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OnLive CEO Provides Details On Cloud Gaming
eldavojohn writes "OnLive is a new cloud gaming service that is in beta testing. While it might sound like nothing more than corporate buzzwords creeping over into the gaming world, a new video reveals how the CEO claims his service will work. Perlman explains OnLive's solution to the video game compression problem and talks about the '80 ms latency budget.' It's pretty interesting to listen to him figure out this budget and where the 'costs' come from. (Video only.) Now, this all hinges on the 'microconsole,' which — as he reveals at the beginning of the video — is so cheap they plan to give it away. We may also see it incorporated with TVs and other electronic devices. He goes on to talk about perceptual science and dealing with packet irregularities on the internet."
probably because gaming is saturated in Korea. There are PC-rooms everywhere. I can walk to about a dozen in less than 10 minutes. They're very cheap, and people in Korea are social gamers. They don't stay home and game. They go out and do it with their friends. Also Korean PC games are free. Only microtransactions for vanity things, and the system requirements are often quite low on most of them which means you don't need an expensive PC even if you wanted to game at home. A lot of home users use wireless laptops as well since they don't game at home. This pushes up the latency and packet issues.
Not exactly an inviting market for this service.
Does it run on Linux? I mean I know this question is often used in jest, but I'm serious.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
How to Deliver Online Gaming, Minus the Lag
OnLive CEO Steve Perlman explains how his cloud videogame service deals with real network conditions.
By Erica Naone
This March, a company called OnLive promised a gaming technology that seemed almost too good to be true. The company said it could deliver graphics-heavy video games over the Internet to any computer or to a miniconsole hooked to a television. This includes games such as the first-person shooter Crysis, which is normally beyond the capabilities of anything short of a multi-thousand-dollar gaming machine.
Today at Technology Review's EmTech@MIT conference, OnLive founder and CEO Steve Perlman presented a live demo of the system in action.
Video
OnLive has met with skepticism from hardcore gamers. The big question is whether the system can transmit high-end games over the Internet without serious lag, and many have said it can't be done. OnLive is currently in an open beta, which involves testing its technology on a variety of real networks and computers.
Though OnLive has developed its own compression technology, Perlman says that this is "just one piece of a complex problem."
The main issue, he suggests, is dealing with real-world network conditions. The company has spent the last seven years in stealth mode learning to do just this. Years ago, Perlman says, OnLive's technology worked perfectly under ideal network conditions. Since then, a lot of work has gone into addressing less-than-perfect conditions.
When streaming something like a video, a computer builds up a buffer to protect against network problems. The buffer buys some time to check whether the stream is flowing smoothly and to ask the server to resend any information that gets lost or corrupted along the way. In the case of a video game, which is inherently unpredictable, Perlman says that such a technique is out of the question.
Instead, OnLive's system uses perceptual science to keep the gaming experience smooth. The company's algorithms adapt what's shown so that it seems to be a complete image while the screen is moving, even if it wouldn't look that way if the picture were still. This allows some leeway for network hiccups. "Each frame may not look good, but we always deliver the data," Perlman says.
The company plans to launch to the public this winter.
"is so cheap they plan to give it away"
Hey Perlman (if that is your real name): the dot-com bubble called. They want their failed business strategy back. Subsidise the hardware, sure, but don't give it away. That's just asking for financial disaster. Your business is risky enough as it is.
"A week in the lab saves an hour in the library"
Where I have I heard this before? Oh yeah, from a company that now makes lapboards and keyboards, Phantom is it?
I live in Japan, and it only cost $60-80 USD a month to have a 100MB up & down fiber optic connection in every room of my house. I know Japan is only the size of California, but come on. Seriously, the US spends millions on beach sand and damn near nothing on real connections.
You can make any demand you want. I won't join you on this issue, however; the video was interesting (the guy is a good speaker) and I'm glad to have seen it. Also, the text loaded perfectly fine for me... is "this type of summary" any summary which your particular machine and connection has a problem with? Are you suggesting that Slashdot send a tech to your house to make sure every submission works on your machine? Are we all to make this demand on your behalf?
Gaming on Weed might sounds like fun with all them clouds but the reality is you'll wake up in your mid 30s, broke, with no life and wish you hadn't. Besides everyone knows your reaction time is better when you're sober.
These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
Servers that scale: check. Resources brought online as needed: check. Software as a service: Check.
And that's what make MMORPGs SUCK in my book. I can't play on the train (unless I spend a lot on wireless broadband - it ain't cheap in Aus). I have to rely on servers being up. I don't have time for any of that. If I get an hour to play a game, it needs to be available then and there whenever and whereever I get a chance to play.
If I want online chat I'll socialise with real world friends and family. I even have a couple of backups (mobile phone and land line). If you think I'm a luddite keep in mind I was on Skype and MSN with my mother 2 nights ago (after going round and fixing the security on her wireless network). I know there are people who love these games - even to the point of neglecting "real" life, but I just can't get into a system where my pleasure is at some company's control. I don't want to play a game against a freakishly good 12 year old. I might be interested in a game against a real world friend but I don't want something that saps my time and requires friends interested in the same niche as me.
By all means diversify but can we please keep traditional on a cd/dvd games that don't require a cloud, or even a network?
These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
You know, I play most games at "full-everything" quality on an 8800GT and an Athlon X2 3800 with 4GB RAM. Power consumption is less than 300W at peak.
You don't need monstruosities unless you are deeply in love with diminishing returns.
Global warming is a cube.
Not all. I don't play the MMOs, my Korean isn't good enough, but I have a very infrequently updated blog where I walk people through how to sign up and play various games that don't require much Korean. There are some there that I enjoy. FPS, and MMOs lend themselves best to the whole vanity stuff. You can't break into the RTS market with a bomb because of Star Craft. I've found 1 or 2 Korean made RTS out there, but they're not currently running, they seem to be down for revamping. There is a decent scorched clone called Taan. Its cutesy, but interesting. Raycity is a decent MMO, interesting concept, also interesting to see a good portion of seoul mapped, with actual building fronts being used (circa 2006)
Not all of the shooters are boom-headshot like counter strike.
Bubble Fighter and Metal rage are two that I played which aren't that style.
You want to roll out in a market you're familiar with first (your home market), and during that time, you can have people do research on other markets and line up all your local people and resources.
You don't want to just jump into an unfamiliar market right away, that leads to problems.