Want to try out game-streaming technology Gaikai for yourself? Here’s your chance, and you don’t even need to go anywhere: the beta service has launched demos for three Electronic Arts games.
Sixty minute trials for Spore and The Sims 3 can be played right now, with no barrier to entry outside of your connection speed and desire to play Spore and The Sims 3. Dead Space 2 can be demoed after taking a brief survey.
I’ve tried out all three games and am impressed with the results, although I did learn that Dead Space 2 is impossible to play with a MacBook Pro trackpad. In all instances, the games loaded quickly, and input lag was slightly noticeable but not detrimental to the gameplay experience. Resolutions were odd, with both Dead Space 2 and The Sims 3 not filling my MacBook Pro’s wide screen, even in full screen mode.
Still, the idea of this kind of technology really excites me when looking towards the future. At GDC this week, Gaikai founder David Perry will be showing off functionality that would allow publishers to embed demos on web pages like Facebook. Demoed this week will be Mass Effect 2, playable in a web browser.
Imagine the possibilities: you read about a Mass Effect 3 demo on Destructoid, and trying out the game is quite literally only a click away. Hell, you might even be able to play it right here on Destructoid. That’s certainly something I’d be interested in being able to deliver; is it something you’d be interested in being able to do?
Gaikai is Live! [David Perry]
