Joystiq

Hawken to be playable via Gaikai prior to official release

Mike Schramm — Sun, 20 May 2012 19:30:00 EST

Hawken keeps surprising us. First, we were surprised that the really great-looking mech shooter is being made by an indie studio, then it surprised us to learn that it would be free-to-play. And here's another surprise: Dave Perry's cloud gaming system Gaikai has signed a deal to let players see Hawken running through the service in advance of the planned December 12 release date.

Gaikai allows nearly any game to be streamed directly from its servers to any browser, which means that the first impression of the graphics-intensive Hawken will be playable anywhere Gaikai will run (including on some tablets, and computers of all shapes and sizes). This deal makes a lot of sense from both sides: Hawken needs a large audience to get its free-to-play engine running, and Gaikai could use a big title to connect users to its servers. The Gaikai demo will be on playhawken.com and a few other sites, so eyes open until then.

Continue reading Hawken to be playable via Gaikai prior to official release

Hawken to be playable via Gaikai prior to official release originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 20 May 2012 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gaikai and Wikipad team for game streaming to tablet

Alexander Sliwinski — Wed, 02 May 2012 10:00:00 EST

Game streaming service Gaikai has teamed up with Wikipad to integrate its service into the "first tablet to offer an attachable, console-quality gamepad controller." Competitor OnLive offers a tablet option for game streaming, albeit via touch controls or a compatible gamepad.

Never heard of Wikipad? Join the club! The device was revealed at CES, but has already gone through some changes since the original concept: replacing the 8.1" version with a 10.1" screen, and adding a quad core processor, lighter body and optional 3G for mobile. The launch date for the device is still a mystery.

As for Gaikai, it's still doing its thing on PC and working on Facebook.

Gaikai and Wikipad team for game streaming to tablet originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 02 May 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stream a Mass Effect 3 demo through Gaikai

JC Fletcher — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 22:00:00 EST

Want to see what this Mass Effect 3 stuff is all about? Do you have a web browser? Gaikai has negotiated exclusive streaming rights to BioWare's latest, and is using those rights to provide a web-based demo.

Stream a Mass Effect 3 demo through Gaikai originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 05 Apr 2012 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CCP considering the cloud, wants to put EVE gameplay on mobile devices

Mike Schramm — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 15:00:00 EST

EVE Online developer CCP is looking for a way to bring its Internet spaceships into the cloud. CCP's chief marketing officer David Reid said at last week's Fanfest in Iceland that the company is in talks with OnLive, Gaikai, and other services to try to bring the popular space simulation MMO to one of their platforms.

Reid said there "isn't some giant announcement" for release on any other platforms but PC and Mac at this time. But he also said CCP is thinking about ways to bring elements of EVE, including the upcoming Planetary Interaction system (in which players can set up to harvest resources from virtual planets) "finding their ways to tablets and mobile devices." CCP is considering a number of ways to do that, and "to add new sorts of experiences" to the game.

CCP considering the cloud, wants to put EVE gameplay on mobile devices originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 25 Mar 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Darkness 2 wraps its tentacles around Gaikai

David Hinkle — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 04:15:00 EST

The thing about video games as a hobby and fascination is that they can be quite expensive. Some may employ unscrupulous means to whet their appetite, but you won't have to do the same for a free taste of The Darkness 2.

Gaikai has added the demo to its list of streaming titles, joining the ranks of Dead Rising 2, Orcs Must Die!, The Witcher 2, Spore and others. It's all part of Gaikai CEO and industry veteran Dave Perry's goal to offer pre-release demos of major titles to all (with good internet connections).

The Darkness 2 wraps its tentacles around Gaikai originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 09 Feb 2012 04:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gaikai full-game streaming to start 3 months after launching on Facebook

Jessica Conditt — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 01:00:00 EST

Gaikai is set to launch full-game streaming services on its network of gaming and entertainment websites, ramping up its current demo-only model, GamesIndustry reports. After launching its cloud service on Facebook, Gaikai will roll out full-game streaming on retailer sites such as YouTube, Best Buy and Walmart, and on publisher sites such as EA and Ubisoft.

Full-game streaming will go live about 90 days after the Facebook service begins, which should be soon, Gaikai head Dave Perry says. Gaikai's main competition is OnLive, but Perry says there is a huge difference between the two companies. "They have to modify the game; they have to get the source code to the game," Perry said. "Gaikai doesn't require modification of the game."

There are no direct plans to put Gaikai on console, but Perry can see the need for cloud services on all platforms: "You do not want to be the console that can't do this," he said. "You do not want to be the retail website that doesn't have playable games on it. You don't want to be the gaming website that you can't buy a game from.

