The concept of cloud gaming is a familiar notion in the tech industry. Thanks to the big names such as Gaikai and OnLive, millions of users have had an opportunity to learn about this form of entertainment and access their favorite games online. Being available via the web, cloud games don’t require users to have expensive hardware equipment and struggle with complicated installations, which is what made cloud gaming extremely popular nowadays.
Just like all the other cloud-based applications, online gaming is also a field that grows rapidly. Different cloud vendors have recognized the possibility of investing in this area, hence so many innovations in cloud gaming industry this year.
Nvidia GRID – gaming everywhere
Nvidia, one of the pioneers of the gaming industry, released new cloud-based gaming hardware called Nvidia GRID earlier this year, in an attempt to further improve their gaming services and, naturally, dig deeper in the cloud market. This new hardware enables streaming services to run on multiple platforms seamlessly, which is a way to enable access to extensive games anywhere. Nvidia’s latest computing appliance GRID K340 is powered by four Kepler GPUs and enables users to run as much as 24 streaming sessions from one board.
The video of NVIDIA CEO explaining the benefits of introducing cloud technology in the gaming market can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=J0Rm0OgbSlM
Following the trend of on-demand gaming development, Microsoft has decided to use the cloud platform to make Xbox Live experience even better for the users. Namely, Microsoft will make Xbox Live Cloud services available to game developers to provide them with computing resources they need to work on new games. Cloud platform is convenient for developers because it provides computing power from remote servers, making it affordable even to small companies. Cheap access to powerful computing resources can benefit Xbox One users and developers in various ways, enabling gaming experience to get better and better.
Play Station joins the run
Recognizing the benefits of cloud based everything, Sony has decided to join the cloud market and announced that their cloud gaming service will be launched in 2014. The new generation of Sony’s service will allow PS3, PS4 and Vita users to access the classic PS3 games online, which will be a true hit among the PlayStation lovers. The games will be streamed via the technology developed by Gaikai, a cloud gaming provider that was acquired by Sony last year.
Considering all these announcements, it’s quite clear where the future of gaming will be. With the help of the cloud platform, game developers will be able to work more on new solutions and end-users will definitively benefit from constant availability to their favorite games. Cloud, the technology trend of the century, is still growing, meaning that we can expect lots of new happenings in tech industry.
