The revolutionary tech-related announcement teased last week is the announcement of a new cloud gaming service from SEGA.
According to the latest issue of Famitsu, as reported by Serkan Toto, the new service, currently known as Fog Gaming, will make use of arcade cabinets' CPU and GPU to reduce costs and offer ultra-low latency. Commercially, this would be great for game centers in Japan, as it would allow them to earn money outside business hours.
Article now with info:
- yes, "Fog Gaming" is the "scoop"
- Sega will use arcades in Japan as the technical backbone
- CPUs and GPUs housed in arcade machines are mentioned specifically
- ultra-low latency is touted
- commercial idea is to use arcades outside business hours https://t.co/LWOiYuDAYj
— Dr. Serkan Toto / Kantan Games Inc. (@serkantoto) June 3, 2020
No other information is currently available on SEGA's Fog Gaming, so it is not yet clear if this will allow players to just enjoy arcade games outside of game centers or if it will feature a much bigger library. Considering how arcade gaming is not as popular in the West as it is in Japan, we may not even see Fog Gaming in North America and Europe.
A couple of hours ago, SEGA also confirmed that it is somewhat returning to console manufacturing with the Game Gear Micro. The console, which will feature a small screen that will output at 240x160 resolution, will release in four different variants all coming with a different game library that will include Sonic the Hedgehog, Puyo Puyotsu, Outrun, Royal Stone, Shining Force, and others. The console has only been announced for Japan, where it will release on October 6th.