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WSJ : PS4 "may allow users to compete against others using different hardware"
- Thread starter maquiladora
- Start date
Heh, I think "teething problems" is certainly a pleasant euphemism for what might happen if they try opening up all that content to a bunch of different devices on day 1.I'd prefer teething problems than them being too late to their own party
I don't think anyone else is in a rush to get there either. I've certainly heard nothing about anyone else suddenly making game streaming a very viable, mass market solution.
This is what I hope is announced. Cross play with both of these, and Steambox access built into the PS4.
Maninthemirror
Banned
Wow if Sony is able to pull that off i'm all in day one for ps4
I'm not sure why people keep saying this. Here you have two consoles coming out around the same time. A big reason why MS was able to secure so many exclusives early on for the 360 was that the other console was releasing a year later. Third parties are going to be a lot more reluctant to sign exclusive deals with anyone this time around.
I think there's a reason why Microsoft is pouring so much money into its internal studios.
Not a chance
This isn't about cross-platform play - with Xbox or Nintendo or Steam.
The platform will be PlayStation. 'Just' that PlayStation will be available on various different devices via streaming. So someone playing a multiplayer game on PS3 might be playing against someone on a tablet or a PC or whatever, the latter two streaming the game off their cloud service. But the latter two are still on 'PlayStation'.
no your are not.
googleplex
Member
I think line of reasoning here is Sony is trying to be the Netflix of video games.
Betta Lines
Member
Shamalamalam twist: the PS4 is the PS3 running Gaikai.
I am iffy about this PS3 streaming games endeavor. I have 25 Mbps internet connection and there are days where I can't even stream youtube videos in HD without the stream hiccuping every 4 seconds. Sony would need to have in place a humongous infrastructure to pull this off. And even then I am not sure if with an average national speed of 6.7 Mbps in U.S. most people will have pleasant experience playing streamed PS3 games.
But good on them for trying. Someone has to.
But good on them for trying. Someone has to.
Cyborg
Member
No risks no succes Sony got balls!
Sony has to make the costumers aware of possible problems with Gaikai (like you have to be online, it streams the game, you need x Mbps bandwidth, ...). If they are just telling "hey this is our approach of BC and now you can play our games on multiple devices" and this would be it, they will probably have some very dissapointed and angry customers.
I think on paper this sounds amazing and could be a big selling point, but not everyone could use it.
I think on paper this sounds amazing and could be a big selling point, but not everyone could use it.
It's sounding like it won't stream PS4 software. At least not initially.
However the point of a PS4 in that case would be if you 1) want the best possible experience and 2) wanted to 'own' all your software in the traditional sense. There'd also likely be a class of PS4 software not available on the cloud service - e.g. those relying on low latency motion tracking. You might also want a box if a HMD peripheral became available, as it would likely only work properly with a low-latency connection to a local box. And your local network infrastructure may not be suitable for cloud consumption in the first place.
However the question probably won't arise immediately anyway...
Betta Lines
Member
I think it might have a negative impact though - if your first impression of 'PS4' is via streaming, then you might associate the PS4 experience with a low IQ, laggy mess. I doubt Sony will want to take that risk.
I thought that's what Twitter is for?
yurinka
Member
This is how I'd monetize it:
-You need a PS+ account to run Gaikai. PS+ price would rise but wouldn't affect the current subscriptions.
-Free Gaikai app for Vita, PS3, PS4 and PS Certified devices (smartphones, tablets, PC, new Sony TVs) that allows you to stream or buy games.
-They would be working with Samsung, Apple, Nokia, Google, Microsoft and LG to make some their current and future smartphones, tablets, tvs, consoles and computer PS Certified devices soon.
-PlayStation Store web version adapted to these PS Certified devices, linked from the Gaikai app to purchase PS1, PS2, PS3, PS4, PSP, Vita, Minis, PSM games there.
-You can play streamed through Gaikai all the PSN games you bought in PS3 (also including Minis, PS1 and PS2 Classics), PS4, PSP and PS Vita (also including PS1 Classics, Minis or PSM titles).
-Free 1 hour demo for all Gaikai games (1 time only for game).
-All PS4 disc games come with an On-line code. It enables trophies, multiplayer and Gaikai copy of the game. If you buy a 2nd hand game also can buy digitally the Online pass.
You would want to buy a PS4 or Vita because their hardware and controls are designed to use Gaikai, and if obviously to play locally would have less latency and better graphics and only would need internet connection just once, to activate the online pass.
Since it would earn an insane user base, devs would want to develop PS4 and Vita games. Which would bring more users, etc. It also would fix BC issues for future consoles or portables, if ever released since they can be just a next gen of hardware stored in servers.
