Will OnLive revolutionize the industry?

Will OnLive truly revolutionize the video game and downloadable game industry? Clearly if you watch the interview over at gametrailers it is aiming to do so. OnLive is basically the PC’s version of a console. Now let me explain OnLive to everybody before I comment on it.

OnLive is a service for the PC and Mac, kind of like Steam. OnLive however has its own controller and adapter that allows you to play your games on your TV. Any current entry level PC and beyond can use OnLive and play games like Crysis with the settings maxed out. Now, I am a little skeptic about that, but it could be possible. All you need is a broadband connection and you are good to go. You need a 5MB internet connection if you want to play 720p games on your TV, and at least 1.5 MB internet connection to play in SD on your TV. OnLive is basically a interactive community. You have friend lists, block lists, etc. You can also allow spectators. That means anybody can watch you play whatever game you are playing. A lot of big name publishers are "porting" their games to be able to take advantage of all that OnLive has to offer. Now that is basic the gist of what OnLive is, there are more features in it, but now onto my opinion on the platform.

Will OnLive truly revolutionize the video game and downloadable game industry?

In a sense, yes it will. It brings new things to table and it taps into a mass market. Everyone has a PC or Laptop, so anybody can use OnLive. The shear amount of possible customers possible is amazing. Basically anyone who has a laptop or PC can be a potential customer. Now the number of possible customers is staggering, but then you have to start making cuts. This is where the problem comes in. You need an entry level PC or Mac of this time period. Now if you have a relatively old PC that could not run even Age of Empires, then you are not eligible to use OnLive. Even though that limits the amount of potential customers, the number is still staggering. Think about it, anyone with a relatively new PC/Mac from the past few years should be able to use OnLive without a problem.

Apparently any game can be ported to work with OnLive. Xbox 360 games can be easily ported to OnLive, but Playstation 3 games will be a little harder to port. Regardless if OnLive catches on, then it is clear to see that a lot more publishers will hop onboard and throw their support. Who knows, that may mean once exclusive games for the 360 or PS3 which were made by Third Party Developers can be ported to OnLive. That right there is amazing and can really revolutionize things. After a once exclusive game is done selling, they can port it to OnLive and make more money.

The downloable market will really benefit from this as well. Since you are downloading games, this will eliminate the middleman, which happens to be the stores that sell games. This means that the developers will make more money, since they do not have to worry about making discs, manuals, cases, etc. They get rid of the middleman and get their products straight to the gamers. This can also eliminate the used game business if OnLive really gets popular and other companies such as Sony and Microsoft follow in OnLive’s direction of downloadable games. The developers never gain any money from used games if you did not know. This really benefits the developers and allows them to make more money, which allow them to make more games.

Another thing that OnLive is doing well is the way you are allowed to purchase games. You can literally rent games, play the game, and when your rental expires you decide whether to re-rent the same game and you can play right from where you left off. You can try a demo, watch others play it in real time, and watch trailers. It is much better than watching reviews, or going to a store. You literally watch the game being played as if you are at a friends house. It really makes it that much easier to figure out what games are worth buying or renting.

Now, after talked about how you can purchase games, lets move on to how games actually play. Essentially you are streaming everything to your PC, Mac, or TV. So it uses your internet broadband and streams the games to your screen so fast that you will not be able to notice. That is down right amazing, and means your PC or Mac will never be obsolete, so no need to upgrade your PCs. That is worth a purchase itself. That is how you can play Crysis on max settings. Now the problem with this is will it be always guaranteed? What happens if there is a server shutdown, or problem? How will it be able to coupe since it really relies on the internet?

OnLive is something for the future. Currently we are in a time where money is an issue, will people shell out their hard earned money for laptops and PCs? Of course people will still buy computers, but not as much. Buying a computer that is compatible with OnLive will be difficult to get and if you do not already own a "current" PC or Mac, then it probably is not in your best interest to get a new one. OnLive is definitely something people should get if they already have the requirements. The problem is meeting those requirements. If it was released in the future when we were not in a recession or when computers become even cheaper then this service will sell like hotcakes. Once the price of the requirements becomes cheaper, then OnLive can really appeal to an even bigger audience. Just imagine having console games on your PC, and the cost of getting a PC that is compatible with OnLive is under $200. Then again, Xbox and PS3 will become cheaper later on, but they will never reach the ability of a PC or Mac in terms of multifunction. Unfortunately I do not think the company behind OnLive are intending to push the release date back, since they already invested a lot.

Nowadays everybody is getting broadband. Broadband is really spreading and a lot of people have broadband connection and that will come in handy for OnLive, since you can use your internet to play games on your TV. Apparently there is no lag, so even better. Not only can you play your games on your PC or Mac, but you can also play them on your TV. That right there is a great contender for consoles. It even comes with its own controller so that is even better. All you have to do is plug in an Ethernet cable to the OnLive console, plug in your TV HDMI, and you are good to go to play games on your TV. This is all done using the broadband connection. That right there is amazing

Now it will succeed in my eyes. The only thing is that is supposedly launching this winter, and in the current economic state I think that OnLive will not catch fire. It will do fine, but as we get out of this recession it will definitely do better. It is just amazing that you can use an entry or mid level PC and play Crysis maxed out. It will be interesting to see if that is possible. If that is certainly possible, I see that Microsoft and Sony have another competitor in the gaming league. The community will definitely erupt and become amazing, and it is something that they can improve as time goes by. Now another thing that can hold it pack is price. It all depends on how much it will cost. If we are looking at an Xbox Live price, then we are good to go. If cheaper, than it is even better. OnLive is something that will literally be incorporated into our lives since many of us use our computer daily. Now those who just use it to go on the internet and occasionally game, can now use it to connect to a vast community, hang out with friends, chat, and play games all at once. They can play on their TV in HD, which will further its reach. OnLive will be apart of daily life as we progress into the future. Although it may not do great when it is released, as time passes it will surely pick up, and the idea will catch on.

Ohh on a smaller note. This is something that Sony, Microsoft, or Nintendo can do in the future too. I left Nintendo out of this because they are in a league of their own. Keep in mind that all of this is possible on the Mac too, which truly shows how revolutionary this technology is. Post comments.