By Sherri L. Smith, BlackWeb20.com
Since the release of the Magnavox Odyssey in 1972, the console has been king in the world of video games. As the technological capabilities of what CPUs and game developers could do increased, a cold war of game consoles began. Many consoles were rendered obsolete or failed to bring in the dollars (Atari 2600, TurboGrafx-16, and Sega Dreamcast we hardly knew ye) were issued a one way ticket to the landfill. Only three companies and their respective console survived the clamor. Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft have been locked in a nine year battle for console supremacy.
Look under the hood of an Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, or Nintendo Wii and you’ll see we’ve come a long way since the simple graphics and gameplay of Pong. Now consoles sport high capacity hard-drives, GPUs, and CPUs as well as online access where players can play user-generated content and watch their favorite movies and television shows on demand. But as consoles continue their march towards advancement, there’s a change on the horizon.
Beta testing has begun on a new website that will allow game fanatics to stream video games directly to their televisions and computers. OnLive, a Silicon Valley startup plans to use cloud computing to high quality gaming via broadband. So what’s the difference between this and simply downloading a game? Instead of using precious memory space and computing power needed deliver the fast-paced, graphic-heavy action, OnLive does all the heavy lifting via its servers. Prospective players simply download a plug-in or purchase an adapter for their television and start playing. Impressed with what they’ve seen thus far, big name developers like Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, and Epic have signed up to have their games streamed on the service.
There are some questions to be raised regarding speed and possible lags, but since OnLive is currently in beta, we have to play the wait and see game. In the meantime, we’re left to ponder the ramifications of OnLive’s possible success. What will the big three do to ensure they’re a part of the next generation of gaming? How will this affect the current business model of gaming and more importantly, are console on the path to extinction?
Gamers interested in giving OnLive a go, can sign up to be a beta tester. The chosen few will get FREE games streamed to your computer. According to the site, “you need to be at least 18, based in the US and have a broadband-connected PC running Windows Vista®/XP®, or an Intel®-based Mac.” Happy gaming.
BlackWeb20.com covers website and application launches; culturally relevant Internet industry news; and mainstream Internet industry news from an African-American perspective. They also analyze emerging web trends and how they apply to web properties that target African-Americans or African-American culture.
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