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Gaikai to stream game demos on Walmart.com

The cloud-gaming service has signed a deal that will let Walmart.com shoppers sample games for free to help them decide on a purchase.

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Rich was the editorial lead for CNET's Home and Wellness sections, based in Louisville, Kentucky. Before moving to Louisville in 2013, Rich ran CNET's desktop computer review section for 10 years in New York City. He has worked as a tech journalist since 1994, covering everything from 3D printing to Z-Wave smart locks.
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Cloud-gaming service Gaikai has signed a deal to offer streamed game demos on Walmart.com, VentureBeat reported yesterday.

Integrated into Walmart.com's Game Center retail page, Gaikai will let shoppers sample games for free to help them decide on a purchase. The service is not yet enabled on Walmart.com, but Gaikai CEO Dave Perry was quoted saying: "Over the next 12 months, when people see a video game on TV and want to try it out, they can be sure the fastest way will be on Wal-Mart's Web site."

It's also unclear whether Gaikai will power games from all of the major publishers. Perry told VentureBeat that the company is talking with "more than 20 publishers." As of this writing, Gaikai has so far only announced a partnership with Electronic Arts.