WoW Streamed to iPad Via Gaikai

John Funk

U.N. Owen Was Him?
Dec 20, 2005
20,364
0
0
WoW Streamed to iPad Via Gaikai



The World of Warcraft [http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_ipad/family/ipad] - as long as you're using cloud gaming service Gaikai, anyway.

Part of the appeal of server-side gaming services like Gaikai is that it theoretically lets you play even graphically demanding games on whatever device you want, as long as the device is connected to the internet and can play streaming video. This, by the way, includes Apple's iPad tablet.

The image you see here was posted on the personal blog of David "Chesty McShirt [http://cdn.themis-media.com/media/global/images/galleries/display/55/55570.jpg]" Perry, demonstrating on just how many different devices he and the Gaikai team had been testing their service. I don't know how you'd play World of Warcraft on the iPad, but the game runs - or the login screen runs, anyway. Let's see how it handles Dalaran at peak hours or fighting Heroic-mode Professor Putricide before we start crowing our triumphs, eh?

In all seriousness, the fact that Gaikai works on the iPad is actually very interesting. Apple's notorious closed system means that only games built from the ground up for the iPad (or its iPhone and iPod Touch brethren) are playable; services like Gaikai could almost completely circumvent that.

For that matter, Gaikai could be a huge blessing for Mac gamers who, up until now, have had to either deal with the meager games that developers see fit to port to the Mac (though considering that the list includes Blizzard and now Valve, you could do a lot worse), or boot up in Windows just to get their fix. Clearly, Gaikai works on Apple platforms, so this means that Mac owners can theoretically play any PC game, whether it's developed for their OS or not.

Come on - isn't Mass Effect 2 worth a little bit of input lag?

(Joystiq [http://www.dperry.com/archives/news/dp_blog/wow_streamed_to/])

Permalink
 

hansari

New member
May 31, 2009
1,256
0
0
WoW isn't exactly graphic intensive...

I mean these guys should put there money where the mouth is and stream Crysis 2 over an iPad...then the entire gaming community would shutup and bow before them...

Well...assuming that it would work ;)
 

Sevre

Old Hands
Apr 6, 2009
4,886
0
0
hansari said:
WoW isn't exactly graphic intensive...
Yeah I know but I think they chose WoW because it's the only well known game a Mac can run :)
 

Abedeus

New member
Sep 14, 2008
7,412
0
0
That's cool. Now try playing ME2 with your fingers, with no buttons or no way to aim.
 

DazZ.

Elite Member
Jun 4, 2009
5,542
0
41
hansari said:
WoW isn't exactly graphic intensive...
Graphics don't mean anything because it's only playing the video stream of the game, the graphics are rendered on other hardware.

If the control scheme works and it's not got major input lag this could be awesome.
 

AfterAscon

Tilting at WHARRGARBL
Nov 29, 2007
474
0
0
hansari said:
WoW isn't exactly graphic intensive...

I mean these guys should put there money where the mouth is and stream Crysis 2 over an iPad...then the entire gaming community would shutup and bow before them...

Well...assuming that it would work ;)
As pointed in the article, in theory, it can.

Does WoW actually work on the iPad? I mean other than streaming the login, because I don't see how they be able to input login details. In reality I doubt any PC or console game would be actually playable, the controls would be too fiddely, especially WoW.
 

Jared

The British Paladin
Jul 14, 2009
5,630
0
0
Well, certainly something...gos to show the iPad does have some versitility with it!

Shame you wouldnt be able to play it
 

Murmur95

New member
Sep 18, 2008
67
0
0
I think they are missing the point...instead of spending the money of buying a laptop that can actually play these games they are going to spend a lot on this service and then you are going to be eating up your bandwidth trying to connect to it.

The Ipad is priced around $500 and for a few hundred more you can get a pretty decient gaming laptop or a gaming desktop.

The way the ISPs have been changing around where I live people will eat into their bandwidth cap quickly and they will charge you an arm and a leg for more.
 

Delusibeta

Reachin' out...
Mar 7, 2010
2,594
0
0
addeB said:
Gaikai sounds a lot like on Live.
It basically is, except they haven't announced that you're going to pay and arm and a leg just to play the games you've bought. Yet.
 

RheynbowDash

New member
Jan 26, 2009
1,386
0
0
I've said it before, I'll say it again:

*ahem*

GAMERS ARE THE GREATEST PEOPLE ON THE FUCKING PLANET.
 

soapyshooter

That Guy
Jan 19, 2010
1,571
0
0
Mass Effect 2 on the iPad? How the hell would that even work? Running and aiming? with no buttons. I hate the touch analogues they have on iphone games.
 

USSR

Probably your average communist.
Oct 4, 2008
2,367
0
0
I'm sure they'd release a iKeyboard for this Tampod, if one isn't already out..

Seams like the only reason I'd buy one.

..Oh wait. I have a laptop.
 

Kajt

New member
Feb 20, 2009
4,067
0
0
If they get World of Warcraft playable on the iPad, I'm getting it.
 

Jandau

Smug Platypus
Dec 19, 2008
5,034
0
0
Playing WoW on an iPad? Not as impossible as you might think! The game can 100% be played by mouse alone already, which means a simple touch-screen interface would work just as well. You can easily activate all your abilities on the various quickbars, it would be even easier than clicking them. Movement could be handled with a point'n'click method (I think WoW already has it, but I'm not 100% sure), or a simple set of touch buttons for navigation.

Sure, it wouldn't be the optimal PvP setup, but you could likely quest, farm and do regular instances (and perhaps some less intense raids) with it. However, since it's streamed I doubt you could get your addons and plugins to work with it... ;)
 

zombie711

New member
Aug 17, 2009
1,505
0
0
is it possible to downgrade a games graphics and use Gaikai to play it on the ipad
 

Hobo Joe

New member
Aug 4, 2009
550
0
0
Why would WoW players want to play WoW on the move if they have WoW at home? This streaming thing sounds...very good though.