Sony is betting big on cloud gaming for this upcoming console generation. From Gaikai streaming to internet-enabled remote play of PS4 games, Sony is primed to set the PS4 apart from the competition by utilizing the PlayStation Vita. While the Tokyo company's mobile gaming sales haven't been setting the world on fire, a rumored PS4 and Vita bundle could completely change the game.
Last year, Sony purchased David Perry's Gaikai for $380 million. When the PS4 was announced back in February, Perry actually came out on stage, and laid out the plans for Gaikai integration going forward. While it's not going to completely revolutionize gaming as we know it, Gaikai has the potential to help make the generational transition a lot smoother this time around. Since the PS3 uses the screwball Cell architecture, it's a real hassle to port PS3 games directly to the Vita or PS4. With Gaikai, Sony has the potential to keep the whole back catalog in the cloud, and stream it to any internet-connected device.
One of the most exciting features launching alongside the PS4 is universal remote play. While the PS3 dabbled lightly with PSP and Vita remote play for a handful of titles, all PS4 games will work out of the box over local WiFi or the internet on the Vita. The possibility of pausing a PS4 game, and then finishing your session on your Vita while you wait at the doctor's office is something to actually get excited about.
In the past few years, Sony has done a respectable job of offering "cross buy" games for the Vita and PS3. For example, if you buy a game like Guacamelee on the Vita, you'll receive a copy of it on the PS3 as well. Even better, it comes with the ability to sync game saves. Provided that Sony keeps up the pace with this feature on the PS4, even customers with lackluster internet connections can take full advantage of both platforms without buying two versions of every game.
Even with all of these valuable additions, the PS Vita still starts at $249 -- that's a tough sell to many consumers who already plan on dropping $400 on a PS4 this year. What if the Vita came with the PS4, though? A recent rumor has surfaced claiming that Sony plans on shipping a PS4 and PS Vita bundle(Opens in a new window) before the end of the year for a surprising $500 asking price. If this rumor turns out to be true, this one-two punch from Japan could leave Microsoft's standard $500 Xbox One looking like highway robbery. Oddly enough, the Vita might be just what Sony needs to give the PS4 the extra push to make the PlayStation brand as dominant as it once was.
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