Monday, May 27, 2013

G-cluster. a device for cloud gaming

A new game platform will launch in the next month.

G-cluster, a cloud gaming machine, will start to be sold on June 20th. You can buy a set of a main machine and a controller with $140, unfortunately the service will be available only in Japan.

The main machine of G-cluster does not calculate any code of the program to run a computer game. It only sends the data via Wi-Fi to a cloud server in the data center. The server sends back the data to your TV monitor. So you can play the games as if you possess a gaming machine with a speedy CPU.

This kind of system has been widely used already. For example, Siri, a digital secretary attached in iPhones send the voice of yours to cloud to be analyzed and answer your request.

Cloud programming has some advantages. Cost for introduction is quite low for customers. The G - cluster machine has only 45g. You can attach it to the back of your TV. Software providers also have merit. Streaming is hardly to be tracked. Therefore the risk of spreading of an illegal copy of software is low. If a critical problem occurred, the provider only has to stop the streaming, not have to collect the devices of the software.

Of course, the speed of communication can be a bottom neck. The other day, the speed of communication with line of telephone or ISDN was not so high. So, there were only some light games in the internet cloud. Nowadays, we can watch a high resolution movie at home. And internet gaming is also approaching.

The lineup of G-cluster includes Assassin's Creed II, Ys I & II Chronicles and some popular title. We can enjoy them even now.

Consumer games with TV are supported strongly by some lovers. I am one of them.
Recently, OUYA, a new kind of game console was developed supported by cloud funding.
Nintendo’s Family Computer (Nintendo Entertainment System) was a so called “Soul Hobby” among our generation.

So, I pray the success of G-cluster. However, I am afraid that it is a little difficult.
The market of computer games is now a red ocean. Even Nintendo and Sony Computer Entertainment are suffering. Moreover, internet shopping with a Credit Card is not so common among Japanese adolescents, though an internet account with a Credit Card is needed to use G-cluster. It is unclear whether G-cluster will break in Japan.

No comments:

Post a Comment