| OnLive has the potential to be a revolution in the | | | | detrimental to the experience of OnLive |
| technology of video game platforms. It promises | | | | gameplay. OnLive claim to have developed new |
| to break players out of the continual platform | | | | technologies to minimize this effect, particularly a |
| upgrade cycle, making it no longer necessary to | | | | very fast video compression technique, but as it |
| keep buying the latest expensive console or PC | | | | is fundamentally down to a physical law |
| hardware to play the latest games. | | | | (information cannot travel faster than light) there |
| Instead, the game is run on a server belonging to | | | | is a clear minimum level of latency that must |
| OnLive, and a video feed of the game is | | | | exist on the service. Others point out that the |
| transmitted to the player, to be decoded either | | | | claims |
| by a program on their PC or on a special OnLive | | | | OnLive have made regarding superior, |
| "microconsole" connected to a TV. The player's | | | | high-definition image quality to a normal gaming PC |
| interactions with the game, like button presses | | | | will be un-economical to provide, as they must run |
| and joystick movements, are sent back to the | | | | servers based on a large number of very |
| server and used to control the game. It is, | | | | expensive high level graphics cards. Ultimately, |
| essentially, a streaming video service like YouTube | | | | without providing public proof that the service |
| for games. However, skepticism persists on the | | | | works by launching it, OnLive will find it impossible |
| internet, centered on the work of technical | | | | to convince the majority of gamers that their |
| experts like Rich Leadbetter. The buzz in forums | | | | solution is a credible one. However, their claims |
| tends to be negative, with many pointing out that | | | | have generated a great deal of interest, if not |
| the latency involved in any internet communication | | | | confidence. |
| (also known as "ping") will be clearly noticeable and | | | | |