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WSJ: Facebook Moves Into Cloud Gaming

Jose92

[Membe
Facebook Inc. FB 2.40% has become the latest tech heavyweight betting that the future of videogaming is in the cloud.

The social-media company is adding Netflix-like streaming of games to its Facebook Gaming platform at no cost to players, a move expanding its content library to include more-complex and multiplayer titles. Its free-to-play model is in contrast to the paid, subscription cloud-gaming services that rivals such as Alphabet Inc.’s GOOG 1.59% Google and Microsoft Corp. MSFT 0.62% have introduced.

Six games including auto-racing title “Asphalt 9: Legends” will be available for users to play in some parts of the U.S. on Facebook’s Android app and desktop website, the company said Monday. Facebook plans to add more cloud games and expand geographic access to them over time.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-moves-into-cloud-gaming-11603713612

It seems like all tech companies and their grandma are dipping their toes in cloud gaming these days.

Edit:
Also Jason Rubin has joined Facebook Cloud Gaming as VP.

He was co-founder of Naughty Dogs, and the president of THQ before they went down.

 
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FunkMiller

Gold Member
Next next gen consoles: AWS and Azure servers

Yep.

Both Microsoft and now Facebook can see Amazon coming over the hill like a big yellow tank with free one day shipping, and are trying to consolidate their positions as much as they can before the streaming wars begin. Which they will lose, because AWS.
 
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Yep.

Both Microsoft and now Facebook can see Amazon coming over the hill like a big yellow tank with free one day shipping, and are trying to consolidate their positions as much as they can before the streaming wars begin. Which they will lose, because AWS.
Facebook use AWS. So do Apple, Netflix and a shit load of other big name streaming brands.

For MS to compete, they need more services on their Azure servers (signing Sony was a good call) otherwise AWS will own everything and regardless of streaming 'platform', Amazon will pocket huge cash by default.

My tinfoil hat tells me that the Epic/Apple lawsuit, is actually MS/Amazon war in disguise.
 

FunkMiller

Gold Member
Facebook use AWS. So do Apple, Netflix and a shit load of other big name streaming brands.

For MS to compete, they need more services on their Azure servers (signing Sony was a good call) otherwise AWS will own everything and regardless of streaming 'platform', Amazon will pocket huge cash by default.

My tinfoil hat tells me that the Epic/Apple lawsuit, is actually MS/Amazon war in disguise.

Yeah, I guess my point is that in any upcoming cloud gaming battle, Amazon automatically enter as the strong favourites because of AWS. Not to mention their horrifically efficient ability to sell their own products to consumers across the world. They'll happily fuck Facebook (or climb into bed with them) if they see that Zuck and his pals are doing well. That's more likely than a close association with Apple, given how Apple clubbed together with the publishing companies years ago to try and royally fuck Amazon's ebook market over (they failed dismally).

I would not want to bet against Luna, even with Microsoft's head start in the gaming industry.

And one would imagine Sony is rather regretting its decision to not sign a deal with Amazon to use AWS. I honestly don't know where they stand if cloud streaming becomes much bigger. It was a poor business decision, and one I think they're going to very much regret long term.
 
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AJUMP23

Gold Member
After seeing how they have handled the occulus I will say no thank you. I was considering the Occulus 2 but there is no way after reading the horror stories of people getting locked out of their content. I hope Facebook ends. It has made society fundamentally worse.
 
Yeah, I guess my point is that in any upcoming cloud gaming battle, Amazon automatically enter as the strong favourites because of AWS. Not to mention their horrifically efficient ability to sell their own products to consumers across the world. They'll happily fuck Facebook (or climb into bed with them) if they see that Zuck and his pals are doing well. That's more likely than a close association with Apple, given how Apple clubbed together with the publishing companies years ago to try and royally fuck Amazon's ebook market over (they failed dismally).
Well, Amazon will be able to earn from other streaming services, that's for sure but they won't fuck Facebook - it is a really bad business practice and they will lose a lot - so they will never do that.

What about books?
 
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ultrazilla

Member
https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-moves-into-cloud-gaming-11603713612

It seems like all tech companies and their grandma are dipping their toes in cloud gaming these days.

Edit:
Also Jason Rubin has joined Facebook Cloud Gaming as VP.

He was co-founder of Naughty Dogs, and the president of THQ before they went down.



Can't wait to play Life of Black Tiger 2: No controllers, no coding required!

kxadufcnikvwew7iom8m.gif
 

CrysisFreak

Banned
The Free aspect is interesting. I wonder how much dev support they will get?
Facebook is as always doing it out of the goodness of their heart, the highest privacy standards, responsible advertisements and a new industry benchmark in business ethics.
Buy Facebook stock now to be part of the revolution.
 
Yeah, I guess my point is that in any upcoming cloud gaming battle, Amazon automatically enter as the strong favourites because of AWS. Not to mention their horrifically efficient ability to sell their own products to consumers across the world. They'll happily fuck Facebook (or climb into bed with them) if they see that Zuck and his pals are doing well. That's more likely than a close association with Apple, given how Apple clubbed together with the publishing companies years ago to try and royally fuck Amazon's ebook market over (they failed dismally).

