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The Electronic Entertainment Expo runs between the 5th and 7th of June and Gadget Helpline will be following all the major hardware and software announcements from big industry names such as Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony – as well as offering a Daily Recap on many areas of this year’s show!
With new consoles, games and services revealed by big guns Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft, E3 now turns its attention to the various other gaming platforms out there.
Today, Samsung and LG have both gotten in on the action, announcing that console quality games will soon be playable, without a console, on their latest Smart TVs. Both manufacturers will be bringing different services to their latest and greatest TV sets that will allow the user to stream games via the web.
Samsung revealed that it has partnered with Gaikai, an online games streaming site which has recently added some high quality games to Facebook. The partnership between the two will result in something called Samsung Cloud Gaming, which will become available on high-end Samsung Smart TVs such as the ES8000 series, through the Smart Hub.
Samsung’s offering will bring high-definition games written for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 to Smart TV owners, which can be controlled by gamepads that plug in to the TV. Samsung hasn’t confirmed exactly how the gamepads will work just yet, or which titles will be available at launch. The service will roll out initially in the US to see how things go, and will be available on 7000 series and high-end Smart LED models from 2012.
Not to be outdone, rival TV manufacturer LG also announced a cloud game streaming service at E3 this week. The Korean manufacturer has partnered with the more well-known OnLive service to bring PS3 and Xbox titles to some of its latest high-end Smart TVs.
OnLive already provides some of the latest titles such as Batman Arkham City and Saints Row: The Third, and LG says there will be exclusive 3D games which will work with the 3D glasses provided with select TVs.
Whereas Samsung’s offering will use wired controllers, LG says OnLive games will work with wireless controllers. You’ll also get 30 minutes to trial a game for free before you decide whether to rent or buy it.
LG demonstrated the new games streaming service at E3 on its G2 Google TV, which will be the first and only device to feature OnLive, for now at least.
Will this type of thing takeover from the humble games console, or is it just another gimmick?
Let us know your thoughts on our comments below or via our @Gadget_Helpline Twitter page or Official Facebook group.
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