Ed
04-14-2009, 01:52 PM
Article From: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/magazines/TeenAge/html/20090413T200000-0500_149341_OBS_ONLIVE__THE_NEW_CONSOLE_IN_TOWN.as p
ONLIVE: THE NEW CONSOLE IN TOWN
Adrian Creary
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
What if in the future you didn't need a $100,000 computer to play the latest and great video games on your PC in High Definition? What if the games of three big game consoles, PS3, XBOX 360 and Wii, were playable on just one console that never became obsolete as games became more demanding?
Really, what if it only took a fast Internet connection to make your crappy budget computer play games at the same quality as your PS3? Well, thanks to the brainchild of Rearden Studios founders Steve Perlman and Mike McGarvey called OnLive these fantasies have become a reality and are set to shake up the entire gaming industry.
So first, what is OnLive?
Seven years in the making, it is an on-demand video games service. This means that the games you see on your monitor is not running live on your machine but is a video being fed to your computer, over the Internet, by OnLive's extremely powerful servers, which do all the graphics-heavy computing. Using a small browser plug-in, virtually any computer system that has the power to play a movie, PC or Mac, can access the service and play the beautiful high-end games previously thought to be out of reach for the masses.
Okay, so how does it work? OnLive utilises a unique new video compression technology specifically designed for gaming. They call it "Interactive Video Compression".
Latency (commonly called lag) through the system is just one millisecond instead of the half-second or more of lag seen in traditional video compression used on streaming sites such as Youtube.com. This experience gives the impression that you are playing the game locally because the lag is negligible.
So what is required?
The answer is Internet bandwidth; but not as much as you may think. For standard definition games such as Wii, PS2 and older PC games all that is required is a 1.5 megabit connection, which is supported by both LIME and Flow. High-definition games such as those for PS3 and Xbox 360 and high-end PC games a connection of at least five megabits is required which is currently only supported by Flow. That's it, the hardware in your computer is irrelevant.
To play games with OnLive in your living room, OnLive requires you to purchase the "inexpensive" OnLive MicroConsole that is no bigger than a portable hard drive. Its purpose is to connect the Internet, allowing the user to access the service, and pass on the OnLive video stream to your television while you play. It also acts as input for the included wireless controller or keyboard and mouse if that's your preference. In addition, it includes Bluetooth for stereo headset which allows for in-game voice chat.
Developing games beyond current hardware limitations is also another potentially game-changing aspect of OnLive. The company Mova, which does feature film graphics such as those seen in the Incredible Hulk and Transformers movies, plans to start making games with those graphics to run on the OnLive service.
Top game publishers such as Ubisoft and EA are already onboard to publish games on the service in the same timeframe that they release it on all other platforms.
Community and online networks are being worked out as well as a possible on-demand movie service. Beta testing begins this summer while full pricing and launch is set for the end of the year. If successful, it will reshape everything we have come to know about gaming. Truly the future for gaming looks bright.
ONLIVE: THE NEW CONSOLE IN TOWN
Adrian Creary
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
What if in the future you didn't need a $100,000 computer to play the latest and great video games on your PC in High Definition? What if the games of three big game consoles, PS3, XBOX 360 and Wii, were playable on just one console that never became obsolete as games became more demanding?
Really, what if it only took a fast Internet connection to make your crappy budget computer play games at the same quality as your PS3? Well, thanks to the brainchild of Rearden Studios founders Steve Perlman and Mike McGarvey called OnLive these fantasies have become a reality and are set to shake up the entire gaming industry.
So first, what is OnLive?
Seven years in the making, it is an on-demand video games service. This means that the games you see on your monitor is not running live on your machine but is a video being fed to your computer, over the Internet, by OnLive's extremely powerful servers, which do all the graphics-heavy computing. Using a small browser plug-in, virtually any computer system that has the power to play a movie, PC or Mac, can access the service and play the beautiful high-end games previously thought to be out of reach for the masses.
Okay, so how does it work? OnLive utilises a unique new video compression technology specifically designed for gaming. They call it "Interactive Video Compression".
Latency (commonly called lag) through the system is just one millisecond instead of the half-second or more of lag seen in traditional video compression used on streaming sites such as Youtube.com. This experience gives the impression that you are playing the game locally because the lag is negligible.
So what is required?
The answer is Internet bandwidth; but not as much as you may think. For standard definition games such as Wii, PS2 and older PC games all that is required is a 1.5 megabit connection, which is supported by both LIME and Flow. High-definition games such as those for PS3 and Xbox 360 and high-end PC games a connection of at least five megabits is required which is currently only supported by Flow. That's it, the hardware in your computer is irrelevant.
To play games with OnLive in your living room, OnLive requires you to purchase the "inexpensive" OnLive MicroConsole that is no bigger than a portable hard drive. Its purpose is to connect the Internet, allowing the user to access the service, and pass on the OnLive video stream to your television while you play. It also acts as input for the included wireless controller or keyboard and mouse if that's your preference. In addition, it includes Bluetooth for stereo headset which allows for in-game voice chat.
Developing games beyond current hardware limitations is also another potentially game-changing aspect of OnLive. The company Mova, which does feature film graphics such as those seen in the Incredible Hulk and Transformers movies, plans to start making games with those graphics to run on the OnLive service.
Top game publishers such as Ubisoft and EA are already onboard to publish games on the service in the same timeframe that they release it on all other platforms.
Community and online networks are being worked out as well as a possible on-demand movie service. Beta testing begins this summer while full pricing and launch is set for the end of the year. If successful, it will reshape everything we have come to know about gaming. Truly the future for gaming looks bright.