Could personal computer gaming be making a huge comeback? Console gaming has been the dominant force in gaming for sometime, but the tide could be turning with the introduction to cloud gaming service OnLive. The service boasts a powerful gaming experience where installing, downloading, and physical media are a thing of the past. Despite what the critics say, OnLive moved forward and built a platform that could be the next viable step in gaming evolution.
With the announced release of the OnLive service on June 17th, fans are quickly signing up to be a part of the "Free for a Year" offer thanks to a partnership with AT&T. Fans sign-up and are then randomly picked to participate in the cloud service with a second year option at a rate of $4.95/mo. This no doubt will drive the initial fan base very quickly, but will it be enough?
The service is already touting games like Dragon's Age Online, Assassin's Creed, and Batman Arkham Asylum amongst other first rate titles. The service itself will do a system test to ensure that the games will run on a user's system, but no longer do you have to own a Window's machine in order to play the latest games. A service like OnLive could be a Mac owners dream since games are run inside a browser as opposed to being dependent on the type of machine you have.
Could the days of seeing the same game in Mac and Windows version be over? Could the confusion of not knowing whether to buy a Sony, Microsoft, or Nintendo gaming system be over? Perhaps this is the "one platform to rule them all."
I'm note entirely sure if OnLive will kill consoles, but I will say it's a good start. Personally the one thing I dislike about computer gaming is having to sit in a computer chair for long periods of time. Console gaming lends itself to sitting on the couch or other comfortable chair and a larger screen. Sure there are methods to connect your machine to your TV, but how many people really take the time to do that?
The one thing consoles should fear is the integration of online browsing capabilities on the newer generation HD TV's. Because the gaming is browser based, a user could theoretically then interact with the cloud gaming service via their TV. Goodbye computer chair.
I'd be interested to hear the readers take on this. Is OnLive the console's worst nightmare or is this just another offering amongst all the gaming options available?
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