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EA + Gaikai Demos Launch: Try Demos In Your Browser [Now Live]

T

thehillissilent

Member
Here are links to the various demos running on Gaikai (cloud gaming) service. You only need Flash and Java installed to run these streaming demos.

The below demos are all on the www.gaikai.com/games page unless noted

Alan Wake
Tera
Mass Effect 3
Dead Island
Need for Speed The Run: http://www.gaikai.com/games/?play=nfs_therun_gaikai
Saint's Row The Third: http://www.gaikai.com/games/?play=saintsrow3_fb
Rayman Origins
Rainbow Six Vegas 2
Crazy Machines 2
The Train Giant A-Train 9
Splinter Cell: Conviction:
Trackmania 2 Canyon:
The Darkness 2
Anno 2070
The Adventures of Tin Tin
Orcs Must Die
Combat Wings: The Great Battles of WWII
From Dust
Dead Rising 2 Off The Record
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Fatal Conspiracy
Assasins Creed Brotherhood
Bulletstorm
The Witcher 2
Arcania: Gothic 4
Sniper: Ghost Warrior
Might and Magic Heroes VI : http://shop.ubi.com/store/ubina/en_US/html/pbPage.MightandMagicHeroes6_US Click the banner "Play the Demo Stream instanly for free"
Alice Madness Returns http://store.origin.com/store/ea/en_US/pd/productID.225126100/sac.true# Click the banner that says Play Demo
Mass Effect 2
Dragon Age 2
Dead Space 2
The Sims 3
The Sims Medieval
Spore
Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Fifa 12
Dead Rising 2
Magicka
Farm Simulator 2011
Sniper: Ghost Warrior:

Second Life: http://interest.secondlife.com/beta (Just wait after the video) Turn off ad blocking software as well

If you are having issues accessing the demos, here are some tips:

You need to make sure you have the latest and greatest java and flash installed. If you have a laptop, run it in high performance mode.
Some of the demos may have some sceen tearing, but it's not too bad. Gaikai looks and feels more native to me than OnLive. Also disable your ad blocking software. If you visit Walmart.com/gamecenter one of the demos might pop up as an ad.

Troubleshooting tips directly from Gaikai's site:http://www.gaikai.com/faq#technical_q59
Step 1: BROWSER / PLATFORM
We test Gaikai on PC, Mac, Linux in Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, and Chrome. We can't guarantee other browsers yet.

Web browser updates in Chrome can sometimes interrupt a demo from loading: Click the wrench toolbar in upper right. Select About Google Chrome. See if the browser is in the middle of an update. Relaunch if necessary.

Step 2: POP UP / AD / SCRIPT BLOCKERS
Make sure that GAIKAI is allowed to run on any pop-up / ad / script blocker that you have enabled.

Step 3: CONNECTION / BANDWIDTH
Make sure you have an open internet connection (not VPN, proxy, etc.)
Using a wired connection may result in a better connection than a wireless connection. Close any applications that can eat up your available bandwidth (Dropbox, Outlook, BitTorrent...)

Step 4: FLASH
Make sure you have the latest version of Flash:http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/

Step 5: JAVA
Make sure you have the latest version of Java: http://www.java.com/en/download/index.jsp

Step 6: COOKIES / CACHE
If your browser is being grumpy, clear Cookies that might have been corrupted, and clear your cache data.

Step 7: SUPPORT
Still having problems? Contact support@gaikai.com for support! We are more than happy to help!
Click to expand...

How to reduce lag? http://www.gaikai.com/faq#technical_q82
Gaikai has been independently verified to having the lowest latency interactive cloud network in the world. We have more data centers close to gamers and have beaten our nearest competitor in 25 out of 26 markets according to Gomez.com. Our team of experts is constantly working on making Gaikai as responsive as possible. Most players on our service report that they do not see any latency. Here are a few tips if you are seeing lag in your experience:

* Close other applications that are consuming large amounts of bandwidth (downloads, torrents, video streaming, or multiple devices sharing your connection).

* Try switching from a wireless to a wired connection.

* Make sure you are not running your computer in power save mode. Many laptops automatically switch to lower performance settings when unplugged.

* Attempt to connect outside of peak hours for your ISP.
Click to expand...

For users of Mac Book air: http://www.gaikai.com/faq#technical_q80
Does Gaikai work on MacBook Air?