-You need a PS+ account to run Gaikai. PS+ price would rise but wouldn't affect the current subscriptions.
-Free Gaikai app for Vita, PS3, PS4 and PS Certified devices (smartphones, tablets, PC, new Sony TVs) that allows you to stream or buy games.
-They would be working with Samsung, Apple, Nokia, Google, Microsoft and LG to make some their current and future smartphones, tablets, tvs, consoles and computer PS Certified devices soon.
-PlayStation Store web version adapted to these PS Certified devices, linked from the Gaikai app to purchase PS1, PS2, PS3, PS4, PSP, Vita, Minis, PSM games there.
-You can play streamed through Gaikai all the PSN games you bought in PS3 (also including Minis, PS1 and PS2 Classics), PS4, PSP and PS Vita (also including PS1 Classics, Minis or PSM titles).
-Free 1 hour demo for all Gaikai games (1 time only for game).
-All PS4 disc games come with an On-line code. It enables trophies, multiplayer and Gaikai copy of the game. If you buy a 2nd hand game also can buy digitally the Online pass.
You would want to buy a PS4 or Vita because their hardware and controls are designed to use Gaikai, and if obviously to play locally would have less latency and better graphics and only would need internet connection just once, to activate the online pass.
Since it would earn an insane user base, devs would want to develop PS4 and Vita games. Which would bring more users, etc. It also would fix BC issues for future consoles or portables, if ever released since they can be just a next gen of hardware stored in servers.
TGO
Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
Hell no, this Gaikai better be like Music/Movies Unlimited
1 yearly subscription that grants you access to everything
SatelliteOfLove
Member
Oh how the child in me hopes for the benefits from this and not the ulterior motives.
PuppetMaster
Member
Such a poorly written mainstream article. Sigh, not even worth discussion
brain_stew
Member
Since the machine has a hardware h.264 encoder, there's no good reason to not allow the machine to stream low latency games to other devices on the same network. The Vita is the obvious choice to start with but why restrict this feature to one device? The "receiver" only needs to be able to decode h.264 and connect to a router. If I have a smart TV in another room, why shouldn't I be able to play my PS4 games on it? If my wife wants to play a turn based game on her ipad while in bed, then why not? The more my PS4 is used, the better as far as Sony is concerned and the hardware and functionality is already there.
The PS4 has the potential to do the Wii U's whole "off TV" play so much better than the Wii U, and Sony don't have to cripple themselves by packing an expensive tablet into every SKU, customers can just use the devices that they already own.
I just hope installations and activations are standard, as having to go downstairs and switch plastic tokens, would completely kill this feature.
The PS4 has the potential to do the Wii U's whole "off TV" play so much better than the Wii U, and Sony don't have to cripple themselves by packing an expensive tablet into every SKU, customers can just use the devices that they already own.
I just hope installations and activations are standard, as having to go downstairs and switch plastic tokens, would completely kill this feature.
-Pyromaniac-
Member
the way you put it makes a lot of sense. It really is a good strategy. It'll be interesting to see how far they take this. I'm sure the end game is what you describe, but I wonder if they'll get there from the start.
brain_stew
Member
They already have the hardware and software to deliver it on day one and Vita support is all but confirmed. Creating some dumb controller apps for web browsers, Android and iOS isn't going to be a great engineering effort.
"Local" cloud gaming (an oxymoron, I know) is far more interesting than traditional cloud gaming and everything is already in place for it to take off.
These are some really exciting times we're in. I hope it ll plays out as you've detailed.
Myself and GoFreak have speculated similar. TVs with a Gaikai app that streams from the servers or from your PS4. Being able to play a proper PlayStation game on a tablet/laptop with a paired DS4 over Gaikai or your home network.
It would put PlayStation content, the bit they actually make the money on, in the hands of everyone who bought a tablet in the last what, 18 months? Potentially every Smart TV too.
Technology has to be brought along at the right pace...
brain_stew
Member
Oops double post.
As opposed to...what? How else are publishers planning to monetize their back catalog of PS3 games on hardware it wasn't designed to run on? For games that are older than 6 months, they'll be lucky to get any kind of steady revenue stream in the first place.
brain_stew
Member
The have the hardware and software to make it happen now. They just need to open the floodgates.
Oh and as an extra bonus, the Orbis hardware is more than capable of rendering games at native 1080p with MSAA and high levels of AF. The Vita's screen is a quarter of the resolution of 1080p so these games will effectively have 4x SSAA on top of the MSAA that they're already using and with a ~20mbps h.264 stream (heck even a ~10mbps stream should be fine) artifacting really isn't going to be an issue. These games are going to look absolutely stunning on the Vita's 5" screen with flawless image quality.
makingmusic476
Member
I said back when the Gaikai acquisition was announced that it'd be cool if they let you play PSN games on any device of you subscribed to Plus.
