A Step Into the Cloud

Cloud gaming is a step into a dark, unexplored area for gamers. With last year's announcement of OnLive buzzing at GDC, it took the gaming media by storm and was the talk of the community for a good month. And then everything went silent. Skepticism and intrigue both died as quick as they flared up. Sony snuck in and copyrighted the term "PSCloud" in the meantime, and now at the beginning of 2010, we still aren't hearing much about OnLive, or even PSCloud. While cloud computing is growing more popular, cloud gaming sits in the back-seat waiting for the technology to bring it forward.

First of all, this is not a bashfest on OnLive, or PSCloud, or any other service that pops up as a cloud gaming service. This is not me saying it is awesome, and there are no problems with the concept. This is just a little bit of fact, mixed with my opinion.

In a nutshell, cloud gaming is server-side gaming. You buy the game, it sits on a server, which processes the image and sends it to your TV or monitor. This is huge for computer gaming, as you no longer need to spend thousands of dollars every few years to buy a new computer to keep up with the high-demand graphical power computer games can offer. For console gaming, its perks are of lesser value. Instead of how everyone else starts an article, ie. good then bad, let's flip it around.

The first and obvious downside of cloud gaming goes hand in hand with digital distribution, no physical copy. We as humans are still taking those first steps into the digital age. Some of us have embraced it, some of us are on the fence, and others just don't want anything to do with it. No-one is wrong, it's personal preference. There's also the event that the servers crash, and you loose everything. While an increasingly-unlikely scenario as technology improves, it can never be ruled out. Internet service providers capping bandwidth could also prove to be issue. While the OnLive techs say it doesn't stream as much as one would think, it still eats up precious bandwidth. Oh, and can't pay the internet bill for a month? Better plan on not playing a video game. Or for that matter, can't afford the monthly fee? Oh yeah, there's no way around a monthly fee, someone has to pay to keep those servers going. Those are just some of the things going against cloud gaming. For the sake of not making this a novel, I didn't include everything.

As mentioned, it boasts the fact you don't need a high-end PC to play high-end PC games. That is awesome for someone like me who can't afford a $900 PC. The ability to just select your game from a menu, much like a PC game, or PSN game, is a small perk. With digital distribution, you have the possibility of games being cheaper as there is no manufacturing cost. While one would think that is obvious, we still have yet to see Sony step up and lower the price of their PSP games that are digital. The fear being a backlash from retail.

As far as I am concerned, while the concept amuses me, I am not interested in actually utilizing OnLive as it is. With the gaming industry being as expensive as it is, and the state of the economy right now, it's hard to just jump out there and put your faith in an upstart company. If OnLive wants to be competitive to consoles at least, they need to partner with, say, Microsoft. I honestly believe they wanted to be acquired by Microsoft, and that's the reason they rushed out to show off their product when they did. I mean, come on, just the name, OnLive, XBox Live, Windows Live. They either wanted to be acquired or wanted to ride their coattails.

If I were to support OnLive vs. PSCloud, I would obviously support Sony. Why? Simple. Sony is a HUGE corporation, and they have been doing games for years now. The percentage of possible server side problems would be smaller, the longevity would be longer. Say you buy OnLive (we'll est. $150), pay for a years service ($20*12 months? $240), and buy a few major games, and a few smaller games (est. $250). After that year, they aren't cutting the mustard, and you drop the service. That's a lot of money you will never be able to see or use again. Worse yet, what if they flop, and go under? Holy crap I would be pissed! What I'm saying is, while Sony makes their fair share of mistakes (*cough*PSPGo*cough*), at least they would most likely be around for 10+ years with PSCloud.

One thing I will close on. I am not saying I am for or against cloud gaming. Time will tell if it takes off and soars. Or sets sail and sinks.

-Sobær

[Edit: Those that know me know I want a PSPGo. That being said, I have always thought it was a mistake to release it at $250, and not to mention digital copies of games are the same price, which I find BS. Me wanting a PSPGo is mostly being a tech-fanboy, and wanting an analog nub with more tension.]