I think you forgot to mention one extremely important factor.

Everything on Gaikai systems is rendered in the cloud and you just need a device with a web browser capable of running flash.

That really opens the doors as to what devices you could run these MMO's on.

This shouldn't have problems running on any netbook so you could be running WoW on very low power weak devices without a problem as long as you have a fairly decent 1 to 2 megabit connection at your disposal.

What I'm really interested in is how well it all scales though.

Since they are running multiple copies on servers surely a faster connection means higher resolutions and more eye candy while less bandwidth means lower resolution and less eye candy.

Either way it all seems very ambitious with the way they are approaching it as opposed to OnLives more radical approach so we will have to see I guess.

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what I am curious about is what the average download per hour is for a service like this. Mainly because of so many ISP's slathering over caps and overages to boost profit and to put down broadband video as a competitor to traditional cable or telco TV. Some places up north in canada have stupid low caps like 5 gig and lower. That and there are so many under served areas in the US when it comes to broadband. A lot of people just don't think about the huge areas of dial up that are still out there.

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This actually sounds quite impressive and if used correctly could change the face of computing. Sure it has its problems, namely privacy of your accounts on said mmorpgs and games but that can be eliminated with legal contracts etc. Also, as long as this isn't a monopoly and the technology can be sold to different companies this could go a long way. Obviously it is in the early stages of use but I think this could be great for all those people tired of upgrading pc's or not being able to play graphic/processor intensive games on laptops.

Hell, come to think of it, with Iphone technology the way it is, I can see this working extremely well with the cell phones of today and tomorrow. Imagine playing WoW or Eve on your cell phone! See what I mean by the implications?

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I'm convinced that this will be the future of consumer media. Be it games, music, or movies (although, I hope not music because I like to feel like I own it). Whether Gaikai and OnLive actually deliver on this or are just the first steps down the cloud-computing-road is another question that will have to be answered.

To be honest, it did seem to me like EVE was running, in that video with a little bit of lag, but maybe that was just me.

Just about any settings would be better than the one's on which WoW currently runs on my laptop.

I'm not one of those nerds who knows how to build a computer and I certainly get no pleasure in spending money to upgrade graphics and whatnot every few years. So, streaming games is right up my lazy-nerd alley.

If this does prove to be the future of computer games and other media, then those download caps that the cable companies love to use will not be around for very long, thankfully. Money whores.

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I was impressed with the display of the MMOs in the demo, and IF the technology is feasible for large scale deployment (barring bandwidth caps, lag issues, etc), it will happen, because EA, Ubi, Activision, etc. will demand it. It will eliminate piracy for games produced by those companies, so they'll practically explode with glee.

If that happens, then MMOs would need to be on the bandwagon, if for no other reason then it would open the doors for subscribership through multiplatform availability. Not having to install multi-GB apps (or reinstall if you happen to have removed them), and especially one-patch-to-fix-them-all options is a Big Deal.

The ONLY downside (barring bandwidth caps, lag issues, etc), is that if you want to play a simple single player game (yes, they still exist) and you have no Internet connection...you're screwed. But since this site is all about MMOs, you'd be screwed NOW if you don't have a connection :D

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A key point in favor of Gaikai, assuming it executes on its promised features, is that to the user, it is just streaming flash video. This is as close to idiot proof tech as one is going to get. Even the idea of downloading a small plugin (as for OnLive) to play games is a turn off for the casual audience. But Gaikai? All you need to know is a website address, and you're done. That seems to me to be pretty compelling.

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This seems to clearly be targeted at the casual audience.

For me, I wouldn’t play WoW without full control over my interface, wtf, and screenshot folders. Basically I’m concerned with how personal settings and files are handled. Would we be allowed access to modify those?

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Personally I didn't go out and spend over a thousand on a new laptop so I could play games in a browser. Like Kelathos I would much prefer having control over things such as my addons and interface folder. I wonder how it will handle things such as changing a control scheme and such?

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I don't know how many times I have to say this.

This is DRM.

It sucks.

I want control of the entertainment products that I buy. I don't want to rent technology from these companies, I want to buy products and exercise the rights of ownership over said products.

Software as a service is the solution to a problem that, for consumers, doesn't exist.

All of you need to wake up, and stop enabling these people to be greedy.

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I'm very curious about mods as well. I can't see them allowing user-created mods for liability and testing reasons, which kinds sucks. However, I think this will be a great Gametap-like service for those that don't care about that stuff, or for those that want to game on the road on a crappy laptop as well as at home on their killer gaming rig.

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@june32nd:

You're the perfect consumer: naive and lazy, lol.

You're also an idiot if you think this is geared toward casuals, this is the business model the entire gaming industry is desperate to move towards because it takes power out of the hands of the consumer and generates more profit for less overhead (boxes/manuals).

All of this nonsense about computers being expensive and it being too costly to upgrade is just that: nonsense. Computers have never been cheaper. You can walk into Best Buy and pay $399 for a computer that will run just about any MMO on the current market.

If that's too much for you, then I'm sorry but you can't afford the gaming hobby, end of story. Find something else to do with your limited resources rather than demand that the hobby bow to the needs of the lowest common denominator. Frankly if you can't afford a couple hundred bucks to upgrade your computer on a yearly basis, you shouldn't be playing mmo's. You should be using your free time to improve your earning potential.

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First I'd like to address all of the people that want "complete control" over the software that they purchase. You'd better learn to write your own code and design your own projects because this will never, ever happen. You're never going to control the software that another company designs, markets, and maintains. What's more, is that you shouldn't have control over any of this.

Companies that design software are NOT doing so for any charitable reason. They do not want to help brighten the world. They are not trying to make the world a better place. They are trying to turn a profit. If you think for one second that they're not going to do anything and everything in their power to increase that profit you're sadly mistaken.

The reason that companies employ draconian DRM policies, and search for systems like these to control the distribution of their games is because of the gamers that don't exactly enjoy paying for the entertainment that they receive. Most often, people that are against DRM in software are the same people that get it for free illegally. If you do pay for the games that you're playing, what difference does it make to you if have complete control over the software? Are you going to reverse engineer it and resell it with a different skin to make a profit?

In regards to this particular software I beleive that it will be an amazing advancement in our current computing model. The cloud that we will all eventually work and play in is going to change our world. Already, at work I manage a billing system and technical support tools through a web browser. All I need to do my job is a web browser.

Another benefit of this technology is that it will eventually make gaming a much cheaper hobby. Forget the costs of hardware, that's negligible. Companies can reduce costs on production by designing a game for one platform instead of for Windows, Linux, and Mac. They will save money on packaging and delivery. They will generate more revenue because everyone that wants to play their game will pay for it.

My two cents.

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No.

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I think services like this are great for when/if you can not process applications/graphics on your own machine or while you aren't at your computer. I don't think this will ever replaces installing software on your own PC nor would I want it to(Mabey all Direct2Drive type downloads to rid the need of CD/DVDs but no further). For me I spend 98% of my time on my laptop which can barely play WoW on the lowest settings and my gaming PC back home could easily play Crysis on max settings. I would definitely pay extra(to a company like this) to have the ability to play with more than 12 FPS while I am away from my gaming PC.

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WoW on my pc that wont run games POS, That be great id be there! plz come true soon.

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why do the writers here keep calling free realms browser based? its not. it is launched by the browser, but it uses a stand-alone .exe .

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There's something to be said for services like OnLive if they work well, but there are downsides too. We noted our thoughts about the service in the past. Worth mentioning is that these services won't likely let users install custom UIs, and that's a big downside when it comes to MMOGs.

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