"I don't want to take your console from your cold dead hands, that's not the case at all. You're going to continue to play the way you play, but just imagine that you could have an opinion on all games because you've been able to try all of them."

Gaikai full-game streaming to start 3 months after launching on Facebook originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 24 Jan 2012 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gaikai will introduce your mom to hardcore gaming through Facebook

Jessica Conditt — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 02:00:00 EST

Streaming service Gaikai has finalized a deal to bring hardcore PC game demos to Facebook, following previous deals made with YouTube, Wal Mart and others. Gaikai said it has been working with Facebook for some time, and it sees this as a golden opportunity for both parties.

"Facebook already owns the category of casual gaming; we're going to help them own core games," founder David Perry said at Cloud Gaming Europe, GamesIndustry reports. "A click and boom, you're playing World of Warcraft."

Perry demoed World of Warcraft on Facebook, but later clarified to GameSpot that Gaikai "is NOT bringing WoW to Facebook (at least not in the foreseeable future)." Gaikai's approach to streaming games sees it in more of a marketing role than a game-provider, but introducing the Facebook audience to more hardcore opportunities shouldn't be a bad thing. Unless your mom starts sending you invites to join her guild page, "Massive Mamacitas."

Gaikai will introduce your mom to hardcore gaming through Facebook originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 18 Jan 2012 02:00:00 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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Gaikai powers streaming Dead Rising 2 demo

JC Fletcher — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 02:00:00 EST

We're never going to to be comfortable with the kind of alchemy Gaikai is capable of. Capcom has partnered with the company to offer a demo of Dead Rising 2, right in your browser. You'll be so impressed you won't even mind it's a year late!

It's the actual game, inside a browser window. Being a demo, there are some restrictions: you can't save, and you can only play for 30 minutes. But it's still enough to give you a taste of the game, and to be really impressed with Gaikai.

Gaikai powers streaming Dead Rising 2 demo originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 10 Nov 2011 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gaikai delivering FIFA 12 demo through YouTube (Or: The future cometh!)

Christopher Grant — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EST

Remember when OnLive first debuted, and we were violently pulled from our provincial timescape and thrust into a future which, while notably devoid of flying cars and jetpacks, did have streaming video games? Well, hold onto your butts because the internet done did it again.

Streaming service Gaikai has always had a different business model than OnLive; instead of a direct-to-consumer platform, Gaikai wants to get you into a demo as effortlessly as possible. If you like what you play, the "Order Now" button is happy to connect you to a retailer. As a part of that mandate, Gaikai founder Dave Perry was "excited!" to announce that "Gaikai is the first ever to power 3D Games (FIFA 12) on YouTube." That would be the same YouTube that streams a bajillion videos of whatever to people every day.

If you follow this link and click on the "PLAY THE DEMO" banner above the video, you can see what all the fuss is about for yourself. When you're done, take a few minutes to remind yourself it's still 2011, and you weren't controlling the game with a bioport installed on your spine. The future is still a long ways out.

Gaikai delivering FIFA 12 demo through YouTube (Or: The future cometh!) originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 22 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What's in a Name: Gaikai

Jordan Mallory — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 16:30:00 EST

David Perry, Co-Founder and CEO of Gaikai, sat down with us during last week's Game Developers Conference: Online in Austin, TX. Over the howl of the expo floor's contemporary rock soundtrack, David let us in on Gaikai's mysterious branding:

"Basically one of our founders, his name is Rui Pereira, he came up with this name 'Gaikai,' and I said, 'Oh my God, no one will ever be able to pronounce that, no one will ever be able to spell that, this is a bad idea.' And of course, there's all the following conversations, what about all the other strange words that are out there: The Googles, and the Kodaks, and the, you know, the Xeroxes?

"There's all these strange things that are out there, so what's wrong with having a strange name? I then took a marketing class in Texas, and they explained the idea of 'mystique marketing;' it's actually cool to have a hard-to-say name, because it means if you know how to pronounce it, then you're in the club.

"So any time you hear Gaikai pronounced wrong, you can go 'Hrm, this guy doesn't know what it means, or how to say it even.' That's mystique marketing, so I thought, 'Huh, maybe we give this a try.'

"It turns that the actual word is a Japanese word, and it means 'a large open space,' like out on the open ocean, and if you look around on the open ocean, you can go in any direction. And that's what we believe cloud gaming enables."

Gaikai is a technology company that provides streaming game middleware to third-party corporations such as Walmart.

Like this feature? Be sure to check out the What's In A Name Archives.

What's in a Name: Gaikai originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 16 Oct 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Game-streaming service Happy Cloud launching this month

Justin McElroy — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 00:00:00 EST

Boy, the future is getting crowded.

