OnLive

[spit_bubble]

^ Forgot to say...

I wonder if this service will ever be available on the current consoles???

I mean, if it's available on low end PCs and Macs... And your account is transferable...

[DaveDQ]

Quote: Originally Posted by koshi

^ Forgot to say... I wonder if this service will ever be available on the current consoles??? I mean, if it's available on low end PCs and Macs... And your account is transferable...

Right, and many are saying it's the talk of GDC, giving it visibility and exposure. If this was an extension of XBL, or a place to visit in Home, thatd be a very useful feature.

[DaveDQ]

Here it is in action...

[ODogg]

I notice in the replies to my reasons it would fail everyone only addressed my technical reasons it wouldn't and no one addressed the human nature, psychological reasons it wouldn't. I agree it's a great idea, like I said, but it is one that won't work for probably another 10 years, if it ever will.

Also, look at on-demand movies most of us have on our cable boxes, a lot of folks use them but far, far more people still rent physical movies, whether it's renting via online or actually going to the brick and mortar stores. And how long have we all had on-demand in our homes?

The reason, people want something to hold in their hand, a tangible purchase, not some commitment that's vague and obtained through a connection.

[DaveDQ]

Quote: Originally Posted by ODogg

I notice in the replies to my reasons it would fail everyone only addressed my technical reasons it wouldn't and no one addressed the human nature, psychological reasons it wouldn't. I agree it's a great idea, like I said, but it is one that won't work for probably another 10 years, if it ever will. Also, look at on-demand movies most of us have on our cable boxes, a lot of folks use them but far, far more people still rent physical movies, whether it's renting via online or actually going to the brick and mortar stores. And how long have we all had on-demand in our homes? The reason, people want something to hold in their hand, a tangible purchase, not some commitment that's vague and obtained through a connection.

I would say though that, in reference to movie rentals, the trend has shifted to people considering an alternate source besides the tangible item in their hand. Xbox Live has had success with the Marketplace and downloadable movies etc. The culture has changed through time, and while it may be mainstream 5-10 years from now, you can't drop it in our laps then. This is something that has to gradually become part of the gaming culture.

In reply to your human nature/psychological points, I think that too is a process that will gradually develop over time. The interview with the CEO of OnLive shows he's quite humble about this. He doesn't make big statements that claim this will replace PC/Console gaming. In fact, he mentions it's something that will most likely happen along side the two. Again, consider Youtube. Many people were bashing it because of the quality of videos, but as technology changed things got better and people began to embrace the technology. Now there are very well done videos over Youtube with HD quality.

If we are saying this will replace consoles and PC gaming in 2010, then we are making very unrealistic projections. If we are saying this is an example of what can be done in the future, as we see technology continue to grow and develop, then I see nothing wrong with taking it as that and embracing its chances.

If at first you don't succeed, you're running about average. You put it out there and build on it, working at it until it's something of substance and value.

[ODogg]

Quote: Originally Posted by DaveDQ

I would say though that, in reference to movie rentals, the trend has shifted to people considering an alternate source besides the tangible item in their hand. Xbox Live has had success with the Marketplace and downloadable movies etc. The culture has changed through time, and while it may be mainstream 5-10 years from now, you can't drop it in our laps then. This is something that has to gradually become part of the gaming culture. In reply to your human nature/psychological points, I think that too is a process that will gradually develop over time. The interview with the CEO of OnLive shows he's quite humble about this. He doesn't make big statements that claim this will replace PC/Console gaming. In fact, he mentions it's something that will most likely happen along side the two. Again, consider Youtube. Many people were bashing it because of the quality of videos, but as technology changed things got better and people began to embrace the technology. Now there are very well done videos over Youtube with HD quality. If we are saying this will replace consoles and PC gaming in 2010, then we are making very unrealistic projections. If we are saying this is an example of what can be done in the future, as we see technology continue to grow and develop, then I see nothing wrong with taking it as that and embracing its chances. If at first you don't succeed, you're running about average. You put it out there and build on it, working at it until it's something of substance and value.

