Comments on: Gaikai Cloud Service for Games: Bringing Virtual Worlds to a Site Near You? http://dusanwriter.com/index.php/2010/10/09/gaikai-cloud-service-for-games-bringing-virtual-worlds-to-a-site-near-you/ Virtual worlds and creativity, business, collaboration, and identity. Sun, 02 Jan 2011 21:40:02 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Graham Mills http://dusanwriter.com/index.php/2010/10/09/gaikai-cloud-service-for-games-bringing-virtual-worlds-to-a-site-near-you/comment-page-1/#comment-242503 Graham Mills Sat, 27 Nov 2010 11:49:14 +0000 http://dusanwriter.com/?p=2604#comment-242503 ... and there was me thinking this was another example of your being psychic and you had to ruin it with "...Besides which, with the Lab supposedly on the ropes (at least according to the thin slice of the user population who’s on Twitter) it’s unlikely that this is in the cards for the near future." … and there was me thinking this was another example of your being psychic and you had to ruin it with “…Besides which, with the Lab supposedly on the ropes (at least according to the thin slice of the user population who’s on Twitter) it’s unlikely that this is in the cards for the near future.”

]]> By: Ezra http://dusanwriter.com/index.php/2010/10/09/gaikai-cloud-service-for-games-bringing-virtual-worlds-to-a-site-near-you/comment-page-1/#comment-232416 Ezra Sat, 09 Oct 2010 16:58:11 +0000 http://dusanwriter.com/?p=2604#comment-232416 Some other interesting things in this post is about how Linden Lab will clear the hurdle of how things will change if they move to server-side rendering in regards to how assets are served. Like you pointed out, assets are either already on the hard drive or need to be downloaded in real time. This seems like a problem for Linden Lab because they opted for the latter model, which is the way the HTML-driven web works. But...aren't we already caching and loading unchanged content from disk anyway? It seems like its feasible to imagine Linden Lab could rather easily build a central cache and access all content locally before streaming it out over whatever in-browser client they end up using. Pretty much one cache for everybody, assuming the cloud rendering solution could depend on one storage. Who knows, but what kind of seems like a hurdle might end up an advantage. Linden Lab has figured out how to take COLLADA file uploads and push them to the grid live. Even with Blue Mars cloud rendered, I don't think they're going to change the architecture so that buildings could be dropped in live. Some other interesting things in this post is about how Linden Lab will clear the hurdle of how things will change if they move to server-side rendering in regards to how assets are served.

Like you pointed out, assets are either already on the hard drive or need to be downloaded in real time. This seems like a problem for Linden Lab because they opted for the latter model, which is the way the HTML-driven web works.

But…aren’t we already caching and loading unchanged content from disk anyway? It seems like its feasible to imagine Linden Lab could rather easily build a central cache and access all content locally before streaming it out over whatever in-browser client they end up using. Pretty much one cache for everybody, assuming the cloud rendering solution could depend on one storage.

Who knows, but what kind of seems like a hurdle might end up an advantage. Linden Lab has figured out how to take COLLADA file uploads and push them to the grid live. Even with Blue Mars cloud rendered, I don’t think they’re going to change the architecture so that buildings could be dropped in live.

]]> By: Elrik Merlin http://dusanwriter.com/index.php/2010/10/09/gaikai-cloud-service-for-games-bringing-virtual-worlds-to-a-site-near-you/comment-page-1/#comment-232409 Elrik Merlin Sat, 09 Oct 2010 16:22:36 +0000 http://dusanwriter.com/?p=2604#comment-232409 I've been strongly of the opinion that cloud rendering is the future of virtual worlds for many people. I've heard criticism of the idea, but generally from people who don't seem to get it. I think cloud rendering is an exceptionally exciting prospect. Personally, I would be surprised if Gaikai's business model was appropriate for Second Life; but Otoy's approach definitely would be, and as far as I can see, OnLive would work too. I’ve been strongly of the opinion that cloud rendering is the future of virtual worlds for many people. I’ve heard criticism of the idea, but generally from people who don’t seem to get it. I think cloud rendering is an exceptionally exciting prospect.

Personally, I would be surprised if Gaikai’s business model was appropriate for Second Life; but Otoy’s approach definitely would be, and as far as I can see, OnLive would work too.

