Wal-Mart's website now allows visitors to try games out for themselves right in their browser. The functionality is powered by game streaming company Gaikai, which launched earlier this year with a slate of Electronic Arts games available to be streamed.
At the time, CEO David Perry boasted about the service, saying, "Nobody else in the world has achieved this kind of streaming performance directly into browsers, it's technically the most advanced interactive advertising unit in existence." He offered the apt description of saying it's trying to be like YouTube for games.
The Wal-Mart deal was discovered by VentureBeat, which has since confirmed with Gaikai that a deal is in place that pays it for the amount of time users spend playing games.
Dead Space 2 is one title currently available to be played on Wal-Mart's Gamecenter website. The speed of your computer is irrelevant, as the game is run on Gaikai's servers and then streamed to you, much like with OnLive. The only requirement is that your Internet connection be fast enough to handle it. If it isn't, the website simply omits any mention of being able to try the game and displays videos, screenshots, and other information.
More deals like this are apparently on the way. "Over the next 12 months, when people see a video game on TV and want to try it out, they can be sure the fastest way will be on Walmart's website," Perry said. "It's an exciting time and you'll see more sites around the world doing these stealth launches with us."
It seems inevitable that GameStop will eventually offer the same sort of functionality on its own website. It acquired streaming technology company Spawn Labs earlier this year along with digital games distributor Impulse.
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