my opinion, the Wii U's biggest flaw right now (besides lack of games, of course, but those are definitelly coming out eventually).

[Smashbro29]

GO IWATA!!!!