Just as we're adjusting to the futuristic game streaming of OnLive and different, but still pretty astounding Gaikai, we have to welcome the new kid. PC game streamer Happy Cloud will officially launch on the 18th of this month.

Where services like OnLive stream video of your gameplay from a remote server, Happy Cloud is actually bringing the full game to your computer. You download just the files you need to get started and then, as you play, you download the rest of the required files in the background until you have the entire game on your hard drive. Notable advantage: Offline play!

If Happy Cloud has a hurdle (and it's a big one) it's the severely limited selection. There are currently fewer than 10 titles on offer, though others like Cities in Motion and Europa Universalis will arrive soon. The company told us more games are on the way, but, for the moment, Happy Cloud's game selection seems like it's desperately in need of a silver lining.

Game-streaming service Happy Cloud launching this month originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 08 Jul 2011 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gaikai partners with Walmart.com

Justin McElroy — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 21:00:00 EST

If you're a game streaming service like Gaikai that's looking to partner with online retailers, Walmart.com seems like a pretty good option. (In case you're reading this on a mobile platform that can't see italics, we put them on those last three words to emphasize that were were understating the point. Classic Joystiq!)

The retailer has, according to VentureBeat, added Gaikai in-browser game streaming to its GameCenter page for Dead Space 2 and possibly other titles. At the moment, none of us on staff can see the option to stream the game, but we know it's automatically disabled if you don't have the requisite bandwidth. Maybe we all just need to get fatter pipes?

Assuming it'll all work as designed sooner or later, this could set a pretty important preceden for online game shopping. We just selfishly hope you'll still read our reviews when Skynet lets you try everything before you buy it.

Gaikai partners with Walmart.com originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 21 Jun 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Phil Harrison sees dominant Apple, biometric screens in the future

JC Fletcher — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 16:00:00 EST

Edge Online polled Phil Harrison, formerly of Sony and Atari, and now of Gaikai, about the future of gaming and technology in general. He very quickly identified one trend that it's hard not to see coming: continued growth for Apple's game platforms and the App Store. "At this trajectory, if you extrapolate the market-share gains that they are making, forward for ten years - if they carry on unrestrained in their growth, then there's a pretty good chance that Apple will be the games industry."

He had some predictions about the way games are presented, as well. Specifically, still on screens, but much fancier ones. Because of the declining cost of flat-panel displays, and the TV's place as a new "social hearth," those will continue to be in wide use, but in much higher resolutions and with both touch and biometric input. " I think there will be an industry that will appear out of 'personal biometrics' where as a human being you will take more control of your own health and well-being by getting data from your own body," he said. According to Harrison, private biometric data about the user's own lifestyle will be monetized by the game industry as soon as the healthcare industry delivers the technology. Vitality Sensors for all!

Phil Harrison sees dominant Apple, biometric screens in the future originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 21 Jun 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Phil Harrison joins Gaikai advisory board

James Ransom-Wiley — Tue, 17 May 2011 15:30:00 EST

Backing up his talk, Phil Harrison has joined the advisory board of cloud-gaming service Gaikai. In his keynote address before the Italian Videogame Developers Conference last December, Harrison precipitated "the browser wars of the 21st century" -- a battle to distribute console-quality, triple-A games on any browser-equipped device.

"Somebody is going to win," he said at the time. "Somebody is going to deliver console-level 3D graphics, video and audio into a web browser." It would appear that Harrison has placed his chips -- or at least some of them -- on Gaikai. The one-time president of Sony Computer Entertainment (oh, and Atari, too -- don't forget), Harrison will maintain his role as rich guy investor at London Venture Partners, which he co-founded last year with some other fat cats.

Joining the rich guy on the Gaikai advisory board is rich gal Robin Kaminsky, the former executive VP of Activision, who led both studio and marketing activities. Kaminsky's marketing experience in particular is coveted by Gaikai CEO David Perry. "The first use of Gaikai's open cloud is to disrupt how video game advertising works," he said in today's advisory board announcement.

Gaikai's current mission differs from the service provided by chief competitor OnLive (oh, and Otoy, too -- don't forget) in that it seeks to provide browser-based demos that developers and publishers can feature on their websites to drive full-game sales. Gaikai is currently in a closed beta testing phase.

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Phil Harrison joins Gaikai advisory board originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 17 May 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gaikai is live with streaming demos of Mass Effect 2, Dead Space 2 and more

Randy Nelson — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 16:25:00 EST

Following more than a year of media demos and beta testing, cloud gaming startup Gaikai is letting the public try out the fruits of its efforts: Demos of Mass Effect 2, Dead Space 2, Spore and The Sims 3 are all playable from within your web browser. That is, if you have the bandwidth -- we don't, apparently. (Granted, we're on gratis Wi-Fi here at GDC.)

