Rumor: Sony Announcing Cloud Gaming Deal at E3 2012

[hdinred]

Sony is expected to announce a deal with OnLive or Gaikai during its E3 press conference on June 4.

Ok, so we typically don't cover console news post hardware release, but this supposed announcement is a little interesting. Sony, the brains behind the PlayStation 3 and the recent PS Vita, will supposedly announce a cloud gaming deal during the Sony press conference on June 4. The deal will allow either Gaikai or OnLive games to be streamed on PlayStation hardware.

The rumor stems from an E3 preview piece which makes reference to a "partnership deal between PlayStation and a leading cloud gaming service," but declines to go into any further detail. However Ross McGrath, SCEE PlayStation Plus Content Manager, hinted earlier this week that the service may require PlayStation Plus.

"If you don't have a PS+ subscription, now is the time to get one. For real. Just get 3 months if you aren't sure. Trust me," McGrath tweeted.

Out of the two, Onlive seems to be the likely candidate. OnLive VP of Engineering Joe Bentley said last year that the company was in talks with Microsoft and Sony about bringing its cloud gaming service -- along with support for its OnLive Wireless Controller -- to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

"Absolutely, they would make great consoles," Bentley said. "Our controller is a hybrid between a PS3 controller and an Xbox controller. It's all compatible, it would just work. There are OnLive guys chatting [Sony and MS], but we'll see where it goes. But it would absolutely work, we're ready to work with everybody."

OnLive offers both a subscription-based all-you-can-eat cloud gaming buffet, and the ability to rent or purchase games that can be streamed to desktops, tablets and compatible smartphones. Adding the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita to the compatible device list makes sense, although making gamers pay extra for OnLive by requiring a PlayStation Plus account sounds more like something Microsoft would do.

Both OnLive and Gaikai are heading to Smart HDTVs this year, the latter of which doesn't offer a subscription service, but merely streams games that consumers purchase from publishers or digital distributors. This could also be the case for Sony's agreement, but for the moment, Gaikai is merely streaming demos to numerous sites including Facebook, making OnLive seem like a more ideal candidate.

Hmmm... wonder if an OnLive deal means that OnLive Desktop could be streamed to the PlayStation 3 console too? Now THAT would be an announcement!

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/OnLive-G...ews-15353.html

Plenty of smackdown possibilities here.. what do you think?

Could this solve backwards compatibility issues for PS4?

[TheAnalogKid]

Plenty of smackdown possibilities here.. what do you think?

Could this solve backwards compatibility issues for PS4?

Well, its obvious this is where things are headed so they may as well get started on it. Its not something that will be perfected in a generation or two. I personally thought they were going to do something with Steam, so this isnt a surprise.

[Averry]

What I think is cool from a realistic perspective is being able to watch live streams of other people playing....I guess from a realist what is most realistically usable and I wouldn't be pissed off about how well it doesn't or doesn't work perspective.


Anybody have the Onlive iPad game video app? I don't personally....anybody dig it?

[CorruptedDragon]

However Ross McGrath, SCEE PlayStation Plus Content Manager, hinted earlier this week that the service may require PlayStation Plus.

So we should be seeing people like RRS, Indy, etc railing against this. I mean, tying features to a subscription that has nothing to do with the service...amirite?

[rm082e]

Don't care. No reason to jump through the hoops as the reward isn't worth it.

If I want to play console games, I'll just keep doing what I'm doing now - scour the bargain bins and used market for $10 and $15 copies of games that I can play without worrying about internet issue like lag. Those titles can also be traded in for store credit later, unlike their digital counterparts.

If I want PC games, it's to get games that are unique to the PC, like Blizzard games. I appreciate there are some people out there using PC ports of consoles games as a way to get better graphics and frame rates, but that's it's own value proposition that I don't think is worth it. And even if OnLive comes to the consoles, they probably won't support K&M games. I'd be better off buying a new video card for my PC and going that route.

And then there's the obvious elephant in the room: Sony and MS are almost guaranteed to have day-and-date digital copies of all games as a mandate for the PS4/Xbox3. Rumors and hubub are already spreading from developers to some members of the press, Sony has already done this with the Vita, and even Nintendo has announced the WiiU will have full games available for download. So if we will be able to pre-order and even pre-load titles on the next generation of hardware, why would we invest in building an OnLive library that offers pretty much the same thing, but with lag and the always-on requirement?


