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From an "ecosystem" perspective, Sony has pretty much every angle covered thanks to the evolution of PlayStation Suite into the Mobile version and the eventual arrival of what will probably become PlayStation Unlimited, thanks to its purchase of Gaikai.
It can sell games to PS3, and then PS4, owners directly with the latest in core titles. It can stream a huge back catalogue of Sony and PlayStation partner games via Gaikai to almost any device, and it can compete with the smartphone generation using PlayStation Mobile, assuming that sees any degree of take-up.
In a couple of strokes it can offer a lucrative subscription service, cheap games and full-price high-profile titles across the gaming landscape, appealing to core, casual and upcoming gamers in several ways.
Of course, there is plenty of time for Sony to bugger this spectacularly. PS Suite/Mobile has had a tortuous gestation and might not get much action from developers, the Gaikai-based service could be some half-arsed, low-content, drip-feed deal that no one will want or like.
But, if Sony does manage to cover all bases, it could see a beneficial rise in income across the PlayStation brand on whatever new homes it finds for these games. Here's a pic from the Taiwan GDC event, showing what Sony can sell on with Mobile, and there's no reason why it can't do the same with Gaikai.
Just pray Sony doesn't try to keep this within its own hardware platforms, otherwise Sony could easily slip into irrelevance like Palm and BlackBerry, while Sega and Atari lost their hardware status to such blinkered visions, as endless other tech names have, all clinging on to dwindling brand-loyalty to the bitter end.
It can sell games to PS3, and then PS4, owners directly with the latest in core titles. It can stream a huge back catalogue of Sony and PlayStation partner games via Gaikai to almost any device, and it can compete with the smartphone generation using PlayStation Mobile, assuming that sees any degree of take-up.
In a couple of strokes it can offer a lucrative subscription service, cheap games and full-price high-profile titles across the gaming landscape, appealing to core, casual and upcoming gamers in several ways.
Of course, there is plenty of time for Sony to bugger this spectacularly. PS Suite/Mobile has had a tortuous gestation and might not get much action from developers, the Gaikai-based service could be some half-arsed, low-content, drip-feed deal that no one will want or like.
But, if Sony does manage to cover all bases, it could see a beneficial rise in income across the PlayStation brand on whatever new homes it finds for these games. Here's a pic from the Taiwan GDC event, showing what Sony can sell on with Mobile, and there's no reason why it can't do the same with Gaikai.
Just pray Sony doesn't try to keep this within its own hardware platforms, otherwise Sony could easily slip into irrelevance like Palm and BlackBerry, while Sega and Atari lost their hardware status to such blinkered visions, as endless other tech names have, all clinging on to dwindling brand-loyalty to the bitter end.
Currently playing on my Vita/PS4/PS5