You might have better luck at home: You can visit Gaikai's site where you'll be prompted to launch Mass Effect 2. "Just wait and if your connection quality to our Server is fast enough," instructs CEO David Perry, "one of several pop-up designs will appear."

Additionally, taking a survey about the service will grant you access to the Dead Space 2 demo. Spore and The Sims 3 trials can be found here and here, respectively.

Gaikai is live with streaming demos of Mass Effect 2, Dead Space 2 and more originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 28 Feb 2011 16:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gaikai, Otoy not worried about OnLive's cloud gaming patent

Griffin McElroy — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 01:00:00 EST

OnLive's recently acquired patent, which covers "Apparatus and method for wireless video gaming," may seem like a death knell for other players in the cloud gaming space. However, Gaikai's David Perry recently told VentureBeat he's not too concerned with the future of his game-streaming company, saying, "We do not expect the general concept of remote gaming to be patentable, as many of us played remote games in the 70s, 80s and 90s." Should the patent stick, he added that Gaikai's focus on embeddable demos of PC games is far removed from OnLive's set top box business model, which should prevent any potential infringements.

Fellow game-streamer Otoy's CEO Jules Urbach also chimed in on the patent, saying, "We respect the valid intellectual property rights of others but we'd be surprised to see a valid patent issue today that would preempt the entire field of server-side rendered gaming." Wait, you can do that? Well, man, we've been wasting so much time. We patent ... um, sandwiches! And gardening! And pet supplies! And candy! We're going to be so super rich.

Gaikai, Otoy not worried about OnLive's cloud gaming patent originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 17 Dec 2010 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget gets its hands on Gaikai closed beta

Justin McElroy — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 18:00:00 EST

Our geekier, yet still kind of cute in her own way sister site Engadget recently took Dave Perry-fronted streaming service Gaikai for a spin, and posted the results for all to see. Though the performance sounds about comparable to OnLive, the greatest strength of Perry's competing service is that it's not, in fact, attempting to compete.

Gaikai is primarily a way to sample games before purchasing them on a retail console or PC, so the inherent limitations aren't as large of hurdles as they are on OnLive, which aims to replace the home console. Or, at least, that's how Perry's pitching it. Get more of his take (and more Engadget reaction to the Gaikai experience) right here.

Engadget gets its hands on Gaikai closed beta originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gaikai gets Intel, Limelight backing

Randy Nelson — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 01:01:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

As the September launch of game streaming platform Gaikai draws ever-closer, the company has announced its latest business win: investments from Intel and Limelight Networks. This news (for which the full press release can be found after the break) comes just over a month after Gaikai inked a multi-year deal with EA to provide its titles via in-browser streaming.

Gaikai isn't disclosing the nitty-gritty, dollars and cents details of the investments, but we know that the company was already at work building its servers utilizing Intel's "overkill is not a word" six-core CPUs and solid-state drives. Which, essentially, makes Gaikai a showcase for Intel's most cutting-edge tech; tech that will be installed at "key nodes" within Limelight Networks' infrastructure. (We also hear it'll give Gaikai a fresh, citrus-y smell.)

Continue reading Gaikai gets Intel, Limelight backing

Gaikai gets Intel, Limelight backing originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 22 Jul 2010 01:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dave Perry on the innovation of Gaikai

Mike Schramm — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 17:38:00 EST

All of the questions about Gaikai and OnLive have revolved around whether the streaming technology actually works. Can a company actually process your games on a remote server, and then stream them to you in a playable format? For Gaikai's CEO Dave Perry, there's no question: It works. "Yeah. Yeah," he says. "Absolutely. No problem at all."

The question that Gaikai is trying to answer, then, isn't about whether the cloud works, but how. OnLive has launched with a subscription model, but Perry's doing it differently. Rather than build a service for customers, he wants Gaikai to serve as a sort of distributor -- a go-between for game publishers (like EA and Activision), online content creators (like Joystiq), and game players. Gaikai's "secret sauce" isn't in the streaming technology itself, but in the business model that makes it possible and profitable for everyone.

Perry explained his plan to us in detail at the company's headquarters in Southern California last week, and told us why and how Gaikai is different from all of the other streaming services out there.

