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SAN FRANCISCO--Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo, look out. Your traditional video game console business model may be in danger. It's too early to tell how much danger, of course, but a startup called OnLive announced a brand-new game distribution system Monday night that, if it works as planned, could change the games game forever.

OnLive, which was started by WebTV founder Steve Perlman and former Eidos CEO Mike McGarvey, is aiming to launch a system--seven years in the works--that will digitally distribute first-run, AAA games from publishers like Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Take-Two, Warner Bros. Interactive, THQ, Epic Games, Eidos, Atari Interactive, and Codemasters, all at the same time as those titles are released into retail channels. The system is designed to allow players to stream on-demand games at the highest quality onto any Intel-based Mac or PC running XP or Vista, regardless of how powerful the computer.

The system will also stream games directly to a TV via a small plug-in device, and players can use a custom wireless controller as well as voice-over-IP headsets in conjunction with it. OnLive timed its formal unveiling to this week's Game Developers Conference, where it will be showcasing the technology and 16 initial games it will launch with.

The service is currently in a closed beta but is expected to go into a public beta this summer and to launch this winter. According to Perlman, OnLive's technology will make it possible to stream the games in such a manner--high quality, no matter what kind of system the user has--by virtue of a series of patented and patent-pending compression technologies. And instead of requiring users to download the games, OnLive will host them all and stream them from a series of the highest-end servers. Users will have only to download a 1MB plug-in to get the service up and running.

An intended benefit of this infrastructure, Perlman and McGarvey explained, is that users will be able to play streamed games via OnLive with no lag, so long as their Internet connections meet minimum thresholds. For standard-definition play, that would mean a minimum 1.5Mbps connection, and for high-def, 5Mbps. The company promises that as long as users have the requisite minimum hardware, operating systems, and Internet connections, they should be able to have seamless play.

The upshot of this infrastructure model, Perlman said, is that OnLive is somewhat future-proof, meaning that players won't have to upgrade anything to keep on playing games on the system years into the future. Instead, the upgrades will happen on the back-end, with the company regularly boosting the power of the servers it uses to host and stream the games.

OnLive will offer access to games by way of a monthly subscription, where players will pay a monthly access fee and then pay additional costs, depending on whether they want to play games once or buy them for permanent play.

The company also said that it will probably offer free trials of some or all of the games it offers, allowing consumers to decide whether they want to buy. OnLive recognizes that some players may use those trials as a way of deciding whether to buy such games from traditional retail stores, but Perlman and McGarvey suggested that as long as people are interacting with the OnLive system, they'll be happy.

OnLive appears to be modeling its system at least somewhat after Microsoft's Xbox Live service. As such, fans of multiplayer games won't be on their own. Rather, they'll have full access to multiplayer features of games built for them. And another interesting social feature is one that will allow users to watch others play games in real time. The company thinks that users will find it exciting to watch the best players in action, even if they themselves are only kibitzing.

Perlman said that the concept of spectating in online game systems is, in and of itself, not new, but that OnLive presents the first time players will be able to look in on what others are playing without owning the games themselves.

Another social feature in the Xbox Live mold is what are called "brag clips." These are essentially 15-second replays of game action that players can share with friends if they want to show off their prowess. This is possible, Perlman said, because OnLive is continually recording the last 15 seconds of action. All told, McGarvey said, OnLive offers a full suite of standard social features including friends, clans, rankings, leader boards, tournaments, and more.

From the outset, OnLive isn't partnering with any of the first-party publishers--Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo--meaning that franchises like Halo or Zelda won't be available. That means, Perlman and McGarvey acknowledged, that many players who sign up for OnLive's service will still maintain their consoles and continue to buy games for them. At least for the rest of the current generation of machines, they said. But come the next generation, all bets are off, they said.

And for the nine--to date--third-party publishers who have committed to being involved, McGarvey said, OnLive presents a much more efficient and profitable distribution model than the standard retail structure. That's because the system is all digital, cutting down on physical distribution costs, and because it is designed to eradicate piracy and second-hand sales, both of which are banes of the publishers' existence.

Indeed, McGarvey said that OnLive has gotten strong commitments of titles from the nine publishers. That means, added Perlman, that the planned launch this winter could be accompanied by the most titles of any new gaming system launch in history.

In addition, McGarvey said publishers are eager for the kind of raw data that OnLive can provide about players' usage of the games, including whether they like or dislike games, how much they play, how they play, and so on. That data is hard for publishers to collect with traditional consoles, he argued.

