» Sat Apr 06, 2013 1:38 pm Even Square Enix providing four games http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitman:_Blood_Money, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lara_Croft_and_the_Guardian_of_Light, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mini_Ninjas and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomb_Raider:_Underworld ?
Edit: What is Cloud gaming? :
Cloud gaming, also called gaming on demand, is a type of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_game that allows direct and on-demand http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stream_(computing) of games onto a computer, similar to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_on_demand, through the use of a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thin_client, in which the actual game is stored on the operator's or game company's http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Server_(computing) and is streamed directly to computers accessing the server through the client. This allows access to games without the need of a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_console and largely makes the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instructions_per_second of the user's computer unimportant, as the server is the system that is running the processing needs.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_gaming#cite_note-1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_gaming#cite_note-2 The controls and button presses from the user are transmitted directly to the server, where they are recorded, and the server then sends back the game's response to the input controls.
Also Cloud gaming can enable the ability to play on your tablet such as Ipad, lower end machines and even maybe high end phones, maybe even google glass when it comes out.
- Advantages: Instantly playable games in your browser. Cloud Technology allows games to be streamed instantly (or at least very quickly) meaning a person could click on a game and be playing in seconds.
- No installations. There is no need to download or install the game on your hard drive as the game runs on a cloud server.
- No specific hardware required. Unlike console gaming where you need to own the particular hardware in order to run the games, cloud gaming allows people to play the games without having high end computers or particular hardware to process the game, as all the work is done away from the client.
- Cloud Gaming could prove a cheaper option. People don’t need a high spec computer to play the games and therefore upgrades every nth year aren’t necessarily required to play the latest game releases. Depending on the business, some firms like OnLive offer monthly subscriptions for game bundles that can be cancelled at any time.
- They’re convenient. More and more time is spent in front of a computer, therefore why not engage in high quality instant gaming.
- Whilst there is a serious question of ownership with cloud gaming (see below) there is an argument for saying that modern day games played on a physical format have similar problems. More and more games nowadays have a substantial online element which require expensive servers to cater for the huge demand placed on them. Therefore it is feasible that these servers could shut down and leave you with a game that offers no online multiplayer, which might be a big deal in some games.
- Cloud Gaming doesn’t necessarily mean the end of conventional gaming. Gaikai, one of the major players in the cloud gaming market, has pitched itself as a cloud gaming firm that offers instantly streamed demos that enable tasters of games that are released for consoles and download elsewhere.
- Disadvantages: Ownership. One problem with cloud gaming revolves around whether you actually own the games or merely lease them off the firm. Unlike console gaming where the game is physically purchased and placed in a console, cloud gaming involves no such transaction. Meaning people are quite rightly worried that if the firm who provide their games goes out of business, then they are left out of pocket with no game to show for it. Console gaming is not (at least totally) like that. If a console giant goes out business playing the game (at least single player) will always be possible as you own a physical copy of the game.
- Second hand market. Although there have been one or two disturbing movements in the console market with regards to resaleability, like removal of instruction manuals and unique pay to play online, there is still a second hand market for physical games. With cloud gaming there is no such thing, as you don’t own a physical asset.
- New technology. The technology is relatively new and therefore expect some teething problems with it. Whilst most people have been happy with their connection experience when playing games in the cloud, a sizeable amount of people have complained about lag. How easy it is to issue patches like in console games remains to be seen, but problems with lag indicates the technology isn’t perfect.
- Security & Privacy: The biggest concerns about cloud computing are security and privacy. Users might not be comfortable handing over their data to a third party.
- Dependency (loss of control): Quality problems with CSP(Cloud Service Providers).No influence on maintenance levels and fix frequency when using cloud services from a CSP.
- No or little insight in CSP contingency procedures. Especially backup, restore and disaster recovery.
- No easy migration to an other CSP.