Continue reading Dave Perry on the innovation of Gaikai

Dave Perry on the innovation of Gaikai originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 17:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gaikai signs multi-year licensing deal with EA

Ben Gilbert — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 01:15:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

Gaikai may not be ready for action just yet (the service doesn't have a release date), but the company was more than happy to drop news of a multi-year licensing agreement with Electronic Arts today. The news appears to be delivering on promises that the company's fearless leader, Dave Perry, made back in April of a big E3 announcement. Among the games Gaikai will be bringing to the web-streaming service are The Sims, the Battlefield: Bad Company series, the Dragon Age series, the Mass Effect series, Medal of Honor and Need for Speed.

"Gaikai's innovations open whole new experiences for both current players and new customers looking for the best of interactive entertainment," EA's Richard Hilleman said of the licensing deal. We're open to both "whole new experiences" and "interactive entertainment," so that sounds just fantastic to us.

Gaikai signs multi-year licensing deal with EA originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 18 Jun 2010 01:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gaikai up to $15 million in capital with second round of funding

Ben Gilbert — Mon, 24 May 2010 22:00:00 EST

Tired of what we silly game journalists have to say about the upcoming Gaikai game streaming service and thirsting for comments from the venture's latest investment partners? We were too! Thankfully this morning's announcement that several investment groups will be adding another $10 million to the already $5 million-strong coffers at Gaikai brought with it a handful of quotes from just such folks.

Rustic Canyon Partners' Nate Redmond sees "interesting new growth opportunities for the industry" in the streaming service, while Benchmark Capital's Mitch Lasky envisions the business as one "poised to take advantage of sweeping changes in how games are bought, sold, and ultimately even played brought about by the industry-wide shift to digital distribution." Unfortunately for us, however none of the investment partners seem to know when Gaikai will become usable by the general public, instead offering word of upcoming announcements about "other strategic industry investments and partnerships soon." We're thinking E3 might be a good time for that. And hey, that's pretty soon!

Gaikai up to $15 million in capital with second round of funding originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 24 May 2010 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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World of Warcraft streamed to iPad using Gaikai

Ben Gilbert — Mon, 03 May 2010 11:00:00 EST

Although we assuredly could've made the worrisome connection between Gaikai's game-streaming capability, the Apple iPad, and gaming's own methamphetamine, World of Warcraft, it seems the folks at Dave Perry's company are one step ahead of us. As revealed in the image seen above (accompanied by the statement, "Was walking through the office, saw this, thought you'd like to see ... soon I'll be able to play WoW with my Cornflakes!"), Perry reveals our worst fear: portable WoW.

He adds, "We're really interested to see what works well with streaming and will be trying just about every genre of game, on every device possible as we explore server-side computing. This is World of Warcraft streamed from a Gaikai server over regular wifi." Previously, we've seen Perry demonstrate a handful of other games streaming over the service, but never to a handheld device. And though we doubt that it would work over the iPad's upcoming 3G data network, playing WoW over wi-fi on an iPad is an ... appealing idea.

[Via Dave Perry's Twitter account]

World of Warcraft streamed to iPad using Gaikai originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 03 May 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dave Perry details Gaikai's server plan, teases E3 announcement

Mike Schramm — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 23:30:00 EST

Dave Perry is dreaming big with his Gaikai streaming service. He went into a little more detail on just how it will at work at today's LA Games Conference. The company is still planning to kick off its service with 300 data centers, and while he admits it will have "much more traffic than the servers can handle," Gaikai will limit early users to those closest to the centers. If you're close enough to the server to have only about 5-10 milliseconds of lag, you'll get in. If not, Perry told Joystiq, then you won't even see the embedded window -- but your request will be logged anyway. That way, he said, Gaikai will be able to track not just where people are using the service, but where they want to use it. If a bunch of users in Alaska try to play, but can't connect because they're too far away, then "we know we're losing money in Alaska," he says, and Gaikai will set up more datacenters there.

Perry says Gaikai will help with security as well -- he suggested that companies might even be able to release their E3 demos to the world just during the week of the event, allowing press or the public to play them online for a limited time, with the code securely held on Gaikai's servers. It's all speculation at this point, though -- a service like that won't be ready to go by this year's E3 in June. But stay tuned anyway: Perry also promised us an announcement about Gaikai at E3. "We got some cool stuff to show off," he confirmed with a knowing nod.

Dave Perry details Gaikai's server plan, teases E3 announcement originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 29 Apr 2010 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gaikai's Perry says OnLive pricing is a 'shot in the arm'

Justin McElroy — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 09:10:00 EST

Though we weren't particularly thrilled to hear about game streaming service OnLive's $14.95 monthly user fee, there's at least one guy who's totally excited for it: Dave Perry, the frontman for competing service Gaikai. "We were just as surprised as everyone else when we heard the final business model," Perry told GamesIndustry.biz. "That's why it's a shot in the arm to us, because now we're just perfectly positioned."

