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Poo Bear
Pod Team
Joined: 14 Oct 2002
Posts: 4121
Location: Sheffield, UK
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 Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2009 11:17 am Post subject: Gaikai and Onlive |
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Cloud computing is the future?
You put a powerful server (or cluster of servers) in existing datacentres. Everyone within 25miles gets a letter offering them a subscription. You build slowly until you cover all the populated areas of the country. The server hosts business apps like office and photoshop as well as all the latest games. A subscriber gets a set top box (cheap PC) or goes to a website on their current PC. The powerful server runs the game or app that their own hardware is not capable of, they send input remotely and get a video stream in return.
No need to buy expensive hardware, no need to update driver, no need for a new operating system, no need for a dedicated games console, store your data safely remotely, play from any device anywhere. Even an iphone could handle it (wifi).
Scary stuff. The only limiting factor if the power of the server (which is fine as long as the owner pays for enough of them) and the distance from the data centre to the house, within 25miles you wouldn't notice lag even in a FPS (maybe even further).
The current console manufacturers stop spending a fortune creating new hardware and just focus on the software and funky controllers. The potential games market goes truly massive - a set top box would probably be free with your cable subscription AND game prices would drop and their would be far more free games (a bit like the flash scene).
There's no technical reason why it couldn't happen, but a cheap *** implementation would probably kill it (cheap servers, not enough to keep lag down, **** selection of apps and games). Interesting.
http://www.develop-online.net/features/544/David-Perry-Cloud-nine |
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Konedima
Grammar Police
Joined: 25 Oct 2003
Posts: 1068
Location: Sydney, Land of Censorship
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| Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 10:13 am Post subject: |
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Seems to me like one of the things that people won't buy because it's so unlike anything they know. Still, I wouldn't as I don't want to be at the mercy of their servers.
Also, I don't think it'd work in Australia. Population in our cities tends to be a bit further apart than other countries, and you'd be surprised how low the average connection speed is (the fastest I can get is 1.5mbit, and I know people who still have dial up). |
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