Microsoft Waves Off Threat From OnLive and Gaikai

[Andy Chalk]

Microsoft Waves Off Threat From OnLive and Gaikai

Gaikai [http://www.microsoft.com], saying it doesn't believe they'll be able to compete with conventional technology "for the foreseeable future."

No, it's not exactly a huge surprise: Nobody was expecting Microsoft to leap up and start screaming about the imminent doom that awaits it in a console-free future brought about by the mad geniuses at OnLive and Gaikai. The software giant lived up to those non-expectations at a discussion about "Digital Distribution and the Future of the European Games Market" at the London Games Conference this week, saying that while technology will probably make such systems practical at some point in the future, that future is a long way off.

"Streaming technology is something that the industry is betting on longer term," said Jerry Johnson, headed of the Microsoft's Xbox Live [http://www.xbox.com/live] operations for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). "Right now I don't believe that technology can scale out against the experience we can offer on a local machine."

"The technology will continue to improve," he continued. "As an industry we'll have to accept that and move with it - but I don't think it's on an accelerated timeline for the foreseeable future."

I certainly don't want to damage my street cred by getting in line with a Microsoft Man, but I have a hard time disagreeing with him. The server and client technology may be available but without a reliable infrastructure to support it, it doesn't mean much. Broadband access continues to grow but is still far from universal, while speeds and reliability are all over the map. I think OnLive is a fantastic idea; I also think, like Johnson, that it's a little too early at this point.

Source: TechRadar [http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/microsoft-dismisses-cloud-gaming-analyst-predicts-apple-console-645066]


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[Doug]

Frankly, I agree - unless you want lag IN SINGLE PLAYER, "cloud gaming" is a long way off. Once the whole of America, the UK, and the EU have Korean style 1 GB/s connections, then yeah, the technology will be feasible. Until then, I doubt the reliability and anti-lag connections could be forged on a big enough scale to make the system worth while.

 

[Geamo]

I do agree with this; I remember E3(?) where selected reviewers were allowed to play at a normal version of it - there was apparently 100 employees at other locations playing to see the results. There was a *bit* of lag, but then extend it as much as they're suggesting, and thats a LOT of lag.

Unless they have got stable, powerful internet connections with everyone and they've got strong servers capable of handling it, "cloud gaming" is going to be a maelstrom of lag for players.

 

[Booze Zombie]

I skeptical about OnLive and other such services, anyway.

Download games and instead of having one solid copy that is mine forever and a day, I am at your whim and if you ever fuck up and stop existing as a company, I don't have any games anymore?

Sign me up!

Also, I'm pretty sure I read about buying games for amounts of time as opposed to actually buying them being a part of this service...

 

[300lb. Samoan]

as far as the US is concerned, not until we all get Fiber Optical connectivity will this even be plausible. When it does happen, I won't be able to pull myself away from TF2 long enough to give a shit (except maybe when my ping occasionally juts up over 10ms - WTF IS THIS ISH IM PAYING FOR FIBRE OPICAL Y U LAG??)

 

[Quadtrix]

I'm king of over OnLive. I still think it's pretty cool looking, but I'd much rather focus on getting a good education so that I can afford a majority of consoles, rather than getting a poor job and resorting to OnLive.

 

[fix-the-spade]

That's it, Onlive's going to be a roaring success despite my scepticism.

Why? Microsoft said another system was not going to compete in the foreseeable future, about five years ago, name rhymes with beam...

 

[Pendragon9]

Well, they do have a point. Onlive won't be a success right now. Not until internet connections reduce download speeds.

 

[samsonguy920]

This pretty much convinces me that Microsoft has become a console whore. Frankly I'm amazed they worked on Windows 7, or that it will be what 98 was to 95.(one hopes) True OnLive is far from realizing it's potential, but it is sounding to me like Microsoft is playing the old tycoon speaking of the new tech, "That'll never work, what were they thinking?" Funny, I think IBM said the same thing of a certain Bill Gates' radical idea.
(Of course, Microsoft has yet to come out with a reliable and consistent game system themselves, so who are they to talk?)

 

[SaintWaldo]

Things MS has "waved off" in the past:

- The GUI
- The Browser as a platform
- "bytecode"
- video game production
- >640k memory

That's just off the top of my head.

I'm not saying I think OnLive will work; just pointing out that MS often releases statements predicting the future failure of things that neither fail nor remain immune from MS's interest.

 

[Rednog]

I have a feeling that OnLive will launch and never find a solid footing, as a person currently living in Europe having a 1mb/s connection is a god send, most people average 1-2mb/s max, most nights I get 30kb/s. Hell even when I was in the US visiting people in various states connection speeds vary so much unless you're living in a major metropolitan area.