Cloud computing:
the wave of the future
Traditionally, when we use a computer, all our media is stored locally on that computer. Whether the file is a picture, a song or a document, your computer accesses that file directly from its hard drive. But an alternate approach is a fairly new technological implement called “cloud computing.”
The National Institute of Standards and Technology defines cloud computing as “a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.” Put simply, cloud computing can be equated to a household utility such as water or electricity, in that the end user pays for what they use and is not fiscally responsible for maintenance and upkeep.
One of the most immediate and beneficial applications for the cloud computing concept is video games. Also known as “games-on-demand,” cloud gaming is largely advantageous because it allows the users to play any game they want regardless of how powerful their personal computer is; the server that the gamer’s computer is connected to over the internet is what is actually running the game. The only important requirement for cloud gaming is having a reasonably fast and stable internet speed. “Crysis 2,” a new game that otherwise would need a “beast” of a gaming computer can be played on the complete opposite, such as a netbook.
Cloud gaming originated in Finland in 2004 by a company called G-cluster. Gaikai, Playcast and a few other companies also offer the service to various parts of the world. As of now, the most successful company offering the games-on-demand play service, at least in the U.S., is the California-based OnLive. The OnLive gaming service debuted June 2010 to critical acclaim, and has been gaining subscribers ever since. Their business model is very simple: the user creates a free account, installs a small program and then simply buys whatever games he wants at regular retail price. The difference is that once the game is purchased, it can immediately be played without having to wait for installation, unlike traditional games on a disc.
OnLive’s service is currently available to U.S. residents on PC, Mac or a “Micro Console” which allows play on an HDTV.
Within the next year, OnLive hopes to support iPads and possibly other portable devices. For the time being, the U.S. is being used as a testbed in order to optimize the service, with plans to bring OnLive to Canada and the U.K., followed by the rest of the world.
As with any new technology, there are some downsides to OnLive and cloud gaming in general, however. Despite OnLive's claim that a user need only an internet connection speed of at least 5 Mbps, players can still experience noticeable delays in response time and sound or graphical errors even when using a much faster connection.
One of the biggest disadvantages to cloud gaming as a whole is the fact that the user must have an uninterrupted internet connection to play anything, even a single player game. So if your internet decides that it doesn't want to work one day, you won’t be able to play any games, if you completely rely on cloud gaming.
In short, cloud gaming or more generally cloud computing is likely the way of the future. But OnLive is showing us is that the concept needs five to 10 more years of polish and cultural penetration before it will begin to dominate media distribution. Until then, view cloud gaming only as a complement to your favorite gaming console, not a replacement.
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