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Imagine playing a computer game without any hassles. Drivers, troubleshooting, installations, compatibility, performance--all thrown out the window. Upgrading? A thing of the past. All you have to do is click on the game, and seconds later, you're playing. That's what OnLive will deliver. Should it work half as well as advertised, expect to see the gaming world thrown into upheaval by a box no bigger than a deck of playing cards. The story gets even more unbelievable when you factor in price. According to company reps, OnLive intends to significantly undercut every existing console on the market.

At its core, OnLive is a subscription service similar to cable TV or Netflix. In other respects, OnLive is what you get when you pump something like YouTube full of steroids. Instead of just watching a pile of videos, you're streaming gameplay at HDTV resolutions and controlling your character in real time. You get Crysis on your HDTV at the highest-quality settings--run by a computer that's hundreds of miles from your doorstep. It's really no wonder Rearden Labs spent the better part of a decade perfecting and designing OnLive.

Whenever a console comes out, we tend to dig in to all the gritty details--pixels pushed, mips mopped, and so forth. Sony has volumes written about its Cell processor, just like Microsoft and its tri-core CPU, not to mention their associated GPUs. By contrast, the humble little OnLive MicroConsole comes with practically nothing--just two USB connectors, a network jack, some AV outs, and some random bits and bobs stuffed in there. To make things even stranger, OnLive will run on just about any PC or Mac through a Web browser plug-in without the MicroConsole. Install the OnLive program and you're done. Even the lowly netbooks will run the newest games with high-quality details and excellent frame rates.

All the magic happens elsewhere, and the hardware sitting in those rooms is considerably more powerful than anything the current consoles offer. Gaming PCs in far-off server rooms sit filled to the brim with SLI setups, quad-core CPUs, gobs of RAM, and ridiculous RAID arrays to make load times a thing of the past. In its racks, OnLive has a slew of machines ranging from the mundane for simpler games to SLI rigs to power the most demanding games. Every six months, OnLive will upgrade the computers to take advantage of new CPUs, GPUs, and more to give you access to the most powerful hardware available.

Surprisingly, OnLive already has competition on the horizon. A startup by the name of OTOY aims to provide high speed gaming, HD movie playback and more, by using a web browser plugin. The driving force behind OTOY is AMD’s Fusion Render Cloud, a supercomputer class machine capable of petaflop processing power with over 1,000 GPUs. In a conversation with Jules Urbach, OTOY’s CEO, he mentioned that OTOY will be entering beta in the summer and should be up and running in the year.

Ridiculously good streaming software lies at the heart of OnLive's service. Nothing is stored locally on the MicroConsole or your computer's hard drive. The entire experience depends heavily on what kind of Internet connection you have. The faster your Internet connection, the better the graphics. Slower connections will default to SD resolutions. Faster connections will get a 720p video feed with surround-sound capability. You won't need a fiber optic hookup to get HDTV-level graphics. On the contrary, fairly normal cable Internet connections will suffice. A 1.5Mbps connection will work for SD, and a 5Mbps is required for HD.

Our experiences with Crysis and Burnout were quite favorable. Crysis looked fantastic and ran at a great pace. Burnout's fast-paced driving felt a little off, but it didn't detract from the gameplay too much. We'll likely get a better idea of how the service behaves in a large-scale environment when we get closer to launch. OnLive will have a beta of the system starting in the summer and will officially launch in the winter.

As goes the usual refrain, it's all about the games. In the case of OnLive, it's all about third-party support. If the OnLive folks make any games, they certainly aren't aiming to outdo titles like Gears of War or Metal Gear Solid 4. OnLive's game backbone lives off of what's currently available on PCs. Pretty much anything built for the PC can run through OnLive with relatively minor tweaks. Currently, heavy hitters like Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Take-Two, Warner Bros., THQ, Epic, Eidos, Atari, and Codemasters have all signed on to provide games from their PC stables. Should the experiment succeed, we imagine anything that comes out on the PC will be mirrored onto OnLive in short order.

At the Game Developers Conference 2009, OnLive demonstrated 16 different games, including Crysis and Burnout.

Additionally, developers will be able to easily launch game betas before developing a full game to determine whether there's interest in a particular game or an experimental style of play. The result gives gamers a better end product, while lowering costs for both gamers and developers.

