There is ongoing work to create greater integration between GeoEvent Processor and the various client-side technologies that Esri supports. That integration sometimes happens through WebSockets as you mentioned, but we try to use the most appropriate communication mechanism supported by the client technology. One such area is Stream Services, which was discussed recently at the 2014 Esri Developer Summit during the ArcGIS Server Road-Ahead presentation. You should be able to view that presentation soon at the Esri Videos Archive. Look for more details to be released at the summer Esri International User Conference.
