Ed
03-24-2009, 08:36 PM
Article From: http://blog.mlive.com/manzero/2009/03/is_onlive_the_future_of_video.html
Is OnLive the future of video gaming? Ten things we know about the on-demand game service
Posted by Jonathan Oosting | Man Zero March 24, 2009 09:57AM
Entrepreneur Steve Perlman, the man who gave the world WebTV, is poised to shake up the gaming world with the upcoming release of OnLive, an on-demand, streaming game service that may render high-end hardware useless.
We'll know a lot about OnLive tomorrow, as Perlman tonight will show off the technology live at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. But a few gaming publications have already gotten a glimpse.
Here's ten things we already know:
1. The service promises nearly-instant access to games, demos and more.
2. A 1MB downloadable plug-in will get pc gamers up and running.
3. No computer? No problem. OnLive will also sell the equivalent of a Roku box — a small plug-in device that will stream games directly to a TV in coordination with a wireless controller and VOIP headsets.
4. Speaking of headsets, it looks likely that OnLive games will have full multi-player functionality. And CNET reports that OnLive will have a feature allowing users to watch other players' games in real time.
5. There's no public business model yet, but signs are pointing to a subscription service similar to Xbox Live.
6. OnLive will show off 16 games tonight, and according to Kotaku major publishers are already on board: EA, THQ, Codemasters, Ubisoft, Atari, Warner Bros., Take-Two, Epic Games and 2D Boy.
7. OnLive will deliver video at up to 720p at 60 frames per second, an experience made possible by patented compression technology and in-house algorithms.
8. OnLive is claiming video feeds with a ping of less than one millisecond.
9. Of course, a solid connection will be necessary to play lag-free. For standard-def, you'll want at least a 1.5 Mbps connection. For HD, a 5 Mbps connection.
10. Perlman thinks OnLive is future-proof, as players will never need to upgrade hardware. All updates will happen behind the scenes on OnLive's servers.
Is OnLive the future of video gaming? Ten things we know about the on-demand game service
Posted by Jonathan Oosting | Man Zero March 24, 2009 09:57AM
Entrepreneur Steve Perlman, the man who gave the world WebTV, is poised to shake up the gaming world with the upcoming release of OnLive, an on-demand, streaming game service that may render high-end hardware useless.
We'll know a lot about OnLive tomorrow, as Perlman tonight will show off the technology live at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. But a few gaming publications have already gotten a glimpse.
Here's ten things we already know:
1. The service promises nearly-instant access to games, demos and more.
2. A 1MB downloadable plug-in will get pc gamers up and running.
3. No computer? No problem. OnLive will also sell the equivalent of a Roku box — a small plug-in device that will stream games directly to a TV in coordination with a wireless controller and VOIP headsets.
4. Speaking of headsets, it looks likely that OnLive games will have full multi-player functionality. And CNET reports that OnLive will have a feature allowing users to watch other players' games in real time.
5. There's no public business model yet, but signs are pointing to a subscription service similar to Xbox Live.
6. OnLive will show off 16 games tonight, and according to Kotaku major publishers are already on board: EA, THQ, Codemasters, Ubisoft, Atari, Warner Bros., Take-Two, Epic Games and 2D Boy.
7. OnLive will deliver video at up to 720p at 60 frames per second, an experience made possible by patented compression technology and in-house algorithms.
8. OnLive is claiming video feeds with a ping of less than one millisecond.
9. Of course, a solid connection will be necessary to play lag-free. For standard-def, you'll want at least a 1.5 Mbps connection. For HD, a 5 Mbps connection.
10. Perlman thinks OnLive is future-proof, as players will never need to upgrade hardware. All updates will happen behind the scenes on OnLive's servers.