OnLive will let gamers buy, rent, and play trial versions of games. The company has not announced any pricing scheme for rentals or purchases. And as we mentioned before, all gameplay will happen instantly. Once you click "buy" or "rent," you'll be playing in the span of time it takes you to hit the play button.

OnLive's streaming technologies allow it to do some crazy stuff. Aside from being able to watch clips of games to see what they're like, you'll be able to spectate any game being played on the system. OnLive also lets you show off your coolest moments via the Brag Clip system. The service automatically records your gameplay at all times, and anytime you do something that looks cool, you can press a few buttons and save the last 15 seconds of footage. At that point you can share your saved clip with other friends who are part of the OnLive service.

Every console brings its own controllers to the game. OnLive does as well, but it's not really required. OnLive's MicroConsole supports up to four wireless OnLive controllers. The controller looks similar to the Xbox 360 controller in terms of buttons and layout. The controller will also double as a remote control for video playback. OnLive representatives also mentioned that the controller was designed to work with much lower latency than third-party wireless controllers.

OnLive's control scheme is probably the most flexible of any console. Pretty much any USB wired controller will work without a hitch--including the wired Xbox 360 controller. Since we are talking about PC games, keyboards and mice will most certainly function. If you have a wireless controller that has a USB receiver made for a PC, it should work as well. The MicroConsole will also accept a USB hub to increase the number of devices you can plug into it.

The OnLive MicroConsole will be priced well under all existing home consoles. The company hasn't mentioned any specific price points, but it isn't hard to imagine OnLive gunning well underneath the Wii. The browser plug-in for PCs and Macs will be free.

Unlike other consoles, which have one cost attached to them, OnLive has a base cost (or none, if you have a computer) plus a subscription fee. The real number we have to keep an eye on is what it costs to keep the service alive. Representatives have yet to announce how the subscription model will work, but they did reveal that there will be multiple price points.

Also unlike other consoles, OnLive improves over time. Top-of-the-line computers will be rolled into the server farms on a constant basis. Since video cards and CPUs update on a six- to 12-month cycle, users will get better performance for the same price as time goes on.

Should OnLive succeed, the gaming landscape and more could change considerably. Predicting all the downstream effects is exceedingly difficult. Console upgrades could come to a halt.
Outside of gaming, you could watch or buy movies, watch TV shows, listen to music, and much more. Like OTOY, the fact that OnLive can stream live gameplay means that it could act as a full-fledged computer at the flick of a switch, with its servers storing your data. Go from typing papers, to playing Crysis, to watching CSI, all from a tiny box. OnLive has an interesting future if everything works according to plan. We'll keep you updated on developments as we get closer to the beta this summer.

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Before I dive into what OnLive is and how it works, let me start by saying that you should read every word of this article as this service has the potential to completely change the way games are played. If it works and gets proper support from both publishers and gamers, you may never need a high-end PC to play the latest games, or perhaps even ever buy a console again. That is not an exaggeration.

Just announced at this year's GDC, OnLive is an on-demand gaming service. It's essentially the gaming version of cloud computing - everything is computed, rendered and housed online. In its simplest description, your controller inputs are uploaded, a high-end server takes your inputs and plays the game, and then a video stream of the output is sent back to your computer. Think of it as something like Youtube or Hulu for games.

The service works with pretty much any Windows or Mac machine as a small browser plug-in. Optionally, you will also be able to purchase a small device, called the OnLive MicroConsole, that you can hook directly into your TV via HDMI, though if your computer supports video output to your TV, you can just do it that way instead. Of course, you can also just play on your computer's display if you don't want to pipe it out to your living room set.

When you load up the service and choose a game to play (I'll come back to the service's out-of-games features in a bit), it starts immediately. The game is housed and played on one of OnLive's servers, so there's never anything to download. Using an appropriate input device, be it a controller or mouse and keyboard, you'll then play the game as you would if it were installed on your local machine. Your inputs are read by the plugin (or the standalone device if you choose to go that route) and uploaded to the server. The server then plays the game just like it would if you were sitting at the machine, except that instead of outputting the video to a display, it gets compressed and streamed to your computer where you can see the action. Rinse and repeat 60 times per second.