I would not want to bet against Luna, even with Microsoft's head start in the gaming industry.

And one would imagine Sony is rather regretting its decision to not sign a deal with Amazon to use AWS. I honestly don't know where they stand if cloud streaming becomes much bigger. It was a poor business decision, and one I think they're going to very much regret long term.
AWS gives Amazon the justification to copy what Microsoft is doing; Offer a suite of subscription based titles, including streaming media, to make the 'firestick' the 'console' of the living room. Which is exactly the same as Microsofts' plan.

As Microsoft have learned, it's not all about money though. You need a good idea and a good passion for games, to make it in the game industry. A soulless cash grab is great short-term because you can bamboozle the casuals with flashes of promise and greatness. In the long-term, as Microsoft have found out, that will only last a short while.

Sony will be fine. They have cornered the market for 'hardcore' gamers, single-player cinematic games and cutting edge localised hardware. They have the studios and the pedigree to ensure consumers that they get quality, above all else. Say what you will about Sony, but they take risks and it pays off, for the most part. VR will pay off huge this gen.

OT: Facebook moving in to cloud gaming makes sense. VR will become the ultimate gaming console when it becomes wireless, portable and can have games streaming directly to it. Imagine being able to whip on a 'google-glass' style headset and play games for 30 minutes on your commute? That's where VR thrives; the mobility. Though this is at least 5 years away from becoming possible, another 5 years on top of that before it's commercially viable (cheap for the mass market)
 

longdi

Banned
Shit, i guess my Sony shares are doomed.

MS, Amazon, Facebook and Google. They probably makes up a third of the global stocks market.
Apple will probably join soon.

Sony is getting Nintendo'd by bigger fishes :messenger_weary:
 

Azelover

Titanic was called the Ship of Dreams, and it was. It really was.
Shit, i guess my Sony shares are doomed.

MS, Amazon, Facebook and Google. They probably makes up a third of the global stocks market.
Apple will probably join soon.

Sony is getting Nintendo'd by bigger fishes :messenger_weary:
Nintendo is doing remarkably well, so I don't understand what you mean.
 

Clear

CliffyB's Cock Holster
All based on the assumption that cloud gaming can't miss...

Hmmm... Getting a 1982 vibe from all this, with big players jumping on the bandwagon without really having the depth of product to back it up.
 

Bryank75

Banned
Nintendo had to shift gears and reinvent themselves.

Will Sony do the same? They seems more corporatey than N.
Consoles will always have an audience of a few hundred million.

With the others chasing cloud gaming and afraid to compete against PlayStation in console space.... Sony are fine where they are, they are the kings of their dominion. Not even the biggest company on the planet can dent their dominance.
 

THE DUCK

voted poster of the decade by bots
This is the smart way to launch at get players used to using a platform (looking at you Google and Amazon)
 

Quasicat

Member
I came really close to jumping into an Oculus Go when they were closing them out earlier this year, but hesitated when the announcement came that all new Oculus accounts ran through FaceBook. I really do not want anything to do with FaceBook.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
The Free aspect is interesting. I wonder how much dev support they will get?
Unless FB opens up the coffers, it'll likely be old games or microtrans heavy games.

For PS/Xbox with sub fees, at least Sony and MS get sub fees to help counter costs of providing games. If FB is going 100% free, they got to fund it somehow. And that'll be FB gaming ads, or relying on microtrans heavy games where the dev is willing to go free, and FB gets a cut.

Who knows. Sony and MS don't rely on ads. Maybe FB's model is so successful with users clicking through gaming ads on their profile, it's enough to fund free games.
 

Fbh

Member
It all seems to be F2P mobile games so far.

What's the target audience, people with PC's but no phones that want to play F2P mobile games with added latency?
 

wolffy71

Banned
The real issue that all these services are gonna create is consolidation of studios. Sony and MS, for the most part, competed for exclusives the last few gens.

Now add in facebook, amazon, and Google competing to sign up as much talent as they can. I think its easier to see a situation where each platform is gonna have titles yanked from their platform because some other company has bought that studio or the exclusivity.

Maybe it won't be a huge issue but could easily lead to a situation that is occurring on tv media. One where you need to subscribe to all these different services to get access to ur interests.

We've went from 4 platforms to 7 or 8 now. And half of them are hungry for content and have huge huge checkbooks.

We havent even seen apple yet really and its conceivable tencent could enter the concept. Its interesting to see where it goes.
 

longdi

Banned
Yep all these new entrants have bigger check books than Sony. I guess that's what Spencer meant by Sony no longer their competitor.

Imo Sony should just go third party, if they still want gaming revenue. Right now they need to sign up as many talents for their first party studios. Slowly move away selling consoles, let the big four/five take the risks to develop the hardware and servers. PlayStation may no longer exists as a console for our future generations
 

sincarra

Member
Oh no. Another tech giant is entering the cloud gaming market. I guess it’s time to get rid of my entire PlayStation and Nintendo physical collection.
 
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