Yes! If you are using Mac OSX 10.7 Lion, you will need to enable java by following these steps:

Step 1: In Finder, click on "Go" in the menu, then "Utilities" in the submenu.

Step 2: Double click on the "Java Preferences" icon.

Step 3: In the General tab, place a checkmark in the box labeled "Enable applet plug-in and Web Start applications."
Click to expand...

Linux Support: http://www.gaikai.com/faq#technical_q82
Of course. Gaikai works on any Linux version, as long as the official Adobe Flash and Sun's Java Virtual Machine plugins are installed in your browser.
Click to expand...

Bandwidth Usage
GAIKAI uses something called "stream-shaping" to give you the best experience possible with the internet bandwidth you have. We love 5+ megabits, but many demos will still work down around 3 megabits. You can approximate the speed of your connection using websites like http://www.speedtest.net, however, this measures the speed of your connection only to their servers, so the speed to other websites will vary, and the speed to Gaikai’s service will vary. That said, it’s a good test to get a general feeling for the speed of your connection
Click to expand...

From my experience Gaikai uses on average slightly over 5mbps (2.3GB per hour). It can ocassionally peak at 10mbps.

For those interested in playing full games through Gaikai (ala OnLive):
Gaikai will be launching a "full games" cloud gaming service through retailer/publisher sites in about 3 months after their upcoming Facebook launch
http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/24/gaikai-full-game-streaming-to-start-3-months-after-launching-on

The already have a deal with LG to included and LG branded cloud gaming service using Gaikai tech inside their Smart TVs. That should be here in the fall:
http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/11/lgs-gaikai-powered-cloud-gaming-service-hands-on/
 
E

Exuro

Member
So does this work like Onlive where you secluded to only other Gaikai/Onlive players in multiplayer matches? I wouldn't mind these services so much if they weren't splitting up the multiplayer base on PC. That stops making them PC games imo.
 
Evolved1

Evolved1

make sure the pudding isn't too soggy but that just ruins everything
Eh... apparently my internet isn't fast enough. Too bad, I was pretty curious.
 
T

thehillissilent

Member
Exuro said:
So does this work like Onlive where you secluded to only other Gaikai/Onlive players in multiplayer matches? I wouldn't mind these services so much if they weren't splitting up the multiplayer base on PC. That stops making them PC games imo.
Click to expand...
Multiplayer is currently disabled on the Gaikai links since they are demos with the exception of Second Life since it's an MMO.

I have no idea how multiplayer will work for Gaikai (OnLive is currently segregated from standard PCs).Gaikai currently doesn't host full games for streaming yet, just demos. However, that will be changing soon.
 
M

Mrbob

Member
Curiously I tried it out with my 20mb connnection. Mass Effect 2 is blurry and has a bunch of screen tearing going on. No thanks.
 
T

thehillissilent

Member
Evolved1 said:
Eh... apparently my internet isn't fast enough. Too bad, I was pretty curious.
Click to expand...

The requirements are more restrictive than OnLive. However, I have managed to get better picture quality and minimal lag on mouse/keyboard. I recommend running the game in a window and NOT fullscreen.
 
T

thehillissilent

Member
Here are maps of Gaikai's server coverage. You need to be close to their servers unlike OnLive.

US coverage map (as of Dec 2010):
20101202-11122605-gaikai-12-2-10-gaikaiusmap.jpg


Europe coverage heat map (as of July 2011)
gaikai_map_europe.jpg
 
Z

Zimbardo

Member
i tried Onlive one night and thought it was terrible.

buffering problems, blurry picture, you don't really own the game and they say something like they can only guarantee your game for 3 years or something like that , etc.

trash service.

if gaming ever goes this way, it'll be the day i quit.
 
O

Orayn

Member
Currently on a 6mb connrection at home, messing around with this, trying Mass Effect 2. Seems like they render your cursor locally for menus and stuff, which is a nice touch. The video quality isn't great, and the latency is definitely there, but it seems a bit better than OnLive.
 
Y

Yobalt

Member
I just tried Dead Space 2 and it worked just fine. There was some considerable lag and the framerate was pretty low, maybe around 25 or so, but the game was playable.

I got a 100/100mbits connection and I live in Sweden. Maybe that's a factor or maybe not, I dunno.
 
R

RedSwirl

Junior Member
LovingSteam said:
Lol @ $1000. You and Avatar are funny.
Click to expand...

