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It’s long been rumored that Sony has been in talks with either Gaikai or Onlive in the hopes of bringing some sort of streaming service to the PlayStation 3. Today, Gamesindustry.biz is reporting that such a deal is indeed in the works, and that Sony is teaming with Gaikai to deliver a cloud gaming service that will allow past PS1 and PS2 games to be played on current hardware. Sources are reporting that the service will allow for first-party games to be offered right away, with third-party publishers being given the opportunity to sell their past titles to players as well. While nothing has been confirmed, the report mentions that Sony may not be bringing this service solely to PS3, as they may also try to include it on their own TVs and tablets. Vita functionality, while probably a long shot, cannot be counted out too. 
Backwards compatibility has notoriously been an albatross for Sony during this console generation. Original PS3 models included the functionality, only to see it dropped in later models to many a fan’s dismay. Recently, classic PlayStation and PlayStation 2 titles have been offered in the PlayStation Store, but the Gaikai deal, if true, may provide a much more convenient way for the gaming giant to resolve this issue. If nothing else, there should be a market for the titles, if the recent influx of classic HD collections has taught us anything. An official announcement is expected to be made during Sony’s E3 press conference next week. By Jeff Dunn |