Sony Computer Entertainment Acquires Gaikai For $380 Million

Sony Computer Entertainment has agreed to acquire online gaming start-up Gaikai for about $380 million dollars. Gaikai is a cloud-based gaming platform. This gives the ability for users to play high-quality games on their desktop computers, tablet devices and televisions. Onlive is another retailer in this space. The interesting question that this acquisition brings up is what does it all mean for the future of Sony's gaming direction? Gaikai has really pushed cloud gaming and is making console-style games available over the internet much easier and more affordable. This means that gamers do not have to buy a console. In June, Gaikai announced it would be providing streaming games to Samsung€™s Smart TVs without requiring any additional hardware. CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, Andrew House had this to say about the acquisition:

By combining Gaikai€™s resources including its technological strength and engineering talent with SCE€™s extensive game platform knowledge and experience, SCE will provide users with unparalleled cloud entertainment experiences, SCE will deliver a world-class cloud-streaming service that allows users to instantly enjoy a broad array of content ranging from immersive core games with rich graphics to casual content anytime, anywhere on a variety of internet-connected devices.

So again, what does this mean for the future of Sony? How will the PlayStation 4 incorporate cloud based gaming? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Source: Market Watch