Game-streaming startup Gaikai has scored a major deal to stream high-quality video games for Walmart.com, the online division of the world’s biggest retailer, VentureBeat has learned. If the new way of selling games works out, it could mean a big step forward in digital game distribution.
The newly discovered Walmart.com Game Center web site shows that you can now play a game such as Electronic Arts’ Dead Space 2 video game simply by clicking on a link. You can try the game for free with a mouse click and then play it immediately, since Gaikai’s technology can stream the game directly to the player, wherever the player is — even if the user has a low-end PC. If the user likes the game, they can buy it on the spot. That’s what they call “friction free” in retailing, where shoppers can get instant gratification.