To make this happen, OnLive has worked diligently to overcome lag issues. The first step in this was creating a video compression algorithm that was as quick as possible. The current solution only introduces one millisecond of lag to encode the video, which alone is completely unnoticeable to you. Obviously, a fast internet connection is required on your end to stream the gameplay video. A 1.5 mbps connection (which is usually what base-level DSL is rated at) is required for standard-definition video (480p), while a 5.0 mbps connection is required for HD (720p). The actual necessary speed is a tad less than advertised, so as long as your provider says you have these speeds, you should be OK.

The cool thing here is that your only requirement is a capable internet connection and some sort of computer. In theory, you should be able to play Crysis on a netbook. A handful of us have played the game, at its highest settings, on a MacBook Air with the service. Not only is the game not normally available on the Mac (outside of running Boot Camp), but the MacBook Air is hardly a gaming device, and yet we were able to hop in and play it as smoothly as a nicely-specced machine. We also played Burnout Paradise on a similarly-equipped PC laptop, and despite how quick that game is, it ran and played fine as well.

Do the games run at 60fps? Technically, yes, but the video stream makes it feel less so. They're still smooth, but Burnout wasn't as brisk as it is on a PS3, for instance. But make no mistake - everything we tried was completely playable (and most importantly, quite responsive), and being that you're able to play these games without any dedicated hardware, that's a huge, huge thing.

As for the MicroConsole itself (which, again, is optional), the device is give or take about the size of a PSP game box and maybe twice the height. In other words, it's pretty tiny for a gaming "console". It features two USB inputs (you can use a hub if you need more), a mini-USB port for power, optical audio output and HDMI video output. There's also Bluetooth support for voice or wireless joysticks, keyboards and mice. Obviously, if you want to use this thing with an older TV, you'll need to pony up for some conversion hardware, but OnLive stresses that the MicroConsole itself will be fairly cheap. We'd expect it to be no more than $100, and a $50 price tag is certainly not out of the question.

With regards to the service itself, OnLive will work as a paid subscription service, similar to Xbox Live. OnLive isn't talking about pricing yet, which probably isn't even finalized internally yet, so we'll have to wait and see how that pans out. Once you're online, you'll have access to a Friends list, an online profile where other people can see what you're up to, your tied account stuff (which houses your save games and things like that), and Brag Clips. Brag Clips are 10-second videos of your favorite gaming moments, and the system works sort of like an instant replay on a DVR. Regardless of what game you're playing, you can hit the Brag Clip shortcut and OnLive will then save the last 10 seconds of your action for viewing and sharing later. Other folks can view your clips, and you can send them out to your friends to, well, brag.

As for the games themselves, while it will vary by title and publisher, you'll have a number of ways in which to purchase them. You can outright pay for a game and own it indefinitely, or you could opt to rent a title for a specified amount of time. This last bit is especially cool for PC titles as that sort of market simply doesn't exist as piracy would run rampant. But since everything is housed online, OnLive won't be subject to piracy, so game rentals can easily take place. Again, that'll be up to publishers on a per-title basic, but the possibility is certainly cool.

And of course, most games will have a demo available for play, which like everything else, launches instantly with zero downloading. OnLive is hoping that even if hardcore gamers stick with buying games as per usual and playing content locally on their own high-end rigs that its service will be a great place for trying out demos as you won't have to take time to download anything.

A number of publishers have already signed on to have their games launch on the service, including EA, Take-Two, Ubisoft, Epic, Atari, Codemasters, Warner Bros. and Eidos. While we were able to play Crysis and Burnout Paradise and noted games like Grand Theft Auto IV on the intro screen, these titles may only be demo software for the time being as OnLive plans to launch with newly-released software when it goes live. We're hoping Crysis sticks around as some of us will finally be able to play it.

As for the launch timeframe, OnLive is going to have an open (though invitational) beta sometime during the summer, and plans to fully launch the system late this year (technically winter 2009).

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While E3 is generally known for the big, groundbreaking announcements, this year's GDC may have housed the biggest unveiling we've seen in quite some time as OnLive announced its self-titled on-demand gaming service. The cloud computing version of gaming, players need only either a browser plug-in or a cheap device (called the MicroConsole) in order to play high-end PC games. Servers handle the hard work and stream the video output to your device at home, eliminating the need to purchase high-end PC gaming hardware (or perhaps even consoles). For in-depth details on how the service works, you should definitely read our announcement article right here.

So, we've played it and, in the controlled environment that we tested it out in, the service worked great. The potential for it is nothing short of industry changing, a massive paradigm shift in how we think about gaming hardware, and even the delivery of the media. But will gamers catch on? Will it work in a large scale environment? And will OnLive be able to deliver on its promises when the service gets opened up to the masses?

