new 'console' called OnLive

[nickfil]

http://gear.ign.com/articles/965/965595p1.html

to release winter this year, but i could see it being pushed back. Basically it is a streaming game service for tv mac or pc. Everyone is screaming the same thing: lag. Now- If i was building a streaming service 90% of what i would be concerned with is lag, and if I couldn't figure it out in the first steps, i probably wouldn't continue the project. Thats just me though- and a lot of people build shitty tech stuff.

Despite the lag issue, I'm cautiously optimistic for a couple reasons. The first is that because the games stream it'll run on anything, which is pretty fantastic. Mac, pc, or hdtv it has you covered. As a mac user i can't express how great this is. I also look forward to being able to game at my own home and easily bringing it anywhere with an internet connection (like back at my parents house or on the road for work) with little hassle. No bulky systems, or system at all if i am using a pc. I would never bring the fragile xbox 360 anywhere. The second is that it is making pc only games like crysis available to everyone, not just people with a crazy pc rig. There have been a few pc games that have come and gone that i've missed out on and would love to play, but can't justify a new computer for. Hopefully onlive will see this, and add some great pc titles in the library. The second reason i'm excited is their rental service. Imagine sitting at home and actually being able to rent and play instantly. No need to return anything in the mail or store. No need to wait X amount of days from gamefly to send you something back. I can't express how awesome this is.

Hopefully- the price point for each game will be a little lower then average due to the fact they never make a physical product, and the company will take note of how steam works and run deals and sales. This would get me on board more than anything.

The only thing i'm a little dissatisfied with is... i like to collect games. I like to have them on the shelf. I like a physical interaction with them and the box art / manual. However, if this product delivers what it promises, there are a slew of games that i would like to own, play, and not collect... but still want to 'own'. The call of duty series springs to mind. I never get rid of them because every once and a while i feel like i want to pop em in and play some multiplayer, but I'm not attached to the box art and I don't think they are ever going to be rare or valuable.

I'm looking forward to seeing it in action, seeing what games are offered and for how much. Cautiously optimistic.

[Hatta]

Reminds me of the Sega channel.

[fast]

I can only imagine the hell on the server farm. And we must remember the last console pinned to offer this service was never released. That said, I am still interested. It may mean the absolute death of physical copies, but if the hardware is a decent price and they offer somesort of monthly pass well I would be ok with that.

[PhilExile]

I think this sounds great. Even if this doesn't work, its most likely where the industry is heading. It will be sad not to "possess" a game, but I think we'll get over it in time. That said however, I've never been much of a collector. Well, accept for comics...

[andymol21]

Sounds a bit like the Phantom (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Phantom_(game_system)) to me!

[Mozgus]

Having a pretty good understanding of lag and a very good understanding of video compression, I'm confident that most of this is bullshit. They don't have the hardware. They don't have the means to make this cost effective AND popular. And they certainly don't have some new form of electricity that moves faster than the electricity we have today. There will be lag. There will be queues. There will be tons of fucking problems.

I mean for the modern PC games, how the fuck do they plan on serving them? Even if these guys have coded up some kind of phenomenal new multi-tasking software for their server PCs, how many copies of crysis could be running well simultaneously on one NASA ultimate PC? 3 or 4 tops. How many god damn server PCs do they intend to have? This just isn't possible. Not in the way they're promising.

For some reason this news just enrages me. Maybe not so much the news, but that so many people are buying into it already and calling it the revolution to save PC gaming.

[superlarz]

I am very skeptical of this working out good. I dont think the tech is there yet. A few more years and we will no doubt be ready to steam games, but in the era of Broadband companies capping usage and generally slower speeds than other places in the world, I just dont think we are ready for steaming games yet. Digital downloads? Maybe. People will be capping out their internet usage like crazy though.

[MrPopo]

Sounds a bit like the Phantom (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Phantom_(game_system)) to me!

Hit the nail on the head.

[PhilExile]

I'm a little skeptical too, but I think this model may work eventually. We will have to wait and see. With the economy the way it is, I don't think we will have another "Phantom" situation. Investors are much more leery where they throw their money.

[IcKy99]

Sounds a bit like the Phantom (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Phantom_(game_system)) to me!

haha Phantom 2