Joystiq

Potential OnLive integration in Sony Internet player

Mike Suszek — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 19:30:00 EST

Sony's Internet Player with Google TV lists "OnLive Gaming Controller/USB dongle" as compatible with the streaming device, according to its hardware product page. OnLive has yet to announce any partnership with Sony, though the addition of OnLive controller compatibility infers (but doesn't confirm) support of the service in this product.

While categorized with the company's Blu-ray player offerings, the Internet Player with Google TV doesn't appear to support the standard hi-def disc format. The inclusion of OnLive in a Google TV player doesn't come as a huge surprise either, as OnLive planned to bring its service to all Google TV devices, Engadget reported back in January.

Additionally, OnLive recently popped up on Vizio's Co-Star, which means in streaming device terms, it gets around.

Potential OnLive integration in Sony Internet player originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 01 Jul 2012 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gaikai coming to LG TVs, playable OnLive coming to GoogleTVs

Jordan Mallory — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 17:30:00 EST

If you're someone whose hatred of physical media and cluttered entertainment systems is rivaled only by your passion for contemporary gaming and universal controllers, your next television purchase may have just become as conflicted as your eccentric little heart of hearts.

Gaikai and LG have announced plans to place Gaikai's cloud-based game-streaming services inside of LG's upcoming 2012 line of Cinema 3D TVs. The service will use Gaikai's middleware to power an LG-branded gaming portal within the company's existing Smart TV app ecosystem. No information has yet been given regarding how these games will actually be played, but we're hopeful it will involve a controller of some kind, rather than creative use of the TV's remote.

OnLive has also announced further integration of its cloud-based game-streaming service into Google's GoogleTV platform, by way of Vizio's "next generation" of "Internet Apps Plus" devices. Vizio TVs equipped with Internet Apps Plus and GoogleTV 2.0 will allow users to connect their Universal Controller and stream games normally. This is a big leap from OnLive's current GoogleTV presence, which is currently limited to a "Player" app that allows GoogleTV users to spectate OnLive games happening on other devices. No word on whether full OnLive functionality will come to other devices running GoogleTV 2.0.

Continue reading Gaikai coming to LG TVs, playable OnLive coming to GoogleTVs

Gaikai coming to LG TVs, playable OnLive coming to GoogleTVs originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Xbox TV launching this holiday season

Jessica Conditt — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 19:30:00 EST

Microsoft will launch a TV service for Xbox 360 this holiday season, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced at a financial analyst meeting this week. Ballmer said Microsoft is working with "dozens or hundreds of additional video-content suppliers," which makes us wonder if someone should send out a company memo describing the substantial difference between those two figures. Xbox TV will feature live television as well as on-demand services.

Xbox TV will use Bing and the Kinect voice commands to facilitate users' searches, a feature that Ballmer said separates Microsoft from previous, failed TV-peripheral attempts by other companies, such as Google and Apple. Van Baker, an analyst at Gartner, said that may not be as much of an advantage as Microsoft thinks. "Search is not discovery," he said. "Search as an answer to discovery implies you know what you're looking for. Most people have no idea what they're looking for."

A well-integrated streaming TV service is a wonderful idea, if it's implemented correctly -- we'll see if Microsoft has the magic formula (Wingardium televisiosa!) this holiday season.

Xbox TV launching this holiday season originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 17 Sep 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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THQ CEO: Next-gen is 'less about technology and more about service'

Christopher Grant — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 13:30:00 EST

"We believe Apple is going to be there, Google is going to be there," THQ head honcho Brian Farrell told an audience at today's GamesBeat conference in San Francisco. He isn't talking about this weekend's killer tech company pool party (you should come!); instead, he's talking about the next generation of game consoles. "Our view is that the next generation of consoles, if there are consoles, are going to be less about technology and more about service orientation of the gamer." Take that, technology!

Apple and Google are already changing the video gaming landscape and their Apple TV and Google TV platforms have the potential to be even bigger game-changers. Though as bullish as he is on Apple and Google's mobile offerings, Farrell still sees a future for the PlayStation Vita and 3DS. "The dedicated handheld market is going to find an audience, but it isn't going to be as broad because of the competition from other operating systems. What the market is telling us, is consumers want a very quickly consumable mobile experience; it doesn't necessarily have to be deep."

While THQ is still intent on making expensive plays in the AAA console gaming space, like September's Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine and November's Saint's Row The Third, it's also working on "better bite-size games," according to GamesBeat, "rather than massive titles with awesome graphics on hand-held consoles like Sony's PlayStation Vita or the Nintendo 3DS."

With EA plunking down some serious cash for PopCap, one of iOS's top-earning developers, we're seeing more publishers focus on the new mobile space. Now the question is whether or not gamers have enough time and money to support that many competing mobile platforms. Sorry, Panasonic Jungle.

THQ CEO: Next-gen is 'less about technology and more about service' originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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