We already know that publisher support looks good. Electronic Arts' Director of Corporate Communications Holly Rockwood told us, "EA has an agreement to provide titles for the OnLive Service – Burnout, Mirror's Edge and other games from EA and EA Partners will accompany the launch of OnLive. We are eager to see if consumers embrace a subscription service for PC games, and we look forward to the new customers that OnLive can bring to gaming."

Ubisoft is also on board. "Ubisoft is excited to be one of the premier publishing partners with OnLive Game Service", said Yves Guillemot, CEO at Ubisoft. "Our goal at Ubisoft is to serve the community of gamers, and OnLive's platform offers a new model for consumers to access our games. With OnLive, gamers will have a new community to play with other OnLive users, capture and share recorded highlights of game play achievements with other users, demo new games on the market and purchase and play titles instantly."

With other well-established publishers and developers like Epic, Atari, Take-Two, Codemasters, Eidos and Warner Bros. signed on as well, it appears that OnLive already has a very strong lineup of titles at its disposal.

The question on everyone's mind is, if it works and becomes a success, will OnLive kill gaming PCs, and perhaps even consoles? We asked our own Jamie Berger, VP and General Manager of Consumer Products, this very question. He's been in charge of Direct2Drive, IGN Entertainment's digital distribution service, since its launch and has a good idea of where technology like this might fit in.

"Certainly there will be exceptions, but for the most part I don't think you will see a movement away from dedicated game machines in the forseeable future. The hybrid model is more where I see things going, where you have a local game client, and the cloud is used to augment and drive additional value. Sometimes as a paid service, and sometimes as a supplement that is intended to drive consumer loyalty and community."

A few of us have already seen the service in action and have even gotten our hands on a few games, namely Crysis and Burnout Paradise. The former requires a powerhouse of a computer to run at its highest settings, while the latter is blazingly-fast, making both great tests for the service. What did we think of the experience, and do we think OnLive has the potential to revolutionize the games industry? Turn to page to see what Jeremy Dunham, IGN Games Editorial Manager, Fran Mirabella, Director of Video Production, and Chris Roper, Editor-in-Chief of the IGN PlayStation Team, have to say.

Jeremy Dunham

IGN.com

Jeremy Dunham's Take
Having played OnLive firsthand, I can tell you that in a controlled environment, it actually works. Obviously, you have to take that with a grain of salt because when I played the PC version of Burnout Paradise, it was on a closed server without hundreds of thousands of people playing at the same time.

In other words, a real-world test is something that's still a ways off, but my experience with it was nevertheless impressive. I didn't notice any lag with Burnout whatsoever, and every motion, button push and adjustment I made seemed to happen simultaneously with my hands' movements. Being the HD snob that I am, I was slightly put off by the video signal's washed-out appearance (due to the compression of the image), but it wasn't washed-out to the point of being annoying -- I'm just an elitist when it comes to picture quality and have been spoiled by the plasma-powered pop over the last few

But how the games look are the least of my concerns right now. For me, the OnLive service presents plenty of questions that haven't been (can't be?) answered from the start. What happens if your Internet connection fails? Does that mean that you don't have access to any of the games you've already paid for? What if, after years of subscriptions, you take a three-month break before returning to the service -- does that mean you've lost all your games that you paid for forever? How long will licenses last? Do games you buy eventually expire, essentially making even the purchased games uber-extended rentals? And the most obvious question, how much lag will there be once the service has really taken off? I'm sure most people will have a lot of the same apprehensions as well.

And what about getting the OnLive service to people on the retail side? Will chains like GameStop carry the MicroConsole for televisions in its stores knowing that, should it really take off, it would put a serious dent in its physical games business? Think about the bigger chains as well -- how much shelf space will Wal-Mart or Target devote to a device that could potentially bite into a lot of its retail game sales?

Going in an opposite direction, let's not forget about how OnLive changes the landscape for traditional console makers as well. Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony all have strong online initiatives with their eggs in different networked baskets, but the appeal of an inexpensive device with an incredibly small footprint could (and should) make them nervous. Where do the big three go from here? Does Sony push Blu-ray even harder? Touting its storage capacity and superior picture? Do Microsoft and Nintendo rely on their huge user base to overcome the threat through brand loyalty and established console franchises? Will the Xbox Live service eventually evolve into something similar to what OnLive is offering? How will this affect costs for all games -- retail and otherwise -- across the board? And most importantly for Rearden Labs, which first-party will it sell the tech to first?

