Cloud users to hit 3.6bn by 2018 – report

3.6bn people will rely on cloud technology by 2018, a new report from Juniper Research forecasts.

Juniper’s research (via Games Industry) states that 2.4bn individuals used cloud services in 2013, though stresses that streaming music services such as Spotify and Pandora claimed the bulk of revenue coming out of cloud-enabled platforms.

That said, the report states that cloud gaming is entering a renaissance” of sorts and will make up a significant portion of the 3.6bn figure projected.

"The cloud games market, where game computation is located entirely in the cloud, is experiencing somewhat of a renaissance following the re-launch of OnLive and the market entry of PlayStation [with PlayStation Now]," the report read.

"Nevertheless, with games effectively being streamed from the cloud, latency may hamper the success of this opportunity."

Sony is relying on PlayStation Now to provide a boost for the PS Vita, specifically by providing the ability to stream AAA PS3 titles on the handheld.