Sony PlayStation 4 will indeed allow users to play games streamed in real time over the Internet, the Wall Street Journal now confirms, following weeks of speculation from "inside sources" on the Web. The new game console from Sony is set for release in Manhattan on Wednesday, Feb. 20.
"The streaming service, [the sources] added, is designed to use current PlayStation 3 titles on the new console; the new device is also expected to play new games stored on optical discs," said the Wall Street Journal.
The news rides on the coattails of Sony's purchasing cloud-based gaming service Gaikai last year for $380 million.
The decision to go with Gaikai, according to the WSJ, was based on its superiority over similar companies by way of offering "visually intense games" that typically necessitate unique circuitry found only on high-end computers or consoles.
"Cloud gaming makes games much more convenient," said Jen-Hsun Huang, chief executive of Nvidia Corp., a chip maker associated with Gaikai previous to its Sony sale. "It's instant-on and you can play it about anywhere on any device; it will make for a much larger gaming industry."
The WSJ determines that Internet streaming can nonetheless have its disadvantages for companies willing to give it a shot.
"On-Demand" gaming company OnLive, Inc., an erstwhile competior for Sony in its streaming model, ended up having to forego bankruptcy via selling itself due to the exorbitant costs of running such a service. This, after only two years in the business. The overwhelming costs include running numerous high-powered servers to handle all of the video games and to support various consumer devices.
"Streaming also runs against consumer habits in the videogame market," notes the WSJ.
In a market whose consumers have grown used to purchasing games on optical discs, it's unclear how Sony plans to start successfully blazing an alternative route.
Any information from Sony on how it plans to charge for game streaming is yet to come. Presumably, users will be prohibited from sharing games with friends or resell them to retailers, as is often the case with those using similar services.
The move may be a means of taking steps to meet competitors in the form of "simple games on smartphones and other devices," says CBS News.
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