Threat to XBOX and Wii and PS3?

[Tawmis]

Threat to XBOX and Wii and PS3?

http://videogames.yahoo.com/feature/new ... te/1299562

New tech could make consoles obsolete
OnLive promises on-demand, streaming games

By Mike Smith

What if you could stream top-end games to your TV, just like a Youtube video that you can control? You'd never need to buy a console again.

That's the future envisaged by Palo Alto startup OnLive, which plans to launch a groundbreaking gaming service this winter. OnLive will supply players with a small set-top box, not much bigger than a Nintendo DS, which will plug into your TV and your home broadband connection. From there, you can start playing games just like those on the Xbox 360, PS3 or PC -- but with no install time, no waiting for downloads, and no need for big, noisy, expensive consoles cluttering up your living room. OnLive's service can be continually upgraded, too, so you'll never be stuck with obsolete hardware again.

Skeptical? So were we, until we actually sat down and played with an OnLive box last week. Even a blisteringly fast racer like Burnout Paradise was totally playable over the service, and top-spec shooter Crysis: Warhead -- which normally requires an expensive gaming PC -- ran excellently too. It's all rolled together with a slick interface that requires just a few button-presses to get playing.
OnLive

OnLive also includes some features you might associate more with your DVR than with a gaming console, including a Replay feature that lets you save the last ten seconds of your gameplay, and send it to your friends.

PC gamers aren't left out, either: OnLive's service can be accessed with a browser plugin from either Mac or PC platforms, works identically to the TV version, and has hardware requirements so low you'll be able, the company boasts, to play the most advanced of games on a $300 netbook.

OnLive has already signed deals with an impressive range of partners -- including EA, Take-Two, and Ubisoft -- and promises to have an up-to-the-minute selection of games when the service launches. Along with Burnout and Crysis, we spotted Grand Theft Auto IV, LEGO Batman, and Mirror's Edge among the games on offer, although the lineup will likely change before the service launches.

There's a catch, though. Being an online, streaming service, OnLive is only going to be as good as your Internet connection. High-definition resolutions will require a higher-end broadband connection, and if your service is prone to drop out unexpectedly, you're probably going to wind up frustrated. Even if it works, all that streaming video's going to add up over the months, and heavy users might find themselves the receipient of some unwelcome attention from their ISPs. Modem users, needless to say, need not apply.

OnLive won't talk price, other than to say that they'll be competitive with subscription services like Xbox Live. The box itself is simple and cheap to make, they told us, and it's easy to imagine it being thrown in with subscriptions -- rather like a cable or satellite TV set-top box. Games will most likely be available to rent or buy, and with free demos that don't need to be downloaded.

[misslilo]

Hmm, not something for me I'm afraid.
I like not having to be online - let alone trusting the service will still be there years from now, when I get old and want to play my game

[Tawmis]

I am the same way - which is why I don't care for the whole downloading game thing... I want a hard copy...

Which is why I am leery about XBOX, Wii, and other console games. It's going to be easier to play old games on PCs than it will be trying to find a functioning XBOX 20 years from now...

[misslilo]

Right!
Although, I have downloaded quite a few games from GOG.com, since they are DRM free and don't require you to be online at all.
And no activation etc.
Great way to get those old great games

[Datadog]

Hard copies all the way. Part of the fun of having a collection is watching friends browse through the stuff you have. Putting everything I own is on a hard drive somewhere feels so reclusive.

[DeadPoolX]

Although having a "hard copy" of a game isn't that important to me, I like having the ability to play a game I purchased whenever I want. The major problem with using a dedicated online service is that you're ability to play is entirely dependent on the service remaining active and a stable Internet connection.

Off-hand, I'd say the service written about in this article is a lot like Steam. The major difference being that you still need to download at least part of the game you've purchased. Steam bypasses DRM (such as the one in Mass Effect), but you need an active Internet connection to log into it and play your game.

Some gamers have claimed to find a way to play Steam-acquired titles without getting online after the game has been downloaded. I'm not entirely sure I believe that, but if it's at all possible, someone will do it. I can't imagine OnLive won't get hacked eventually or at least, someone won't figure out how to play without connecting to the service itself.

[MusicallyInspired]

You don't have to download anything. It specifically states all games are streamed in real-time without having to download anything.

At any rate, besides what people have already said above, this won't affect console gaming in any way. It'll just be another player on the field. Looks like it'll only be a third-party "console," though, which may or may not be a good thing. People love to own things for themselves. Also, any exclusive titles for each console won't be making it onto OnLive (Halo, Mario, Zelda, etc).

Some gamers have claimed to find a way to play Steam-acquired titles without getting online after the game has been downloaded. I'm not entirely sure I believe that, but if it's at all possible, someone will do it. I can't imagine OnLive won't get hacked eventually or at least, someone won't figure out how to play without connecting to the service itself.

It's not just a claim it's fact and a built-in feature of Steam. If you have a game fully downloaded and updated and have played it at least a couple times online you can play it offline as well. Steam has an off-line mode that activates when your internet connection has been unplugged or deactivated. It works. I've done it and it's not a hack.

[DeadPoolX]

You don't have to download anything. It specifically states all games are streamed in real-time without having to download anything.

At any rate, besides what people have already said above, this won't affect console gaming in any way. It'll just be another player on the field. Looks like it'll only be a third-party "console," though, which may or may not be a good thing. People love to own things for themselves. Also, any exclusive titles for each console won't be making it onto OnLive (Halo, Mario, Zelda, etc).

That seems like GameTap to me. GT has free games to play and those that require a subscription to the service -- console and PC, including old DOS games. All of the games are attached to your account, so you can't physically download the titles. More than one person can be logged into an account at any time.

Maia and I received a free month's subscription (on disc) at the gaming portion of SXSW in Austin, TX. We haven't used it yet, however. Too many things going on in our lives right now.

One item to note is that GT is moving over to a different system at the moment. So no one can create a new account. Once they've finished the transition, it'll all be up and running again.

[Fender_178]

I seriously doubt that this would make Console gaming Obsolete as popular as it is. and the millions of people who own each console. Maybe if this thing gets double of the total sales of each console maybe it might pose a threat but the odds of that happening is very slim IMO.

[Tawmis]

You don't have to download anything. It specifically states all games are streamed in real-time without having to download anything.

Now the only problem I would see with that - is what the article states - do realize how taxing that would be on your Internet Connection? I have a Cable Modem that flies! And yet if I jump on my XBOX360 - and play, for example, Gears of War online - I get lag from time to time. And that's with it downloaded on the XBOX360. I couldn't even begin to imagine the amount of lag I'd get if it had to stream something like GEARS OF WAR constantly...

[MusicallyInspired]

Absolutely. I think this might be just a tad ahead of its time.