How'd you like to play the latest processor-intensive PC game on your decrepit old Mac laptop or even your iPhone? That's the tantalizing promise of cloud gaming, which purports to offer instant play without discs, software installations, or lethal clamshell packaging. The only requirement is a broadband connection. Here's how it works: The inputs from your joystick or keyboard are streamed to a central location, where Herculean servers and graphics processors run the game. Video footage of the gameplay whooshes back to your monitor in real time. It could revolutionize game publishing, eliminate piracy, and put console manufacturers out of business. The only issue? Some experts believe it's technically impossible. Here's a look at three competing pioneers currently in beta.
The promise: Stream games to any computer with broadband. (To play on a TV, you'll need a converter.) Games: Titles from most major game publishers. Reality check: "Is OnLive OnCrack? If they want to serve 20,000 people, they'll need 20,000 computers or the equivalent thereof. That's $20 million just to start," wrote CrunchGear.
The promise: Browser-based PC streaming service. Games: "We have World of Warcraft and EVE Online running," claims CCO David Perry." Reality check: "If you dig down ... there's nothing concrete, just hypotheticals," says EuroGamer.
The promise: Cloud service that runs in any browser, including Safari for iPhone. Games: No specific titles mentioned, but they also talk of streaming CAD software and HDTV. Reality check: GamesBeat called competition between Otoy and OnLive "the battle of the hucksters."
