Ed
04-19-2009, 01:32 PM
Article From: http://dailybriefnews.blogspot.com/2009/04/end-of-games-console-bbc.html
The end of the games console?
By Maggie Shiels
Technology Reporter, BBC News, Silicon Valley
So far, nine big game publishers have signed up to the service
The founder of a new service that plans to stream on-demand video games over the internet says he feels like he has a big target on his back.
No wonder, given that Stephen Perlman's vision to revolutionise the way games are distributed and played has been talked up as threatening the future of the console and of retail stores.
OnLive, which was launched in the middle of the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco to much excitement, buzz - and scepticism - aims to provide high quality gaming on low-end machines.
OnLive says games will no longer need to be run from PCs or Macs, but can be accessed directly from its servers up to 1500 miles away.
Subscribers will get access to a catalogue of games and, rather than have to wait to download the game, can launch it instantaneously.
The quality of what appears on the TV screen or computer monitor will only be hampered by the user's internet bandwidth.
'Last generation'
While many attending GDC were impressed by the possibilities of how OnLive will digitally distribute video games, just as many were sceptical.
Mr Perlman says he understands this: "I am an inventor, and people never believe what inventors say might be possible, so I am used to naysayers."
Industry watchers question what OnLive means for console makers
One claim many have questioned is OnLive's statement that its "micro-console" will also be "the last one you'll buy".
But Mr Perlman told the BBC: "The consequences for the user are going to be huge. Consumers who are fed-up buying expensive hardware or the next console will truly benefit."
Analyst Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan Securities agrees: "I think we've seen the last generation of consoles.
"Third-party publishers are not going to support a PS4 or Xbox 720. The content is not going to change in any meaningful way because the publishers can't afford it."
The end of the games console?
By Maggie Shiels
Technology Reporter, BBC News, Silicon Valley
So far, nine big game publishers have signed up to the service
The founder of a new service that plans to stream on-demand video games over the internet says he feels like he has a big target on his back.
No wonder, given that Stephen Perlman's vision to revolutionise the way games are distributed and played has been talked up as threatening the future of the console and of retail stores.
OnLive, which was launched in the middle of the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco to much excitement, buzz - and scepticism - aims to provide high quality gaming on low-end machines.
OnLive says games will no longer need to be run from PCs or Macs, but can be accessed directly from its servers up to 1500 miles away.
Subscribers will get access to a catalogue of games and, rather than have to wait to download the game, can launch it instantaneously.
The quality of what appears on the TV screen or computer monitor will only be hampered by the user's internet bandwidth.
'Last generation'
While many attending GDC were impressed by the possibilities of how OnLive will digitally distribute video games, just as many were sceptical.
Mr Perlman says he understands this: "I am an inventor, and people never believe what inventors say might be possible, so I am used to naysayers."
Industry watchers question what OnLive means for console makers
One claim many have questioned is OnLive's statement that its "micro-console" will also be "the last one you'll buy".
But Mr Perlman told the BBC: "The consequences for the user are going to be huge. Consumers who are fed-up buying expensive hardware or the next console will truly benefit."
Analyst Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan Securities agrees: "I think we've seen the last generation of consoles.
"Third-party publishers are not going to support a PS4 or Xbox 720. The content is not going to change in any meaningful way because the publishers can't afford it."