Sony’s cloud computing service for the PlayStation 4, Gaikai, is on track for its commercial launch in 2014. According to Sony Computer Entertainment president and chief executive Andrew House in conversation with The Guardian, Sony will be aiming to eventually move the service to the Vita, Smart TVs and other devices in the future.

“We’re still on track for a 2014 launch of the commercial service. It’s a brand new proposition: we’re pioneering a different way to experience games, i.e. server-delivered from the cloud. And we’re taking a very gradual, step-by-step approach because, first and foremost, we want to ensure that it’s a good experience for consumers.

“I’m not sure I look at it as backwards-compatibility; I look at it as a different way to offer PlayStation 3 gaming experiences – eventually to a much broader range of devices. So it starts with PlayStation 4, then it’s possible on PlayStation Vita, but eventually it will move out to things like smart TVs and other connected boxes.”

Excited for the possibilities of Gaikai? Let us know in the comments below.

The Xbox One and PS4 may have both sold extremely well since launch, with the latter garnering +2.1 million in unit sales worldwide, EA CEO Andrew Wilson believes it won’t be long before they face stiff competition from every quarter. This includes mobile devices, smart TVs, Apple, Google, etc.

Speaking at Credit Suisse 2013 Technology Conference, Wilson stated that, “Our market is evolving at a very, very, very rapid rate. I think that Microsoft and Sony have a real opportunity to build a strong following and a strong install base while they continue to be the single best way to get high fidelity, high definition interactive entertainment to your 80-inch television.

“If you think about Microsoft’s strategy – and I think Sony shares some of this in their long-term view, of being a broader entertainment device in your living room – I think they have that time. I think that three years from now, four years from now, they’re going to be under some fairly stiff competition for the living room, from mobile providers, from Apple, from Google, from Roku, from Comcast, to try and own that living room experience.”

EA is still very much committed to next gen consoles, but the focus will always be on content rather than the platform. “For us, we are less focused on the device and more focused on the modality of play because we think that will continue irrespective of what piece of technology is used to deliver the [content].”

Of course, other views – such as that from PS4 chief system architect Mark Cerny – indicate that consoles will offer an experience that just can’t be matched by smartphones and mobile devices. Do you agree? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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It’s not as if the actual console is being rubbished, so much as Microsoft’s direction for it. Instead of games, there was talk of having an all-in-one media solution – which is how the console gets its name – where you can play games and catch up on your movie and TV viewing at the same time.

The implementation and symbiosis of Kinect into the console’s ecosystem is now complete. It now tracks your controller, automatically loading up your saved games while responding to your voice commands. But the question still remains: Where were the games?

When Major Nelson announced that the conference would only be an hour long, I took it as a sign that Microsoft was going to focus more on what’s worked for it so far – that is, Kinect and the technology’s appeal to mainstream consumers. Aaron Greenberg’s statement later about the exclusives being shown at E3 pretty much clinched it. If nothing else, Microsoft had done a repeat of its now universally mocked E3 2010 conference wherein it devoted an entire extra day to showing off the Kinect. Of course, the next day wasn’t much better since Kinect appeared again but that’s a different story.

The point is: Microsoft no longer needs to focus on gaming. What does it have to do to appeal to its core audience? Why, release a new Halo and create some exclusive titles. Maybe get a new Forza game out. And if Remedy Entertainment can somehow impress people down the line with Quantum Break without delaying it for several years, then great.

But getting after the real money that’s in the Tivo and Smart TV market? Now that takes time. And it takes a lot to convince consumers that a device that was formerly best known for bro bashes and whiny Xbox Live players is their best bet for their living room needs.

The presence of appealing to gestures is a way to acclimate more users to the Windows 8 experience, if the appearance of the new Xbox Dashboard wasn’t enough. As such, the entire exercise is an attempt to appeal to the consumers making up smartphones and tablets, and who were responsible for Kinect being such a success in the first place. With everything that’s happening, Microsoft wants to get a leg up on Apple TV and Roku with its next generation console. If it can appeal the hardcore gamers along the way, then great.

It’s not like it takes much to satisfy us. Last I heard, the only positive thing about the conference is that there 15 exclusives planned, 8 of which are new IPs. Because if there’s anything that gets a “hardcore gamer” excited, it’s the words “exclusive” and “new IPs”.

I don’t blame Microsoft for heading in that direction. I do find that the Xbox One’s reveal felt incomplete with all this talk media and very little information about how certain things would work. So now I can’t pick up a game and play at a friend’s house without paying a fee? If my Kinect breaks, then what happens to my play experience? Can I carry on as usual? What if I don’t want to use Kinect at all? What if the gestures and Snap Mode and Instant Switching don’t appeal to me, and I just don’t use them?

Microsoft doesn’t have to focus on gaming anymore. It pretty much stopped along the way with PCs when it realized it couldn’t compete on the same level as real, hardcore developers. Somewhere along the way – with the Wii’s dominance and subsequent success of Kinect, doubtlessly – it realized it can’t really succeed on the consoles unless it offers consumers something they don’t already have for enjoying the things they can’t be entertained without.

And as much as we gamers will bitch and moan about it, the fact remains that it doesn’t take much to satisfy us. Alternately, it doesn’t take much to make us mad either (see how many people forgot about the “always online” rumours?). As long as we’re content to let Microsoft throw us a bone every now and then in the form of Halo or Gears of War or Forza, we’ll be fine.

With Google TV platform, the G3 Series’ speedy dual-core chipset and supposedly user-friendly interface, OnLive is looking to make console-quality games instantly accessible to TV viewers, without the need of a console or external disc media.

Considering they currently command a catalog of 300+ from more than 80 publishers, with every genre and market segment accounted for, it’s safe to say they mean business.

OnLive Chairman Gary Lauder states, “Our partnership with LG demonstrates the exciting future for cloud gaming as an integrated offering for connected TVs. OnLive’s proven gaming on-demand technology enables consumers to enjoy a vast catalog of console-quality games, with no additional hardware necessary beyond an OnLive controller and LG’s sophisticated and feature-rich Google TV.”

Georg Rasinski, Director of Home Entertainment Brand Management, LG Electronics USA said, “LG’s dual-core performance Google TVs, coupled with OnLive’s innovative games-on-demand service, makes access to the latest videogame entertainment quicker and easier than ever before. By integrating cloud gaming into our powerful G2 series TVs, the entertainment possibilities for consumers are virtually limitless.”