In his post he makes a distinction between paying $1000 for an off-the-shelf PC with gaming capability, and building one for probably less.
 
M

M3d10n

Member
"You're too far from the closest datacenter"

And will probably be for many, many years. Neat idea, but if my geographical location ever becomes the standard requirement for playing games at all I'll become retrogaming exclusive.
 
S

sk3tch

Member
Tried BF:BC2 - logged into my MP account and selected a game via the server browser...then it asked me to buy it. I guess you only get a 2 minute trial? Heh. Everything seemed good up to then (all menus). :)
 
L

Liquid Helium

Member
Just tried the dead space 2 demo, way better than I was expecting, if they could get the graphic quality up a bit and get rid of the lag spikes I had I could see this kind of thing gain ground. If they did this as a netflix style service were I paid $10 a month for access to a bunch of games I'd probably sign up.
 
E

Exuro

Member
Tried out Dead Space 2 and it ran pretty well. There was a small delay but being a slower title masks it pretty well. Would like to try out Crysis 2 if theres a demo.

This feels like a great way to demo PC games.
 
H

Hot Coldman

Banned
I can't use it whilst my brother is playing cod, so that sucks. (He only just started playing, be a bit unfair to pull him off, lol). It's either that or it's recognising Avast as a bandwidth heavy program, lol
 
P

PaulLFC

Member
Sims 3 demo let me load the game, enter Create a Sim, then froze for a bit before saying "Your connection quality is too low. We had to end your demo". Meh.
 
K

kirbutashi

Member
Some screenshots for how it was on my end. A little artifacting and visible color depth, but nothing I'd deem as terrible.
me2.png

me2-1.png

me2-2.png
 
D

Dali

Member
I just played a few minutes of Dead Space 2. The graphics were great and the game ran smoothly. As someone that doesn't care for the extra effort involved in PC gaming this and Onlive have made it so that I would now consider my laptop as a valid option to play these type games.
 
H

Hot Coldman

Banned
Like I said in the other thread, this doesn't work if someone is playing a game online elsewhere on the same network. Bah.

EDIT: Never mind, didn't realise this was a split.
 
E

Exuro

Member
I'm extremely impressed. I figured mouse lag would be much worse than what it is. Playing BF:BC2 single player and its completely playable. Props to them. Had a much worse time with Onlive.
 
C

cuyahoga

Dudebro, My Shit is Fucked Up So I Got to Shoot/Slice You II: It's Straight-Up Dawg Time
Wouldn't work. Claims I have moderate something or another.
 
G

GasProblem

Member
Works pretty good, played Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age 2. Image quality ain't that good, but the games ran fine and the lag wasn't bad.
 
S

subversus

I've done nothing with my life except eat and fap
I had fantastic experience. The lag was almost unnoticeable but it was there for sure. You won't notice it if you play with gamepad.

Image quality was impressive. You'll know it's video and the sound is not perfect but it's much better than Gametrailers for example.

15 mbit here.

If it works like this TODAY then I can't imagine how good it will be in 10 years. Fuck consoles, fuck PCs, I'll take it.

But today I'd use it to rent B-games I don't really care about. I'd play Singularity on this one.

Damn, that was impressive.
 
G

gillty

Banned
Dali said:
I just played a few minutes of Dead Space 2. The graphics were great and the game ran smoothly. As someone that doesn't care for the extra effort involved in PC gaming this and Onlive have made it so that I would now consider my laptop as a valid option to play these type games.
Click to expand...
Looks like a PS2 game uprezzed to me. 100% connection speed.

java2011-08-0514-02-57tubj.jpg

java2011-08-0514-04-49vu28.jpg

java2011-08-0514-05-08wuza.jpg



Really responsive though. Would be good for demos, thats about it imo.
 
V

Vyse The Legend

Member
Mrbob said:
Curiously I tried it out with my 20mb connnection. Mass Effect 2 is blurry and has a bunch of screen tearing going on. No thanks.
Click to expand...

I, on the other hand, have a 15mb connection, and ME2 was smooth, crystal clear and very impressive.

Much more impressive than expected!
 
R

radioheadrule83

Banned
My connection dropped out during the ME2 demo, but I got through enough of it...
This is fucking impressive, and clearly the future.. maybe even for consoles. Wow...
 
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