If it sounds like corporate chest-beating, that's because it totally is. But there's a nugget of truth in what Perry says; even though he neglected to discuss the OnLive Game Portal, which seems to more closely mirror his service. Haven't you been a bit less interested in OnLive since you learned you'd have to pay $15 a month for the privilege to buy and retain ownership of games?

Gaikai's Perry says OnLive pricing is a 'shot in the arm' originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 17 Mar 2010 09:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gaikai and InstantAction team up for streaming, embeddable games

Ben Gilbert — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:00:00 EST

If InstantAction.com's CEO Lou Castle is to be believed, we're apparently going to be playing games pretty much wherever we want in the not-so-distant future. He's just revealed plans (via IndustryGamers) to relaunch his site with a new business/distribution model and a partnership with game streaming service Gaikai. In addition to the already existing model of a quick download (a claimed 4 - 5 minutes) that still somewhat relies on your computer power to process the game's graphics, IA will now offer a streaming option for those who'd prefer a quicker, less hardware reliant gaming experience. "It's the perfect implementation of a thin client solution because when it's available it's brilliant and when it's not available it's ok ... you only have to wait a couple minutes."

The aforementioned streaming option (employing Gaikai) will also be embedabble on the web, as demonstrated with Assassin's Creed (not to mention to us earlier today) "Now if people are reading a review of a game, they don't have to go find it ... they can play it right then and there in the browser."

And that's just the beginning -- Castle clearly has an eye on digital distribution services when he talks about employing Facebook as "InstantAction's Xbox Live." IA's new distribution model essentially promises to developers/publishers the ability to release games with a variety of payment methods (pay as you go, free-to-play, one-time charge, etc.) while incorporating the aforementioned embed and streaming functionalities.

So far, the company has inked one deal for distribution (with LucasArts for The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition) and Castle claims to be pursuing others right now. And apparently it won't be too long before we get to check out the new system ourselves, as the revamped digital platform is said to be "launching soon."

Gallery: InstantAction (GDC 2010)

Gaikai and InstantAction team up for streaming, embeddable games originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gaikai will be fee-free, utilize 300 data centers in the US

Randy Nelson — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:30:00 EST

Meeting with Gaikai's founding fathers -- ( from left to right) Rui Pereira, Andrew Gault and David Perry -- this morning, we chatted about the company's unique take on "cloud gaming," particularly how, unlike competitor OnLive, there will be no fee to play streaming games using its servers and in-browser app, and what it's doing to "reduce friction" in trying (and eventually buying) games online.

Saying that Gaikai "isn't trying to be PlayStation 4 or take out the next Wii," Perry described (and demoed) the concept of embedding instantly playable games on any website. A publisher can, for instance, have a clickable pop-up appear when people are looking at one of its games on Amazon, which quickly launches an overlay window running the full game, with whatever time limit the publisher chooses. After this period, players can opt to buy the game for unlimited streaming, download it, or have a physical copy shipped to them.

What intrigued us more is the ability to Tweet from within these demos, and, if you're playing a multiplayer title, anyone who clicks the link sent to your Twitter feed will be launched into your game. We also got a look at a widget that places a small video of any game you're currently playing via Gaikai on your personal blog, which friends can click to either try the game or actually join the session you're in, if applicable. This demo used Mario Kart 64, in which it was possible for Gaikai staff to drop in as player two, three or four fairly easily.

Perry also revealed to us that Gaikai has secured servers at 300 data centers across the US (as opposed to OnLive's five), in addition to inking deals with local broadband providers to install servers at another 900 peering locations -- all with the goal of keeping latency as low as possible. The ideas we saw in action have the potential to shake up the traditional game demo model, for sure. What do you think of what Gaikai's cooking up?

Gaikai will be fee-free, utilize 300 data centers in the US originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Score $5 million in funding for Gaikai

David Hinkle — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 21:05:00 EST

David Perry's "It's not OnLive" service, Gaikai, recently gained $5 million in venture capital, a Security and Exchanges Commission filing shows. For the uninitiated, basically Perry wants to beam games directly into your house. We imagine the tech behind it is kinda like that crazy set-up the Riddler had running all over Gotham, hence the need for such a large sum of money.

All kidding aside, Perry's been very tight-lipped about Gaikai, offering up little via his Twitter account and the usual channels. However, back in July, he did offer the first sneak peek at the game streaming service, which looks like it's coming along nicely.

