Mike Bantick
Wednesday, 25 March 2009 05:57
Your IT -
Entertainment
Page 1 of 2
Out of the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco California comes news of a soon to be shown digital distribution system poised to rid the world of branded game consoles. OnLive promises to deliver AAA games, from top publishers, direct to homes around the globe.
Remember the ill-fated
Phantom console from Infinium Labs? The console that would usher in a new world of home entertainment by providing a window into a digital distribution gaming service.
The Phantom lived up to its name, following a number of financial and technical set-backs; it disappeared from the gaming landscape.
Well at the GDC this week and new foray into digital game distribution is set to launch imminently.
OnLive launched after seven years of back-room development under the guidance of “respected entrepreneur” Steve Perlman, founder of Web TV and former Eidos boss Mike McGarvey.
Eidos produced the original Tomb Raider releases, and McGarvey and Perlman have reportedly garnered support from other AAA publishers including Take-Two (Grand Theft Auto), Ubisoft (Assassins Creed, Prince of Persia), Atari, the behemoth Electronic Arts and more, we are told nine publishers to date have signed on.
Of course none of these publishers are first-party, Microsoft, Sony or Nintendo. Understandably, since much of what OnLive are attempting to achieve, will tread firmly on the toes of these console hardware manufacturers.
The plan is to stream content directly to Intel-based machines (PC or MAC) under the Windows OS or directly to a small TV plug-in device.
Custom wireless controller and VOIP headsets can be used in conjunction with the streamed games.
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