OnLive: Cloud-Based Gaming Service Challenges Consoles
The buzz currently ripping through the floor at the Game Developer Conference is the unveiling of OnLive, a cloud-based service that will stream video games to televisions and PCs, eliminating the dependence on hardware specifications and upgrades.
OnLive uses a proprietary video compression technology that allows them to send over the Internet the video and sound you currently get from a video game system such as a PC or a console. Over the Internet, you send back your controller input and thus the experience feels like a traditional setup, except there's no gaming system playing the video game on your end. The first question that comes to mind is "yeah, but what about lag?". Well, that's what OnLive claims it has figured out, reducing lag to a imperceptible level.
The company says OnLive requires a high-speed broadband connection rated at 5Mbps for HD (720p) visuals, while a 1.5 Mbps connection will be enough for standard-definition gaming.
It remains to be seen if this is just vaporware, but the real question is what would happen if this actually works as promised? Is it the end of Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo as console manufacturers?
