Sony to buy cloud gaming service Gaikai for $380 million

Putting an end to weeks of speculation, Sony today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement toacquire cloud gaming company Gaikai, in an all-shares deal valued at approximately $380 million — below the $500 million quoted in rumors last week. It’s not yet clear how and when Gaikai’s technology will be implemented by Sony, but two obvious candidates are the firm’s TVs and PlayStation console.

For those unfamiliar, Gaikai allows subscribers to play graphically intensive games on weak hardware, much like OnLive does. The service processes games on remote servers and pumps the visuals to you. Since launching in February 2011, Gaikai has largely been used to stream demos so customers can actually try games for free at the point-of-sale before buying, but the platform could run full games as well.

The move could in theory allow PlayStation 3 hardware to run all sort of games and extend the console’s life. Sony is largely expected to announce a PS3 successor next year, however, so it is possible that a new streaming games service from Sony wouldn’t be revealed until then.

Besides giving gamers easy access to new titles, Gaikai’s technology could also allow for seamless backwards compatibility, which in turn could help reduce the costs and ease development of the next PlayStation console, and enable cross-platform multiplayer connectivity with the Vita.

Commenting on the purchase, Sony Computer Entertainment president Andrew House said, "By combining Gaikai's resources 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."

It will be interesting to see if Microsoft feels pressured enough to make a move for rival service OnLive.

Far Cry 3 delayed three months, U.S. release is December 4

Although previously scheduled for a September 4 release, Ubisoft has announced it will delay Far Cry 3's launch date by three months. The official North American release date for the first person shooter on all platforms, including PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, is now December 4, 2012. Ubisoft states that the game will land on shelves November 29 for Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Earlier this year, a Far Cry 3 trailer was leaked, ultimately making its way to YouTube. The video claimed a September 6 release date.

Additionally, a couple months ago, we also saw a five minute video which highlighted some of the multiplayer aspects of Far Cry 3. The footage originated from a pre-alpha build.

Based on the multi-player video demo, fellow news contributor Shawn Knight pointed out some of the similarities between Far Cry 3 and Battlefield or Call of Duty, namely experience points, levels, kill-cam and carpet-bombing air support.

Although FC3 definitely borrows some elements from other modern shooters, there were some unique aspects as well. Check out the multi-player video for yourself here. Multiplayer is also expected to feature a 4-player co-op mode, seemingly not unlike what Left 4 Dead offers.

Far Cry 3 E3 2011 Gameplay Demo -- Warning: NSFW - strong language and violence

Far Cry 3 will be based on Ubisoft's Dunia 2 game engine, the successor to Far Cry 2's original engine by the same name. Little is known about Dunia 2, but certain elements from Dunia have made it into other games, like Assassin's Creed II. Currently, Avatar (the game) is the only title based on Dunia other than Far Cry 2 itself. Assassin's Creed II uses its own "Anvil" game engine, however developers borrowed Dunia's excellent foliage and vegetation algorithms.

Two New Xbox 360 Accessories Announced

Microsoft has announced that it will be releasing two new products to it’s line of Xbox accessories. The Xbox 360 Wireless Headset with Bluetooth and the Xbox 360 Media Remote.

Similar to the Playstation 3′s Bluetooth headset, the Xbox 360 Wireless Headset w/ Bluetooth will allow you to chat over your Xbox or on the phone wirelessly, however, unlike the Playstation’s Bluetooth headset, the key feature in Xbox’s new Headset is it’s ability to be connected to your phone and your Xbox at the same time, taking multi-tasking to a new level. From the product description;

“With this all-in-one device, gamers can go from chatting with their friends on Xbox LIVE to talking on a Bluetooth® enabled mobile phone without changing headsets. The device is compatible with Bluetooth® devices such as mobile phones and PCs in addition to being able to connect to Xbox 360 through the console’s standard radio frequencies.”

To do this is a simple flick of a switch which will change the headset mode from Xbox to Bluetooth without having to disconnect from the device to switch over. The headset comes with a wide range of features as well, including Bluetooth 3.0 and Noise Cancellation. The battery is said to last up to 8 hours in-use or 300 hours on standby in a single charge.

The look of the device makes my old wireless headset look clunky, the new headset comes in a sleek black with the ‘Xbox 360′ logo on it making it look like the new Xbox 360 Elites.

The device goes on sale this November for $59.99
The new Xbox 360 Media Remote is also a re-design of an older accessory. The Media Remote is a new and more useful take on the older Xbox Media Center Remote. What makes this remote an upgrade is the new ability to use the remote to control both your TV and your Xbox. The device will be supported by Hulu Plus, Netflix and ESPN as well as other Xbox Live programs.

Media playback controls include play/pause, skip forward, fast forward, skip back, fast back, and display to control DVD, CD, or streamed media. The TV controls include power on/off, volume up/down, mute and TV input. The Media Remote’s menu navigation controls include A, B, X, Y buttons, D-pad navigation, back and select. Live TV, if provided on the Xbox 360 by your TV service provider, can also be controlled with the Xbox 360 Media Remote.

The remote looks much like the headset in that it comes in slick black similar to the Xbox Elite look, however, I do not know if the buttons will light up like the old Media Center Remote did.

The Device will also be on sale this November for $19.99

14 Year Old Call of Duty Hacker Hired by Microsoft

These are the kinds of things dreams are made of, a 14 year old hacker on Call of Duty was just recruited by Microsoft. You heard me right, Microsoft.

It seems now days that instead of going to college, one can just hack into a website or service and get recruited by some big name company like Microsoft. The 14 year old from Dublin, Ireland had broken into the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 servers last month and started a phishing scam to get user information. Microsoft had initially thought the attack was a part of the same attack against the PlayStation Network and issued an alert. Word of the collaboration between Microsoft and the 14 year old came straight from Microsoft:

Paul Rellis delivered his key note address during Bank of Ireland Business Week. Rellis revealed that Microsoft planned to work with the Dublin teenager to develop his talent for legitimate purposes.

His name was not revealed, however I am sure it will turn up soon. What do you think? Should Microsoft be working with this kid?