Square Enix is potentially opening up its entire gaming catalog to mobile gamers with its new streaming service Dive In, due for launch in Japan on Oct. 9.
The Dive In app will run on iOS and Android devices and will give players access to titles as diverse as role-playing game Final Fantasy XIII and recent stealth-action title Murdered: Soul Suspect.
Three releases will be available at launch: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy XIII, and The Cherry Blossom Murders. Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy XIII-2, Murdered: Soul Suspect, and The Last Remnant will follow during November and December.
While plenty of older Square Enix RPGs are available on mobile right now, file sizes and hardware limitations mean that we can’t have them all. Streaming titles directly to the Dive In mobile app gets around both these problems, potentially opening up the entire Square Enix back catalog.
Of course, streaming games raises the thorny issue of bandwidth. Square Enix says you need an effective bandwidth of 3Mbps or better to use the service (and ideally 6Mbps), which will restrict access to Wi-Fi or fast mobile connections. You’re going to want to watch your mobile data usage, too, unless you have an unrestricted allowance.
Above: The pricing structure for the Dive In rental service from Square Enix.
The streaming service runs on a rental basis, with games costing more the longer you use them. Final Fantasy XIII, for example, costs 250 yen ($2.35) for 3 days, 510 yen ($4.80) for ten days, 1250 yen ($11.76) for a month, and 1800 yen ($16.94) for a year. All titles will have a free 30-minute trial period.
No word has come out yet about Dive In releasing outside Japan, but it would make sense for Square Enix to make the service as widely available as possible.