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[Tripolygon]

Microsoft partner with Sony for cash simple as that

Fanboy mentality.

Sony and Microsoft to explore strategic partnership - Stories

Companies to collaborate on new cloud-based solutions for gaming experiences and AI solutions TOKYO and REDMOND, Wash. — May 16, 2019 — Sony Corporation (Sony) and Microsoft Corp. (Microsoft) announced on Thursday that the two companies will partner on new innovations to enhance customer...

news.microsoft.com

Sony Corporation (Sony) and Microsoft Corp. (Microsoft) announced on Thursday that the two companies will partner on new innovations to enhance customer experiences in their direct-to-consumer entertainment platforms and AI solutions.

Partnership for joint development of new technologies by both companies.

Under the memorandum of understanding signed by the parties, the two companies will explore joint development of future cloud solutions in Microsoft Azure to support their respective game and content-streaming services. In addition,

Exchange of ideas and technology

the two companies will explore the use of current Microsoft Azure datacenter-based solutions for Sony’s game and content-streaming services. By working together, the companies aim to deliver more enhanced entertainment experiences for their worldwide customers.

Scalability and collocating in data centers

These efforts will also include building better development platforms for the content creator community.

Collaborating to build new technologies

As part of the memorandum of understanding, Sony and Microsoft will also explore collaboration in the areas of semiconductors and AI. For semiconductors, this includes potential joint development of new intelligent image sensor solutions.

Building new technologies and research into imaging and neural networks. Key area where Sony has strong research example being Sony Alpha camera's have the best autofocus system based on neural network research.

By integrating Sony’s cutting-edge image sensors with Microsoft’s Azure AI technology in a hybrid manner across cloud and edge, as well as solutions that leverage Sony’s semiconductors and Microsoft cloud technology, the companies aim to provide enhanced capabilities for enterprise customers. In terms of AI, the parties will explore incorporation of Microsoft’s advanced AI platform and tools in Sony consumer products, to provide highly intuitive and user-friendly AI experiences.

First product from Sony that leverages this type of partnership. A sensor with on device neural network pre-processing.

 

[frogger]

How about just make Playstation X so we can all be happy.

 

[sircaw]

I don't know much about the cloud gaming and all that server Jazz but i imagine Microsoft are pretty damn good at it, so if your going to form a partnership with that in mind Microsoft would be a great choice.

 

[phil_t98]

Fanboy mentality.

Sony and Microsoft to explore strategic partnership - Stories

Companies to collaborate on new cloud-based solutions for gaming experiences and AI solutions TOKYO and REDMOND, Wash. — May 16, 2019 — Sony Corporation (Sony) and Microsoft Corp. (Microsoft) announced on Thursday that the two companies will partner on new innovations to enhance customer...

news.microsoft.com

Partnership for joint development of new technologies by both companies.


Exchange of ideas and technology


Scalability and collocating in data centers


Collaborating to build new technologies


Building new technologies and research into imaging and neural networks. Key area where Sony has strong research example being Sony Alpha camera's have the best autofocus system based on neural network research.


First product from Sony that leverages this type of partnership. A sensor with on device neural network pre-processing.

not fanboy mentality at all. so will Sony be paying for the use of Azure?

 

[Tripolygon]

here is the quote from when it was announced

its gonna stream Sony stuff off AZURE

That's not how any of this works. Sony is not streaming PS4 games off Azure compute platform, they will collocate their own server blades running their own custom software in Azure data centers using Azure backend. Like how Microsoft has Xbox One server blades running custom Xbox software in Azure data centers. Instead of continuing to create their own data centers and collocating with various different partners like they do now, they will instead leverage Microsoft much bigger data centers and collocation sites and also likely with their own as well as they have built a vast network of servers already.

Series X server blade for example below, PS Now has server blades like this with PS4 and PS3 chipsets.

not fanboy mentality at all. so will Sony be paying for the use of Azure?

Again fanboy mentality. You're focused with who has to gain financially from this and who doesn't.
They both stand to financially mutually benefit from this partnership. Who is paying who for what is inconsequential this discussion. That's up to their respective CFO to decide how much they need to pay each other for their services.

 

[phil_t98]

That's not how any of this works. Sony is not streaming PS4 games off Azure compute platform, they will collocate their own server blades running their own custom software in Azure data centers using Azure backend. Like how Microsoft has Xbox One server blades running custom Xbox software in Azure data centers. Instead of continuing to create their own data centers and collocating with various different partners like they do now, they will instead leverage Microsoft much bigger data centers and collocation sites and also likely with their own as well as they have built a vast network of servers already.

Series X server blade for example below, PS Now has server blades like this with PS4 and PS3 chipsets.

Again fanboy mentality. You're focused with who has to gain financially from this and who doesn't.
They both stand to financially mutually benefit from this partnership. Who is paying who for what is inconsequential this discussion. That's up to their respective CFO to decide how much they need to pay each other for their services.

so are Sony using Azure? are they putting their games on there and streaming them off there?

 

[ANIMAL1975]

Scalability beyond their current 5 million clients capacity, Collocating their own servers in Azure data centers, exchange of ideas and technology etc. Why would Microsoft want to partner with Sony? For technology, exchange of ideas, patent portfolio in the game streaming service as well, this is a symbiotic partnership that reaches across different fields like imaging and deep neutral network research and implementation.

Sony owns the patent portfolio and took in a lot of the talents that pioneered game streaming from both gaikai and onlive. They are not lacking in that front.