Obviously, these aren't the only questions that OnLive brings to the table, but they're good places to start. Unlike the Phantom of years ago, this service and its MicroConsole are real -- I've played it, and I'm extremely excited to see where it takes videogames next.

Fran Mirabella

IGN.com

Fran Mirabella's Take
OnLive's service works. I played Crysis on a MacBook Air. I also played Burnout: Paradise. I didn't need much more than a basic PC to do it, and load times were minimal. That's a pretty powerful demo. In a world where I still have to wait for my Netflix stream to buffer on Xbox Live, I'm pretty taken aback to be playing a videogame "remotely" from where it's actually being rendered and processed.

I can't guarantee the service will work in the real world, or how it will react to hundreds of thousands of gamers hammering on the servers. OnLive seems confident, but scale could be a major issue. What happens when one million people want to play the same high-end game? All that considered, I'm sitting here asking myself if I'd subscribe and pay for OnLive services later this year. As a member of the industry, of course I will. As a hardcore or casual consumer…not so sure about that.

Most of that stems from the fact that I currently have no idea of the cost structure. I'll need to subscribe to an "Xbox Live" like annual fee, says OnLive. Ok, but how much will it be to own or rent a game? Those are important numbers, because if I can spend less to play more games, that's pretty appealing. But you've got to convince me. I'd love to rent some games for $9.99, maybe for seven days? You've got me there. And if I can just play StarCraft II without installing new drivers or a video card, you've got me there too.

So, it's appealing. One huge hurdle I have with the service, though, is control. I'm being told I can use the OnLive controller, but at this time in its design I know I'd rather use an Xbox 360 controller. I can do that, because I already own one, but it just puts me and the consumer one step closer to using my Xbox 360. Through the ages, controllers and hardware design have dictated game design and played a huge role. Suddenly, I'm to believe that between a mouse, keyboard, and Xbox 360-esque controller that the consumers and designers don't need anything specific there? Maybe it's just my old-school, home-console brain telling me it's so important, but I've reviewed more third-party controllers than I care to remember. Companies, like Nintendo, have spent decades refining their controllers and that design process. And, let's not forget what happened with the giant Xbox controller when Microsoft got into the game.

Anyway, I'm not trying to condemn this service because of that, I just think it's really important to think about. The experience you have in your living room isn't going to be on a mouse and keyboard. Meanwhile -- yes, this is pretty exciting for PC gamers. Or Mac gamers, it shouldn't matter. OnLive is promising it will have the latest graphics cards on the servers, and that patching and upgrades will happen behind the scenes. As someone who is indeed very tired of upgrading PC hardware, I am most excited about OnLive because it might have me playing more PC games than ever, without all the hassle. As much as I love controlling my antialiasing and anisotropic filter settings, I think I'd rather just jump in and enjoy the game. OnLive needs to build my confidence that I'll always be getting a top-end visual experience. It's one thing to promise, but seeing I believing. The early demos looked good, but not dazzling.

This leads me to my final point: video quality (I wasn't able to evaluate surround audio). OnLive is built on compressed video, sending you one frame after the next for your gameplay experience. You're really just watching a video of yourself playing the game, as odd as that sounds. It just happens so fast it's seamless. Since my job is to make video and compress it, the trouble areas jumped out at me. Namely, you can see some blocky artifacts from the video compression, and the color range isn't as broad or vibrant. I'd have to see much more and compare it with current systems output, but it's definitely there. At home, I own a 50" Pioneer Kuro Elite. When I played Flower on PS3 in glorious, vibrant 1080p it knocked my socks off. So, never mind that OnLive requires a consistent broadband connection to play in 720p HD, but I wonder how true to the original vision games like Flower would be when sent compressed in this environment. I'm a videophile, though, and many will not know what they're missing.

In a world of Wii domination, online Flash games, iPhone apps, and so on, OnLive could definitely continue to open the door to a wider gaming audience. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on it again, and equally eager to see if companies like Nintendo, Sony, or Microsoft have something to say back.

Chris Roper

IGN.com

Chris Roper's Take
OnLive is no doubt an impressive service. I find the simple fact that it works, even in a controlled environment, to be quite mind-boggling. I had been hearing about this approach for a couple years now, but I didn't think it was actually possible yet. My money had it as more of an Internet 2 thing (look it up).

