Although OnLive is probably brought up the most when talking about cloud gaming, Gaikai is no less impressive. We’ve seen it bring streaming games to websites like Walmart.com before, but with the service being brought to Facebook this week, it’s opening itself up to a huge user base that has — as Zynga’s success demonstrates — shown an interest in playing games. No doubt part of the success of Facebook games has been due to their ease of access; you click on a link and you’re playing right in your browser. That simplicity is one reason OnLive may have difficulty in garnering users through Facebook; for Gaikai, it’s absolutely perfect.
The new Facebook app works just as it should. You’re presented with a list of games you can sample: Pick one, allow Java to run, and it’ll load right up. It’s a seamless experience, and aside from what can be somewhat of a lengthy initial load, there’s really no fuss in playing. It’s no different than playing a typical game on Facebook, right down to the ability to continue chatting with Facebook friends (though you’ll need to scroll down so the game window isn’t blocking your view).
