Recently at a GDC (Game Developer’s Conference) a new service set to hit this fall was announced:Â Onlive.
So the way it works is like an on-demand setup. You pay a subscription fee that is supposed to be ‘competitive’ to current subscription game fees. You get an account to play any game from any platform whenever you like, for that subscription. You can play on your PC or you can get a cute little box to set on top of your tv that enables you to play on the boob tube. You also get a controller that looks like something from a Roger Corman movie. You can preview games in demo form and have a massive online community. Also you can play games in HD (depending on your connection). Now if you noticed my seeming ‘doubtful’….well you noticed right.
As good as it all sounds I just have a hard time thinking that people would forget about consoles or PC’s for that matter. I know that the increasing popularity of Steam has a huge influence on the future of game distribution. I myself am not ready to stop buying game disks or consoles. I mean if I have an internet problem or my service happens to be running slow I don’t want that to affect my gaming experience. This is just my personal opinion on the matter. I have not even talked about the technical issues of things. That’s a whole other animal in itself.
I, like many other people, have become addicted to gaming in HD. What happens when your connection will not allow you to have an HD picture? I mean look at the NetFlix iteration on the 360.  I don’t have a really bad quality, but in the same count I certainly don’t have an HD picture. On top of that who knows what games will be available and when they will become available. Another huge issue: price. They say that it will be ‘competitive’. To what? It could be competitive to a lot of things. Also the equipment. Rumor is that the equipment could be added into your monthly bill. Kind of works like cable or dish. So let’s say that all of these things come together. Then the most important question of them all. Are we ready?
When I say we I mean gamers as a community. Sometimes people seem to forget. There are still several areas that do not have access to a broadband connection. On top of that some gamers still choose not to play online.  The brains behind the idea is also one of the brains behind items as popular as the Apple T.v., Steve Pearlman. They claim that “It will work!” I have no hope nor do I have support for OnLive. As much as people want to say that it will work or that it’s even a good idea I say WRONG. Now as we have all been reminded from Mr. Speedle, I’m definitely not an authority. All I’m saying is I will not support OnLive…….EVER!
