Square Enix recently announced a new cloud-streaming service in Japan, called Dive In, that lets smartphone and tablet owners stream games like Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy XIII. Key Square Enix members shared more about the service in an interview with Famitsu.
As seen in our earlier report, games on Dive In will come with a free 30-minute trial, but after that, players will need to pay by the day, month, or year, to keep on playing the game in question. Famitsu asks what happens to your save data once the time runs out for your trial period.
“We’re currently trying a method where the save data can be saved in some way onto the cloud, and if you could pay the fee to continue playing after the period has ended,” reveals Sales and Marketing Division manager Makoto Tsuda.
Famitsu follows-up by asking if save data being preserved on the cloud means you could go ahead and play outside on your smartphone, then continue where you left off at home on a tablet.
“Yes. In order to use the service, you’ll need to register a Square Enix account, and the data will be attached to the account,” replies Tsuda. “For example, even if you were to change your smartphone device, you could still log in with the same account and continue playing.”
When it comes to streaming games, you might think about the lag that could be an issue. According to Tsuda, the development team has made efforts to handle things like latency, so if you have 6MB Wi-Fi connection, even titles like Final Fantasy XIII or action games can be played in a stress-free manner.
Next, Famitsu asks what kind of devices you would need to be able to take advantage of the streaming service.
“Devices that have been released sometime in the last year or two should suffice,” says Tsuda. “Rather than the device’s specs, I believe that its screen size and visibility will be more important to consider.” He adds, “All the titles will allow you to try them out for 30 minutes for free, so first, you might want to give [the game] a try and see for yourself how it plays and connects with your device.”
One of the main differences between an all-purpose device and a gaming device is the controls that come with the latter. Smartphones and talbets have no buttons. Famitsu asks if the user interface and controls have been adjusted for each title.
According to Tsuda, they have been, but Square Enix president Yosuke Matsuda had a little more to share on this front.
“When I first got to see Final Fantasy VII in motion [for Dive In], I thought ‘wow,’ but there were indeed some problems as far as controls went. In any case, we’ve thoroughly focused on bringing the comfort level of control to its highest since then.”
The Dive In streaming app will launch in Japan on October 9th for iOS and Android devices.
