Microsoft doesn't necessarily need to respond to Sony's $380m acquisition of Gaikai, analyst Michael Pachter has said.
According to the Wedbush analyst, Sony's proposed purchase of the cloud gaming firm is likely more related to pushing Sony TVs than traditional game products, as well as a strategic move to keep the cloud tech away from its rivals."I think that this is more related to Sony's integrated strategy, and ties into their hopes of selling more televisions. I know that Gaikai was purchased by Sony Computer Entertainment, but essentially, they provide a solution to play games without a console, so they make a lot of sense if built into Sony TVs," he told CVG.
"This could be both a strategic move to sell more TVs and a pre-emptive move to keep others from using the service. It's actually a very interesting deal, and the price is reasonable if it gives Sony an advantage over other television manufacturers while keeping the technology off the market so that others can't eliminate the need for a console."
Pachter said he's not sure Microsoft needs to respond to the deal because "they are making the [Xbox] console integral to the delivery of television content, so they have a different approach."
For in-depth analysis of Sony's Gaikai acquisition - and what it could mean for the next-generation of games consoles - read Dan Dawkins' Sony Gaikai dissection.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...-says-pachter/