You should take your own advice not everything is warrior fanboy stuff.

And from the memorandum (that he quoted) proving my point:

"Under the memorandum of understanding signed by the parties, the two companies will explore joint development of future cloud solutions in Microsoft Azure to support their respective game and content-streaming services.

 

[mckmas8808]

Yeah. In this relationship they are.

So is PS NOW running on now?

 

[Radical_3d]

I can imagine them reading some console warriors in this forum while they create partnerships:

 

[BusierDonkey]

So is PS NOW running on now?

They're running on a different service that may no longer be up to Sony's future plans, or may be getting too expensive. They are setting up a partnership with Microsoft for a reason. PS Now isn't the only thing Sony will use Azure for either. They have offices around the world, manufacturing, insurance, film. Improving PS Now is just a part of the whole picture.

We rent equipment for specialty jobs at work that our on-site heavy machinery doesn't cover (cranes, loaders, etc). We rent from a single company under a pricing and exclusivity agreement. We pay less under the contract, but we make every effort to use them whenever possible. If that company doesn't carry the equipment we need going forward or is no longer priced competitively, we'll let our agreement lapse and rent equipment from someone else who better fits our needs and budget. We no longer rely on the previous service, but we rely heavily on the new service provider. Can we go back to the old one that didn't meet our needs? Yes, but at a higher cost financially and in man hours.

If Sony drops their current landlord and partners with Microsoft to use their services instead, they now rely on Microsoft, who is their current provider for the terms of the contract. Likewise Microsoft relies on Sony as a customer using it's services for the terms of the contract.

 

[FeldMonster]

Same, I really couldn't care about cloud gaming. I barely get enough time to sit down, relax and fire up my consoles at home as much as I would want to.

Are you not seeing the irony in your own post?

You just stated that you don't get enough time "at home" to game. Cloud gaming is specifically designed to enable you to play your games while away from your console, yet you don't see the value in it? Smh.

 

[Craig of War]

The Partner ship is Sony get to use Azure and MS get paid for letting Sony use their servers.

 

[VAVA Mk2]

Maybe they are teaming up because they are afraid of Stadia

 

[mckmas8808]

They're running on a different service that may no longer be up to Sony's future plans, or may be getting too expensive. They are setting up a partnership with Microsoft for a reason. PS Now isn't the only thing Sony will use Azure for either. They have offices around the world, manufacturing, insurance, film. Improving PS Now is just a part of the whole picture.

We rent equipment for specialty jobs at work that our on-site heavy machinery doesn't cover (cranes, loaders, etc). We rent from a single company under a pricing and exclusivity agreement. We pay less under the contract, but we make every effort to use them whenever possible. If that company doesn't carry the equipment we need going forward or is no longer priced competitively, we'll let our agreement lapse and rent equipment from someone else who better fits our needs and budget. We no longer rely on the previous service, but we rely heavily on the new service provider. Can we go back to the old one that didn't meet our needs? Yes, but at a higher cost financially and in man hours.

If Sony drops their current landlord and partners with Microsoft to use their services instead, they now rely on Microsoft, who is their current provider for the terms of the contract. Likewise Microsoft relies on Sony as a customer using it's services for the terms of the contract.

It feels to me that Sony needs Azure servers if they want PS NOW to be in more countries and with more consumers. It's becoming clear to me that Sony doesn't have the ability to scale up to 10s of millions of users with the servers they are currently using.

 

[LittleBusters]

Meanwhile the C-suite are planning their golden parachutes and lauging at the console warriors who live in their mom's basement.

 

[Moogle11]

Are you not seeing the irony in your own post?

You just stated that you don't get enough time "at home" to game. Cloud gaming is specifically designed to enable you to play your games while away from your console, yet you don't see the value in it? Smh.

A lot of busy people have even less time for gaming outside the home than in it as they’re either driving, working or doing errands. Definitely a use for it fir people using public transit, though cellular data caps and public wifi speeds can be a limiting factor. Same for in flight wifi for people who fly for work a lot n

 

[Flintty]

Money talks.

Fanboys fight.

 

[FeldMonster]

A lot of busy people have even less time for gaming outside the home than in it as they’re either driving, working or doing errands. Definitely a use for it fir people using public transit, though cellular data caps and public wifi speeds can be a limiting factor. Same for in flight wifi for people who fly for work a lot n

No doubt that there are many people in this situation. But those people have little time to game, period, not simply at home. In a thread about streaming, you can't state that streaming has no purpose and then state you don't have time to game at home. This implies that you DO have time to game, just not at home.

If you have plenty of time to game at home with your device of choice, then streaming is less meaningful unless you cannot afford the hardware. The narrow mindedness towards game streaming existing At All is rather annoying.

 

[Moogle11]

If you have plenty of time to game at home with your device of choice, then streaming is less meaningful unless you cannot afford the hardware. The narrow mindedness towards game streaming existing At All is rather annoying.

I do agree with that. If they can get where streaming doesn’t have issues with quality and lag, and I can get an ISP with our a data cap (Xfinity is my only broadband option currrently and they have a 1TB monthly cap here), I’d be very interested depending on pricing. Buying games doesn’t make a lot of sense for things that I just beat and never touch again, which is most games.

Streaming has been a shows, movies and music for me as buying them was just clutter as I rarely rewatch things and most albums barely got listened to after the first month or two. Streaming avoids that and is way less hassle than renting physical movies. Would love a similar option for games when the tech and broadband providers get their.