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View Full Version : The death of hardware requirements?

Thrax
2 Jul 2009, 4:45pm
<object width="400" height="225"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=5404358&amp;server=vimeo.com&amp;show_title=1&amp;show_byline=1&amp;show_portrait=0&amp;color=&amp;fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=5404358&amp;server=vimeo.com&amp;show_title=1&amp;show_byline=1&amp;show_portrait=0&amp;color=&amp;fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="225"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/5404358">Gaikai Technology Demo (JULY 1, 2009)</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user1977414">David Perry</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

1) These games are not installed.
2) These games are being streamed over the web on a normal cable connection to a server 800 miles away.
3) There are no fiber optics at work.
4) The game is being hosted at an average data center. It's not even a tier 1 data center.
5) Average bandwidth usage is less than 1 megabit.
6) No 3D accelerator was required to play these games.
7) This works on any OS.
8) It can even stream Photoshop, and it's pixel perfect.

Toilet paper is on your left.

For more information, read the full details of the Gaikai tech demo over here (http://www.dperry.com/archives/news/dp_blog/gaikai_-_video/).
RyanMeray
2 Jul 2009, 5:02pm
Looks pretty nifty, and definitely handy for strategy games, but this tech is just remote desktop for gaming; while it's nifty, I've done enough remote desktop work to know you won't want to play any twitchy games because you WILL have dropped frames.

Just wait till that critical scoring moment in Zuma to comes along and you miss the crucial frame needed to get the highest score ever.

That said, this would definitely work good for something like Sims, Spore, etc.
kryyst
2 Jul 2009, 5:06pm
Don't think death to hardware, that's a side effect. Think death to Piracy that's a primary goal.
Thrax
2 Jul 2009, 5:11pm
Looks pretty nifty, and definitely handy for strategy games, but this tech is just remote desktop for gaming; while it's nifty, I've done enough remote desktop work to know you won't want to play any twitchy games because you WILL have dropped frames.

Just wait till that critical scoring moment in Zuma to comes along and you miss the crucial frame needed to get the highest score ever.

That said, this would definitely work good for something like Sims, Spore, etc.

I think it's quite a bit more than "remote desktop for gaming." I think that's a gross oversimplification. In fact, I don't really see any dropped frames in any of the demos.

Of course, the real beta will reveal the true nature of the service, but the shrewd game publishers who have already signed on for the service are a sign that the technology works.
RyanMeray
2 Jul 2009, 5:22pm
Maybe it won't drop frames, but what happens when your Internet goes out? I'm really leery of anything that tethers you to a working net connection.

How are they gonna handle game saves? Can you download save files to your computer for safekeeping?

How about instead of figuring out ways to yet again put more power back into the hands of the publishers, they instead come up with a universal PC game installer/interface and they make stuff faster.

Like the Games for Windows initiative, but without the half-assed Microsoft effort.
UPSLynx
2 Jul 2009, 7:43pm
Wow. If they pull that off...

My two chief concerns with tech like this:

1. price (I absolutely HATE paying to play games, to the point where I won't do it.)
2. Sound. Seems slightly moot, but I am a stickler for sound. Will this process 5.1 accurately?

I'm curious with RyanMeray as well, what of game saves? I back up most my game saves, especially when I reformat.

And I certainly would be weary of an initiative like this taking advantage of the fact that it's remote and doing the whole 'ads in games that are updated' bit. I hate that.

Like Onlive, I'll be skeptical until I get my hands on it. It certainly looks impressive by that video, and access like that would be incredible. That interface is sick, and I would LOVE a working, no BS system like that for gaming. Sort of like Quake Live, sometimes gaming in browser can be a wonderful thing.
mirage
2 Jul 2009, 7:48pm
I think piracy as we know will be dead if the games are distributed this way.
Grimnoc
2 Jul 2009, 7:55pm
Dag! I'm at work so I can't watch video.
mas0n
2 Jul 2009, 8:32pm
I think we've all been wondering when this day would come. The only real downside I see is that I enjoy building & tweaking ridiculous gaming rigs.

I eagerly await more details. If it can't stream 2048x1152 at absolute max game settings including high quality audio then it's not ready for me yet.

Game saves should be a non-issue. Create user account. Save to cloud. Done.
kryyst
2 Jul 2009, 8:39pm
Lets also kiss the death of modding communities as well. After market sales go bye-bye, account hacking will become the absolute new piracy. Then cries of BUT OUR BANDWIDTH from your ISP's...
mirage
2 Jul 2009, 8:57pm
I am glad I did not throw my Pentium III computer away, it will be a good gaming rig.
Zuntar
2 Jul 2009, 9:39pm
Hm.... sounds cool, but I'm skeptical.