Seems unlikely, though, given all you already get with Plus. Maybe with a tiered Plus?
Seems unlikely, though, given all you already get with Plus. Maybe with a tiered Plus?
Would be awesome. Thought of that when this news broke...
http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/15/microsoft-snatches-up-a-pair-of-sony-related-domains-internet-r/
Barrel Cannon
Member
Good we need games like Hawken, X-Com, Worms, Castle Crashers etc that can be played with PC friends. Cross platform gaming is a must for me
CambriaRising
Member
Planetside 2. I would bet on it.
ReturnOfTheRAT
Member
This part is very interesting it. With all the negativity over next-gen consoles; Microsoft rumored to and Sony patent ready to do so, removing used games from the equation and current-gen anxiety over online codes (console and PC), this might be the best solution. If you want the benefit of being a console and mobile gamer that will use Gaikai to its full advantage, buy new and have the game available everywhere on all certified devices.
Used gamers still get to play the game, go online for normal gaming purposes, but the full experience of accessibility with other devices is lost, unless you buy in.
Is Sony smart enough to jump on this? and isn't a fair compromise going forward?
Callibretto
Member
that method is still only working for online heavy game, don't know how many people care for trophies, but single player game will still have used game problem.
I read somewhere that the disc may switch to demo mode without the code
60_gig_PS3
Banned
Not sure if you'd want to stream PS4 games since theres a decrease in image quality. Not such a big deal for older games though.
Not a chance
This isn't about cross-platform play - with Xbox or Nintendo or Steam.
The platform will be PlayStation. 'Just' that PlayStation will be available on various different devices via streaming. So someone playing a multiplayer game on PS3 might be playing against someone on a tablet or a PC or whatever, the latter two streaming the game off their cloud service. But the latter two are still on 'PlayStation'.
If Steambox can and will be put on a wide variety of devices, then why not put it on the PS3? It works well for both Valve and Sony.
Think about it - Sony and Valve teamed up to allow PS3 members to have Steam accounts and share a cross platform game. Yeah, it only worked for one game, but the experiment shows it technically works.
Fast forward to the end of 2013 and the kinks could be mostly worked out. With Linux-based Steambox added as an option for the PS4 (PS+ members get it free?), gamers get a wider variety of options that makes both platforms more appealing.
Who knows? If they went with this idea, Sony could even allow some of its B-tier exclusives (i.e. Journey-type releases) to be released on Steambox and make more money that way as well.
A gamer could dream.
This is immediately what I thought. There isn't going to be some magical tech that Sony invents by buying Gaikai lol. Gaikai is basically doing what people have been doing since the mid 1990s. Tech isn't new, just reinvented and modernized. Sony isn't going to be the 'one' who pushes any industry forward, especially by buying a company then bolting their existing PC tech into a console. Its not done that way, never will be. Thats basically buying someone because you couldn't do it yourself.
Some people here on GAF are waaaaay too excited with hype and are setting themselves up for a big letdown. People, set the expectations low.. be realistic lol
Expect cross platform PC>Vita>PS4 gameplay on some titles. Do not expect this to be the standard for all PS4 games and do not expect Gaikai to remotely be involved in the process.
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
Didn't sony already do it with portal 2?
Its not. Cloud does not mean online at all. Cloud computing is defined the same if its hosted online or a local network as you explained. Cloud computing is no more than simple network computing, local and/or online.
"Cloud" is simply a marketing buzzword that is used to make newer things seem super high tech. In fact the term "cloud" was first used to describe network computing back in the 1980s. Additionally the image of a "cloud" has been used in all professional Visio (and like) diagrams to represent "network" and/or "internet" devices/users.
The Cloud doesn't mean online at all, it means anything not on your local machine. Basically if you printed to a networked printer in the 1990s, you were operating in the 'cloud'. Don't let fancy marketing graduates confuse you. Don't let Sony, don't let Microsoft trick you into thinking their technology is cutting edge, when most of it has been widely in use on PCs for nearly 25 years. Albeit mostly in the Enterprise workspace.
Callibretto
Member
Each game will have to be programmed to support it, mean extra work for publishers for no gains other than good pr from the super hardcore niche, unless ps4 have dual boot linux os and can play linux game, steam/ps4 integration is unlikely imo.
Edit: valve may actually like if ps4 become linux capable steambox, that will make ps4 a trojan horse to spread linux gaming needed by steambox, but if that mean to open ps4 and allow linux once again, Sony will never ok with that, fear of hacking and piracy etc.