OnLive Created 15 years ago2009-03-24 14:43:30 UTC by satchmo

Could this be the future of gaming?

Here is the YouTube interview (part 1 only, but part 2 didn't add a whole lot).

Only when everyone is able to get cheap, lightning fast, internet. Only then.

Sounds more-or-less awesome provided those connection speed requirements are at least half-true. Pretty curious about how far this will go. Should be a good thing for Max/Linux users too.

What I'm worried about the most is how well you would be able to control over OnLive. There's bound to be a delay between when you click and when your character does something. It's not something that can be made client-side like CS.

I imagine it would be the same as playing any online game as far as delay in reaction. Just a much bigger server, and instead of having a disc in or such, the data is just being streamed.

When fast connections become ubiquitous (and it will, in less than ten years), this thing is going to take off.

I wonder when they're going to announce their IPO.

When fast connections become ubiquitous (and it will, in less than ten years)

YES!!!! MY DREAM COME TRUE!

I heard a romour about something like this sometime before the current generation of games consoles came out, about a console called the Phantom. It sounded somewhat more like Steam or Xbox Live Arcade though. It might have been an early prototype of the system or something.

I imagine it would be the same as playing any online game as far as delay in reaction.

Except not. Most online games have client-side controls that are sent to the main server after you've done something, so that, on your screen, something happens the instant you click or whatever. It doesn't actually register to everyone else until the main server gets it, but you still have more control over your own character.

If you're playing something like OnLive, you can't have these client-side controls because you're not actually playing your your client. You have to rely on whatever medium you're using to send your input to the host, and then it will respond and do whatever you tell it to do. Even with a good connection, the delay will be noticeable.
If you still don't know what I mean, open Counter Strike and type "cl_lw 0" and "cl_lc 0" in the console and join a game.

Edit: What OnLive boils down to is a glorified remote desktop. Don't get me wrong, I hope it turns out great.

Buffering Buffering Buffering Lost Connection.

DAMNIT.

If they could pull this off, they would have accomplished some amazing technological feat.

But nothing is impossible.

This would be pretty sweet.