For the actual performance stuff, I agree with what Jeremy said in large part. Everything plays well (Crysis especially felt like I was playing it locally), though the video is a tad blurry and the framerate doesn't feel like it does on a local machine. Well, Crysis was much better, if only because I can't play it on my MacBook's 9400M very well, but Burnout wasn't as smooth as what I'm used to on the PS3.

But the big question is whether or not I would find this an acceptable (if not ultimately ideal) way to play games. I really think so, for some stuff at least. For games that I really get into and spend time with, like Gran Turismo, God of War or Half-Life, I'd want to play them locally to have them be presented as crisply and smoothly as possible. For anything that I'm just interested in playing through once for fun, I would be totally fine playing it this way.

One aspect that I'm especially interested in is that up until now, every PC developer (except Crytek and Chris Roberts when he made Strike Commander) hasn't been able to 100% target the absolute best components available since nearly all of their customers would have lesser machines. With as quickly as PC hardware increases in performance, this has been kind of a shame. When talking about OnLive though, developers know that everyone playing will have access to the same sort of hardware (I would hope anyway). So, if Crytek releases Crysis 7 to coincide with the release of the new GeForce 482684.2 GTBBQ, everyone can play on that hardware if OnLive adopts it. If it's handled well, that's exciting.

Do I think it'll be a hit with gamers? That's a tough call. The people that have been spending thousands of dollars every year or so on brand-new gear are very, very likely going to keep playing their content locally. And people with crappy hardware who don't care about PC gaming at all may not know about OnLive right off the bat. So it's the middle folks who need to race to adopt it. Guys like me with every current-gen console next to their HDTV and who visit sites like IGN every day, but who don't have the money to spend it on new PC hardware every six to 12 months.

If it's marketed correctly, has an acceptable monthly fee (definitely no more than $20) and if OnLive can ensure that there are always enough capable servers running so that you never need to sit in a queue for more than a couple minutes at a time, it could be a huge success.

But, I fully expect Microsoft to announce something identical at this year's E3. Coincidence? Nope.

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No physical media to collect, trade, sell-when im done with it....NO THANKS!

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1.) If you don't have a good broadband Internet connection, which a lot of people don't for any number of reasons, forget it.

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2.) If this guy can do it, so can Amazon, so can Apple, hell, so can Sony, MS, and Nintendo.

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3.) I don't like the idea that I could pay for something and basically not own it. If one of their servers goes down, I'm basically shit outta luck.

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4.) For probably since the beginnings of the console gaming wars as far back as the 80s, people fantasized about a platform that transcends and cheats the barriers. This might be it but good luck getting MS, Sony, and Nintendo to play along. They want people to buy THEIR systems and THEIR games.

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It does remind me of the Phantom, as someone in there wrote. I think that's an apt opening analogy.

If you don't know what the Phantom was, look it up.

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Steve said they've talked to most big ISPs and that they're "good citizens." They're not hogging the entire pipe all the time. Said that the 5Mbps connection they talk about is just about peak.

Says that average gamer plays 60 hours per month. Say you play averaging 2 Mbps, then you don't get near the cap. But they're also willing to talk to ISPs, who know they're not using it for peer-to-peer downloading.

XtremeGirly

 

I for one do not want to buy another system.

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I have a big televeision and I like to sit far away an play my games on it.

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Plus I am lucky enough to have one of the PS3's that is completely backwards compatable.

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I do not trust anything that I cant hold the games physically in my hands. For instance if I hate the game, i can ususally trade it in and then I will be able to at least get something else.

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However, I do like the idea of being able to play computer games and not have to download them to the computer.

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Im not going to read too much into this.

Sandman

 

I, too, like having something tangible in my hands to show for the money I spent whenever I can. I also have dial-up, so I'm screwed anyway.

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Also, while they may have backup servers with backup data saved, what if my server were to go down? I house sat for my aunt one year, and she has cable internet, and while I was there, it would just periodically pop out if a storm rolled through or just because it felt like it. Never stayed out long, but that's beside the point. And what if your service did sustain a prolonged outage? Three days? A week? Longer? You're paying for games that you don't have access to. Granted, I could get the RROD tonight, but I could always go buy/rent another system(depending on warranty status and whatnot...) and be back playing in a short time.