Gaikai Goes Online to Battle OnLive Game Stream

Those who are looking at streaming gaming services such as OnLive as the alternative to running games locally (or in some cases, not being able to run them at all) will have another alternative in Gaikai, which launches its public beta today.

Gaikai differs from OnLive in several different ways, as it looks for other avenues to deliver the hardcore, full gaming experience. For example, Gaikai is working on delivering games on Facebook. Instead of simple casual games like Farmville, Gaikai is working on putting a game like Mass Effect 2 playable in a Facebook window – something that will be demonstrated at GDC.

EA is also contributing some other games to the service, such as FIFA 2011, Dead Space 2, Battlefield, Bulletstorm, among others.

Gaikai will be looking at embedding games into websites, perhaps making the gaming experience a bit like how YouTube works today.

It's an interesting concept that's just in its infancy, but we're excited at the possibilities that services such as Gaikai and OnLive open up.

Find the gameplay links at Dave Perry's announcement post.

Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam served as Tom's Hardware News Director during 2008-2014. He entered tech media in the late 90s and fondly remembers the days when an overclocked Celeron 300A and Voodoo2 SLI comprised a gaming rig with the ultimate street cred.
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  • rantoc
    "Gaikai differs from OnLive in several different ways, as it looks for other avenues to deliver the hardcore, full gaming experience."

    Fun that a game steaming service claim full gaming experience, how can it be full gaming experience?

    To my knowledge full gaming experience dont include the below!
    * Added latency by rendering (and usually compressing the videostream) on server rather than local?
    Usual reduced visuals due to compression compared to local rendering?
    Disconnected mid game in your single player game?

    So fun to hear the marketing words when they won't fool anyone but the novices/ignorant!

    The game stream services has its place when the target client can't handle anything more than the video stream and input but anyone who can afford a descent connection should be able to afford a descent computer.

    In the future, mabe... today - No!
    Reply
  • bv90andy
    Gaikai differs from OnLive in several different ways
    Reply
  • bv90andy
    Gaikai differs from OnLive in several different ways
    Reply
  • liveonc
    Damn lag! My ping was 9-11 playing OnLive & I'm NOT a gamer. Make it like a Lan-Party on an iPad & maybe drunken sailor won't be the only thing you can play on it...
    Reply
  • borisof007
    I don't see why this wouldn't work, just look at Quake live.
    Reply
  • back_by_demand
    Helpful but again, it will chew up your bandwidth.

    Even unmetered service have an acceptable use policy and with Mass Effect 2 I can see my acceptable use being destroyed.
    Reply
  • squallypie
    ok but why facebook lol. they could create a "gaming" facebook if they apply the concept and add a little social network feel into it.
    Reply
  • elcentral
    yaeh its a great idea to stream games like this but to get it to work great we all must rock on fiber network my friend got it and has 5-10 ping in CS and some more games and it wuld be easy for him to simply stream games of all cinds. but for me not so much
    Reply
  • elcentral
    yaeh its a great idea to stream games like this but to get it to work great we all must rock on fiber network my friend got it and has 5-10 ping in CS and some more games and it wuld be easy for him to simply stream games of all cinds. but for me not so much
    Reply
  • tacoslave
    awww man there goes the neighborhood. My streets are gonna be flooded with a whole lot of gaikai's.
    Reply