[Via Big Download and Venture Beat]

Score $5 million in funding for Gaikai originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 21:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OTOY: The game streaming service you've never heard of

Ben Gilbert — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:30:00 EST

While OnLive and Gaikai continue to hog the game-streaming spotlight, few are talking about the third option that people will have for server-based gaming: OTOY. And that's likely because the company (of the same name) behind the technology hasn't been exactly forthcoming with details -- even the official website has nothing more than the "Soon" image you see above. Ars Technica recently got a chance to check out the service in action, pushing graphical monster Crysis to an iPhone with reportedly good results.

The service is still in its infancy, as demonstrated by a TechCrunch hands-on video we've dropped after the break, but shows a lot of potential. Considering OnLive's currently holding its public beta in North America and Gaikai's kicking off a private beta in Europe late this month, we hope OTOY decides to start getting vocal soon. We're all ears!

Continue reading OTOY: The game streaming service you've never heard of

OTOY: The game streaming service you've never heard of originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gaikai closed beta coming to Europe first

Ben Gilbert — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:45:00 EST

Cloud computing service Gaikai will be entering closed beta "later this month" in Europe, company head Dave Perry announced earlier today. Perry explains that since "all three founders are European" they've decided to "start [the] closed beta in Europe later this month," and plan on bringing the beta to North America next (you can sign up fairly quickly right here). Perhaps unsurprising, his announcement comes just one week after OnLive, that other cloud computing-based service, opened its own public beta in North America.

IGN recently got its hands on Gaikai and snagged a video (that we've dropped after the break) of the service running through Windows 7 on a new MacBook. It appears to be working just as smoothly as when we last saw it, though now in the hands of an outside party. Our concern comes with the choice of games being demoed here: World of Warcraft and Mario Kart 64, not the most demanding apps we could imagine, especially when OnLive is showing off Crysis.

Continue reading Gaikai closed beta coming to Europe first

Gaikai closed beta coming to Europe first originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dave Perry discusses canned Atari project, 'Plague'

Ben Gilbert — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 23:00:00 EST

Dave Perry will always have a place in our hearts, and so it's a bit difficult these days to write pieces on the man who created Earthworm Jim. Doing his usual job of outlandish claim-staking, the man now known mostly for his company Gaikai and its streaming game service recently spoke to Eurogamer about a canceled game of his, named Plague.

"It was a little too big for Atari," he says. Allegedly, he was working with an author and intended to make a movie of the game. "It was a big deal," he added. He goes on to say that it included "nano-weapons" that would "generate objects and delete [them] in real-time." He even teases that the game idea is "nowhere near done." Unfortunately, he's a bit busy at the moment trying to get his unicorn-powered magic carpet off the ground to work on it.

Dave Perry discusses canned Atari project, 'Plague' originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 05 Aug 2009 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dave Perry explains Gaikai's 'bizarre genesis'

Ben Gilbert — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 20:30:00 EST

Dave Perry's idea of a streaming game service has been a long time in the making, though the fruition of that idea, Gaikai, is less than a year into actual development. According to his latest piece for Develop, the idea for an online service with high-end game (and application) streaming has been germinating for some time in his head, starting with Airline Pilots -- an arcade flight simulator from Sega. "A friend of mine told me that we needed to buy that game, so we paid for it between us, and I stored the game in my garage," Perry explains. He found himself playing the game for hours, wondering if it would be possible to "play a real flight simulator" without having to shell out "thousands upon thousands" for it.

Years later, he found himself evangelizing his theories at Leipzig 2008, where he was approached by two gentlemen (Andrew Gault and Rui Pereira) working on the very technology he spoke about. From that partnership, Gaikai was born. Perry says what separates his company's product from OnLive's is that "it's a service" and as such there is no dictating where it can go -- OnLive is technology dependent. Though we've gotten a video tour of the service and plenty of talk from Mr. Perry about Gaikai so far, we've yet to get our hands on the service, and as such will remain (understandably) skeptical until we see more.

Dave Perry explains Gaikai's 'bizarre genesis' originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 28 Jul 2009 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dyack: Industry making more games than consumers can handle

Justin McElroy — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 02:15:00 EST

When we first heard about Denis Dyack's vision of a single-console future, we were ready to dismiss the idea as, if you'll excuse our language, cockamamie. Now, in a world with cloud computing systems like OnLive and Gaikai in the works, it doesn't seem that nutty.

He's still banging the drum and elaborating on his point, saying that the single console would help reduce a glut of games overwhelming the consumer. "There were 300 or so games released last November. We're in a state of performance over supply. We're making more games than consumers can possibly consume," Dyack told Videogamer.com. "Marketing is having a disproportionate effect over the success of games because there's so many out there people are ignoring us."

Hey, you're a consumer, right? Are you feeling overwhelmed?

