Looks like those industry rumors that some company was going with cloud gaming at E3 were true, although probably not what you expected…
by Viera Unoz
Sources have recently confirmed that industry giant Apple has teamed up with cloud gaming platform OnLive to deliver a new gaming service, code named: "Gala", which works with your broadband connection to deliver a digital gaming experience right to your television. The games are presented in flawless 1080p to your computer or TV using the MicroConsole TV adapter, and are seamlessly delivered with any 5 mbps connection, thanks to a new device called the "Gala Core", which allows for the massive streaming needed to take place. And best of all, you don’t have to shell out for an expensive console that will be obsolete in five to six years.
"This is going to be a really exciting generation for gamers" our source stated, "and is something that you just can’t experience from console based gaming. The Gala Core allows seamless delivery of games that graphically, have to be seen to be believed." One individual in particular was quoted as saying, "The visuals I’ve seen in one of the games underway from Epic Games utilizes Unreal Engine 4 on full capacity, and makes their Samaritan demo look like a joke by comparison. It’s truly only a step below Avatar. Characters, environments, animations… everything comes extremely close to this magnitude."
Sounds great, but what about software support? Well, so far Epic, Crytek, EA, Rockstar, Activision, Insomniac, Sega, Ubisoft, and almost a dozen other big names are already onboard for new, original games, as well as ports of their most popular titles. And best of all, game prices are "not expected to exceed current software prices."
Nothing is concrete as far as what to expect from controllers, but the iPad 3 (as well as its predecessors) will "definitely be a control option" giving the interface a "multitude of possibilities."
No word on what the service or Core will cost, but Gala is set to be officially announced early this summer, possibly at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo and launch sometime in 2013.
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