]]> By: Dusan http://dusanwriter.com/index.php/2010/10/09/gaikai-cloud-service-for-games-bringing-virtual-worlds-to-a-site-near-you/comment-page-1/#comment-232396 Dusan Sat, 09 Oct 2010 15:34:43 +0000 http://dusanwriter.com/?p=2604#comment-232396 Ezra - if anyone knows streaming it's Philip. I thought the same thing and was going to have a whole "buy, rent or build" section of the post. I think Gaikai is a lot of fanciful thinking on my end but I actually thought it was an intriguing thought experiment. I wish I understood Otoy more because I'd love to do a 'thought experiment' on that too :) Ezra – if anyone knows streaming it’s Philip. I thought the same thing and was going to have a whole “buy, rent or build” section of the post.

I think Gaikai is a lot of fanciful thinking on my end but I actually thought it was an intriguing thought experiment. I wish I understood Otoy more because I’d love to do a ‘thought experiment’ on that too :)

]]> By: Ezra http://dusanwriter.com/index.php/2010/10/09/gaikai-cloud-service-for-games-bringing-virtual-worlds-to-a-site-near-you/comment-page-1/#comment-232387 Ezra Sat, 09 Oct 2010 14:58:54 +0000 http://dusanwriter.com/?p=2604#comment-232387 A lot of things you're missing about Gaikai I think, mainly that its not positioned or purposed at all to be anything other than a try before you buy advertisement platform. That much is explained in the FAQ, along with the fact that companies like Linden Lab would have to pay per minute of streamed content. So, 60,000 concurrent users for example, and lets hypothetically assume the rate is 1 penny a minute (which is used as the example in the FAQ), that'd be Linden Lab shelling out 600 dollars a minute to Gaikai. Its essentially just a clever lead generation platform that swapped out clicks and impressions for trial gameplay minutes, it doesn't really fit the bill at all of anything resembling a gateway into Second Life. It'd work for WoW because a WoW trial could lead to a box sale. More than likely it's only going to work for and be used in the exact same scenarios current ads are used: around launch dates and other promotions with clear ROI. More than likely Linden Lab will roll their own service rather than use a middleman like Gaikai which isn't really built for them. Otoy is allied with both Intel and AMD, and I don't think it really has a competitor in terms of a company that offers just software for someone like Linden Lab to roll their own solutions. A lot of things you’re missing about Gaikai I think, mainly that its not positioned or purposed at all to be anything other than a try before you buy advertisement platform. That much is explained in the FAQ, along with the fact that companies like Linden Lab would have to pay per minute of streamed content.

So, 60,000 concurrent users for example, and lets hypothetically assume the rate is 1 penny a minute (which is used as the example in the FAQ), that’d be Linden Lab shelling out 600 dollars a minute to Gaikai.

Its essentially just a clever lead generation platform that swapped out clicks and impressions for trial gameplay minutes, it doesn’t really fit the bill at all of anything resembling a gateway into Second Life. It’d work for WoW because a WoW trial could lead to a box sale. More than likely it’s only going to work for and be used in the exact same scenarios current ads are used: around launch dates and other promotions with clear ROI.

More than likely Linden Lab will roll their own service rather than use a middleman like Gaikai which isn’t really built for them. Otoy is allied with both Intel and AMD, and I don’t think it really has a competitor in terms of a company that offers just software for someone like Linden Lab to roll their own solutions.

]]> By: Tweets that mention Dusan Writer’s Metaverse » Gaikai Cloud Service for Games: Bringing Virtual Worlds to a Site Near You? -- Topsy.com http://dusanwriter.com/index.php/2010/10/09/gaikai-cloud-service-for-games-bringing-virtual-worlds-to-a-site-near-you/comment-page-1/#comment-232313 Tweets that mention Dusan Writer’s Metaverse » Gaikai Cloud Service for Games: Bringing Virtual Worlds to a Site Near You? -- Topsy.com Sat, 09 Oct 2010 06:54:02 +0000 http://dusanwriter.com/?p=2604#comment-232313 [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Dusan Writer, Doubledown Tandino and SecondBot, WildWestProperties. WildWestProperties said: RT @Dusanwriter: Posted Gaikai Cloud Service for Games: Bringing Virtual Worlds to a Site Near You?: While OnLive and Otoy are the ... http://bit.ly/aZVfEh [...] [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Dusan Writer, Doubledown Tandino and SecondBot, WildWestProperties. WildWestProperties said: RT @Dusanwriter: Posted Gaikai Cloud Service for Games: Bringing Virtual Worlds to a Site Near You?: While OnLive and Otoy are the … http://bit.ly/aZVfEh [...]

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