Dyack: Industry making more games than consumers can handle originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 17 Jul 2009 02:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dave Perry talks Gaikai: 'Gamestop already hate me'

Ben Gilbert — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 11:25:00 EST

Speaking at the Develop conference currently taking place in the UK, Gaikai's Dave Perry told Edge that the folks at video game retailer GameStop "already hate" him. "I've made so much money from their store [GameStop], so I can't be mean to them about that," he apologetically added, though he said he believes the industry is being pushed to digital distribution by GameStop's used game business model.

"I can be mean about their [GameStop's] used game policy, because they're pushing the industry to digital distribution perhaps faster than it would have gone," he responded, when asked how retail is reacting to his dark magic-powered Gaikai service. He doesn't necessarily see brick-and-mortar retail as his company's biggest hurdle though, saying, unsurprisingly, it's the ~~smoke~~ money. "We need to find a strategic partner who will add value ... somebody that wants to invest and can actually add something ... we want to find somebody who will really move the needle." Wait a minute -- Gaikai involves needles? Forget it!

Dave Perry talks Gaikai: 'Gamestop already hate me' originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 15 Jul 2009 11:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dave Perry wants to put a Gaikai server in every city

Justin McElroy — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 19:00:00 EST

We might have been able to ignore Dave Perry a year ago, but after he predicted the PSP Go, we've become terrified of his considerable powers. So, when we read that he told the annual Develop Conference in Brighton, England that 100 percent of games would soon be online, we went ahead and smashed our DVD storage solution to pieces in anticipation.

Perry also told Develop that he's committed to putting a server for his game streaming service Gaikai into every major city on the globe, which seems like the beginning of a plan Cobra Commander would come up with to control the planet. We are, however, giving Dave the benefit of the doubt.

Dave Perry wants to put a Gaikai server in every city originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 14 Jul 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dave Perry gives first video tour of Gaikai

Ben Gilbert — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:30:00 EST

Between OnLive and Gaikai, we're not sure who to trust less. Both systems are clearly operating under some form of unknown dark magic, allowing the mysterious services to stream high-def gaming directly into your television and computer browser. Both services though -- luckily and necessarily -- have representatives willing to happily test our skepticism in OnLive's Steve Perlman and Gaikai's Dave Perry.

The video (found after the break) has the latter demoing Gaikai, streaming games from Mario Kart 64 to Spore to EVE Online, all from his Vista-powered PC running Firefox on an 800-mile trip between the server and his home. He claims in the video to be streaming all of the games demoed from sub 1-megabit internet speeds and says that "even a NetBook" could run Gaikai with no problems. From what we can see, things are running smoothly, though unlike OnLive, we've yet to get our hands on the equipment. Perry says we'll see more at this month's Develop Conference, so for those of you itching for more Gaikai, you've got a two-week wait on your hands. Perhaps you should play some of those old, less magic-filled gaming consoles you have.

[Via Edge Online]

Continue reading Dave Perry gives first video tour of Gaikai

Dave Perry gives first video tour of Gaikai originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gaikai (the other OnLive) won't be at E3 either

Alexander Sliwinski — Tue, 26 May 2009 20:15:00 EST

The Gaikai game streaming service will not be shown at E3 2009. Never heard of it? Well, if all goes according to plan, Gaikai would become the competition to the much better publicized OnLive service. BigDownload reports it was informed by the company that its previous expectation of attending the event in LA were cut "until various patent filings are complete."

It appears we'll have to wait until both services go into beta to get a better idea of how each will work. OnLive announced last week that it would not attend E3 and would have "plenty" to show throughout the rest of the year. We're definitely looking forward to testing out the server-based future of PC gaming.

Gaikai (the other OnLive) won't be at E3 either originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 26 May 2009 20:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Crytek believes streaming games will be viable ... in 2013

JC Fletcher — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 13:45:00 EST

Crytek revealed that it has considered the possibility of a streaming game service like OnLive or Gaikai before, but abandoned the idea due to technological limitations. "We had our research in 2005 on this subject but we stopped around 2007 because we had doubts about economics of scale. But that was at a time when bandwidth was more expensive," CEO Cevat Yerli told GamesIndustry.biz.

High-speed connections have yet to be cheap or reliable enough to work, in Crytek's estimation: the company determined that a streaming service may be possible sometime between 2013 and 2015. This is also the approximate period in which most consumer PCs will begin to be able to run Crysis. Yerli said that such services must rely strongly on broadband providers.

"We're not involved [with OnLive], we just allowed Crysis to be tested on it," Yerli said. Publisher EA is behind the addition of Crysis Warhead to the service.

Crytek believes streaming games will be viable ... in 2013 originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 02 Apr 2009 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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