Yeah I hear you, I agree with you on everything you say, I can see this at some point taking hold but changing how people think is such a slow process that really can't be rushed. They really have to have a REASON to do so. This will have to be cheap, really cheap and offer more than what you'd get for the same tried-and-true buy a console, bring it home, plug-n-play model. If it's the same or more expensive it will die quickly.

For example, Youtube works well and has replaced a lot of conventional methods but remember, it's completely free. It would not have succeeded like it has on a subscription model. Heck, it may have been run out of business on a subscription model a long time ago.

And to compare it to the more conventional comparison, on-demand movies, it makes my point. A lot of folks, including myself, don't use on-demand on their cable boxes because the movie prices are too high. Why pay $6 for an on-demand that you get for 24 hours or whatever when you can pay $4 at Blockbuster and keep the movie for a week and watch it wherever and whenever you want? The business model makes no sense. If the same movie however was 99 cents on demand I might buy it because then they have given me a reason to change my buying habits.

Just putting out new technology and saying to the public "here is something new, use it" doesn't work, you have to give them a reason to change.

[spit_bubble]

Quote: Originally Posted by ODogg

...I can see this at some point taking hold but changing how people think is such a slow process that really can't be rushed. They really have to have a REASON to do so. This will have to be cheap, really cheap and offer more than what you'd get for the same tried-and-true buy a console, bring it home, plug-n-play model...

The thing is this potentially saves money for publishers. Many developers have been clamoring for just one console, so they don't have to waste resources making their games compatible with each and every system. They also aren't confined by hardware that they aren't used to working with, or find trouble working with, like has been the case with the PS3. So it could very well be the games themselves that give consumers a reason to get this... And not some wacky motion sensitive controller.

I don't necessarily think Onlive will have to be really cheap either, though it'd certainly help to have a reasonable price tag. I mean, the latest game systems cost a tremendous amount of money, especially when you factor in the price of games and an HDTV... And yet they seem to be doing okay.

Ultimately I think it's going to be a situation where perhaps it takes some time to really get going... But once it does it could potentially snowball. There's just a lot of opportunity here.

[mgoblue]

Quote: Originally Posted by DaveDQ

It has to start somewhere, and I think it's a good time to. My ISP is 12MB, which is 8 higher than what they are saying is good for 720p gaming at 60fps. Sure they are making big claims, but these aren't new comers claiming they have the next best thing. All involved have a pretty strong resume.

John Romero (formed id software) told everyone he was going to make us his bitch with Daikatana...just sayin...

Quote: Originally Posted by koshi

I'll bet the same was said about electricity when it first was introduced... And yet now the grid for power is pretty reliable. Yes, this service is ahead of it's time... But time is approaching fast. Doubters really need to watch the presentation... Dude said at the highest it requires just under 5Mbps... That's for the high end games in 720p, at their peak requirements... And that normally it's around 2-3Mbps for those high end games. He also said they did quite a bit of testing under different circumstances and conditions... I mean, don't you think would, before rolling this out??? Well, I'm sure there will be a snag or two, here and there... But have we all so quickly forgotten Microsoft's Red Ring of Death? Or other such blunders? I think this service will do just fine, barring some unforeseen disaster... There's clearly a market for it, and it sounds like it's good for publishers... Give this service a big time exclusive and it could really take off.

I agree with you guys in theory, I just haven't seen one iota of information that makes me believe their cloud computing network can serve Crysis in HD to hundreds of thousands using a very minimal number of servers. That's not even counting the processing power necessary to encode for online delivery. It can cost upwards of 3k to get a PC that can run Crysis maxed out...creating server farms does share the load, yes, but you don't magically require less CPU resources when you do that.

If this works it'd be cool...but then again the Phantom sounded pretty cool too when it was introduced.

We can't get a console baseball game to play lag free, so you'll have to excuse my wanting proof of their system working before I believe it....

Innovation is great, and what they're doing is how you push things forward. I just wouldn't hold my breath for this, my bet is that it'll take years longer than they anticipate to get it working in any sort of real world scenario (when I say 'real world scenario' I mean hundreds of thousands of people all around the world on at once).