After countless rumours and a no show at E3, the truth has finally come out and Sony have bought out Gaikai.

On the 30th June Sony Computer Entertainment reached an agreement to acquire Gaikai Inc. for $380 million.

This deal means that now Sony can bring cloud gaming to its devices and spread immersive gaming to a whole load of new formats.

“By combining Gaikai’s resources including its technological strength and engineering talent with SCE’s extensive game platform knowledge and experience, SCE will provide users with unparalleled cloud entertainment experiences,” said Andrew House, President and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. “SCE will deliver a world-class cloud-streaming service that allows users to instantly enjoy a broad array of content ranging from immersive core games with rich graphics to casual content anytime, anywhere on a variety of internet-connected devices.”
“SCE has built an incredible brand with PlayStation and has earned the respect of countless millions of gamers worldwide,” said David Perry, CEO of Gaikai Inc. “We’re honored to be able to help SCE rapidly harness the power of the interactive cloud and to continue to grow their ecosystem, to empower developers with new capabilities, to dramatically improve the reach of exciting content and to bring breathtaking new experiences to users worldwide.”

Apparently Sony Computer Entertainment will “continue to aggressively expand” with Gaikai.

The potential for this new format is impressive, not only does it mean that hundreds of games could be played with ease via a PS3 or future PS4 – meaning completely new games could be streamed instead of downloaded – but it also means that it could come to other Sony devices. This would mean integration with Bravia TVs, a brand that Sony are trying to breath new life into, and it could even end up coming to the PS Vita, meaning that overnight the catalogue of games for the console would skyrocket.

This is definitely a good deal and one everybody should keep their eye on.