The only draw I can see for this is for people who already have OnLive and want to access those games with a controller on their TV. But I've yet to meet/hear of anyone who is seriously invested in the service.

[michealo]

Onlive sucks, the lag is very annoying and the graphics are blurry.
I can easily see them attempt branching out to consoles after their own hasn't done very well.

In regards to PSN+, I foresee pages of debating over the definition of "free".
However, paying to access a service you already paid for is wack.

[Bane]

Sooo... you'll use your game console to stream games off of another company's service, but they are games you can already just buy for the console itself? That seem like solving a non-existent problem to anyone else?

As for PSN+, I'll be shocked if it doesn't require it.

[Onslaught X]

Sooo... you'll use your game console to stream games off of another company's service, but they are games you can already just buy for the console itself? That seem like solving a non-existent problem to anyone else?

As for PSN+, I'll be shocked if it doesn't require it.

I think the implication for this is mainly trials for games and backwards compatibility in the future (PS4).

[rm082e]

I think the implication for this is mainly trials for games and backwards compatibility in the future (PS4).

It's not really backwards compatibly though if you have to buy the game again to make it play on the new hardware. The Slim PS3s aren't backwards compatible because you can buy a new copy of God of War 1 and 2 and play them on the PS3. They would only be backwards compatible if you could stick your PS2 copies of those games into the system and play.

[Onslaught X]

It's not really backwards compatibly though if you have to buy the game again to make it play on the new hardware. The Slim PS3s aren't backwards compatible because you can buy a new copy of God of War 1 and 2 and play them on the PS3. They would only be backwards compatible if you could stick your PS2 copies of those games into the system and play.

I'm not optimistic given the Vita/PSP situation, but if there was some way to validate you own certain PS3 games, then you could use OnLive/Gaikai to play a cloud version of a PS3 game, making it a bit more convenient than busting out the old console.

Might be wishful thinking though, I haven't really read up much on this cloud gaming thing since I'm not particularly interested in it.

[Almril]

So we should be seeing people like RRS, Indy, etc railing against this. I mean, tying features to a subscription that has nothing to do with the service...amirite?

It's totally different of course. I'm sure we will hear talk of "value" and "Sony cares about hardcore gamers" and like michaelo said "the service I paid $50 for gives me free games!!!!!"

[Indy_aka_Rex]

So we should be seeing people like RRS, Indy, etc railing against this. I mean, tying features to a subscription that has nothing to do with the service...amirite?

If I have to pay for OnLive + PS+? Then It's BS. If it comes with the subscription? Whatever, I don't use OnLive. It'd be nice if I could but my ISP is way too unstable (despite offering 50m+ packages... B.S.).

It'd be nice if this lead to a PSP "BC" cloud service on the Vita so I could play PSP games without having to rebuy them.

[Indy_aka_Rex]

It's not really backwards compatibly though if you have to buy the game again to make it play on the new hardware. The Slim PS3s aren't backwards compatible because you can buy a new copy of God of War 1 and 2 and play them on the PS3. They would only be backwards compatible if you could stick your PS2 copies of those games into the system and play.

Even with the "PS2 Classics" stuff on PSN we can't play disc-based versions of those games? I haven't tried my copy of P3 FES, but it's bullshit if they sell you a "psn" version of that which is exactly the same as the PS2 DVD and they don't allow you to play that.

[Bane]

Even with the "PS2 Classics" stuff on PSN we can't play disc-based versions of those games?

Nope. Which is one of the reasons I'm not expecting BC next gen. Why let people play the games they already own when you can re-sell them later?

[rm082e]

Even with the "PS2 Classics" stuff on PSN we can't play disc-based versions of those games? I haven't tried my copy of P3 FES, but it's bullshit if they sell you a "psn" version of that which is exactly the same as the PS2 DVD and they don't allow you to play that.

As Bane said, nope. If you put a PS2 disc into a PS3 other than the original 60GB, 20GB, or the 80GB version that sold for $499, it does not recognize the disc.

I'm just assuming the rumors of AMD architecture for the PS4 are true and there will be no PS3 BC at all on the PS4. I expect it will probably be limited in some way for the 360, but the PS3 is my main console now, so I don't care much about MS. I'm trolling the bargain bins and used sales building a big back catalog of PS3 games on the cheap because I want to wring every last ounce of value out of this thing before I make the move to next gen. Once I do, I will probably never play PS3 games again.