Every self-respecting game or technologiewebsite rept about it: the OnLive service that was demonstrated at the Game Developers Conference. Has ‘stream-gaming is actually the future?
It is the call of the day, every self-respecting game or technologiewebsite: the OnLive service that was demonstrated at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.
The idea is as follows. The gamer can from his living room with a simple pc or Mac from a couple of years old, the newest games in high definition and play, via streaming technology. People who don’t have a computer can, with the help of a simple microconsole now play games on the tv. An included controller lets players wireless their games control. With a simple press of a button, a game is activated, in which use is made of the high quality hardware of a pc, somewhere in a server park in America. The technology of OnLive sends the input from the controls of the player, and the only thing that he will get back the flashing images of the game he currently plays.
It sounds too good to be true, and it is still a long way off. OnLive is still in a testing phase, albeit in an ‘advanced’ stage, according to the creators, but still – and in the first instance, the focus is on the American market, though there is, of course, the ambition to make the service international. Of course, there are still many technical pitfalls and obstacles that must be circumvented, and there are still plenty of unanswered questions. What about the delay? What type of internet connection you have will need? How is OnLive on earth the capacity of thousands of players at the same time addressing? What happens if a million gamers suddenly at the same time, Doom 4 want to go play at the launch of OnLive? What will the service cost?
Eurogamer.net was quick to service on a technical level to degrade to an unattainable fantasy. Under the title, “Why OnLive Can’t Possibly Work’ leave, the site does not chip very of the idea, and there are technical arguments to prove this. If you are reading this article you tend to be the shoulders to pick up and think, “well, you see, yet another company that a test oplaat.” But that was too easy.
The creators of OnLive say that they are already seven years in the service, that the technology is ‘unique’ and that he is working. AMD is currently testing a similar technology, the company predicts that within a year it is possible to Crysis via a ‘browserachtige’ construction at a Eee PC to play. Patrick Moorehead, vice president of marketing at AMD, in the latest edition of WIRED Magazine: “You can imagine that there are servers where Crysis is running and that you have the game on an iPhone or netbook can stream, but only by the vectors by to send you the game controls”. Tweakers.net released Thursday, the news that is already an OnLive competitor has started, called Gaikai.
In short, the times are changing. Digital distribution, in any form whatsoever, is the future. We buy won’t be any games at a physical store where you with paper money for a physical product purchase. And even though it breaks Eurogamer OnLive service technical all the way down, wouldn’t it be nice if you never have your pc need to upgrade, and with a simple entry-level computer, the latest games can play against, in all probability, a very competitive price? Stores like Gamestop or our ‘own’ Bart Smit look with a critical eye to this development, but sooner or later Gaikai, OnLive, or how it will be called, reality. Perhaps only about another seven years, but it’s a time of come.
P. S. – The other big question is of course: how long will it take before Microsoft with a lawsuit threatens? OnLive seems to be quite on the Microsoft services Xbox Live and Live.