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Sony has announced today that it will be raiding the piggy bank in order to buy out the cloud-based computer games company Gaikai, for a reported $380 million, or £240 million.
If you’ve not heard of Gaikai before then let us fill you in: their services allow you to play console-quality games in HD without the need for a console. Similarly to OnLive, Gaikai’s servers take on the strain rather than a home console, so all you need is a decent broadband connection and a HD TV or monitor to play on.
Gaikai’s games can also be played on smartphones and tablets, or on a PC or laptop. Sony makes all of these types of products, so we’re already guessing where they might be looking to use their acquisition. Sony’s Tablet P and Tablet S already have PlayStation certification for playing original PlayStation titles, but how awesome would it be if they could play titles closer to PS3 quality?
Another avenue is obviously the PlayStation – Sony may be looking to implement cloud-based games streaming into the current PS3, or perhaps it’s saving it for the next console, which is rumoured to be announced next year.
By combining Gaikai’s resources including its technological strength and engineering talent with SCE’s extensive game platform knowledge and experience, SCE will provide users with unparalleled cloud entertainment experiences,” said Andrew House, President and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment about the buyout.
“SCE will deliver a world-class cloud-streaming service that allows users to instantly enjoy a broad array of content ranging from immersive core games with rich graphics to casual content anytime, anywhere on a variety of internet-connected devices.”
Rival Samsung recently announced it would be bringing Gaikai’s cloud gaming to its flagship Smart TVs, so we’re interested to see whether Samsung will be able to go ahead with such a service, or if Sony will put the ban hammer on their plans and use them on their own tellys.
We’re very excited to see what Sony has planned in terms of cloud gaming, what do you think they could or should cook up?
Let us know your thoughts on our comments below or via our @Gadget_Helpline Twitter page or Official Facebook group.
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