I’m back with updated impressions from my continued use of OnLive.
-Without question, the number of interruptions per game has gone up. I expressed concern that the widening user base might lead to this, and I’m worried that fear is coming true. I still don’t find it to be prohibitive, but I’ve noticed that where it used to be 1 or 2, it’s now more like 3-4 per session, and sometimes even higher.
-Having played through the entirety of “F.E.A.R. 2” using the service, I then threw the game into my 360 to do a side-by-side. I stand behind my assertion that whatever latency existed was negligible, especially in single player. The graphics are definitely a touch muddier, and the texture pop in bit more pronounced, but again, far from prohibitive.
The message here is simple: OnLive will not replace PC gaming, or at least it won’t any time soon. If it were less expensive or performed flawlessly then perhaps, but as it stands, someone like our own Breakman X probably has little to gain from the service.
Nonetheless, I stand behind the assertion that it’s potentially revolutionary, because PC gaming has always been off-limits to a wide number of people who either a) prefer Mac or b) don’t want to pay $2,500 every year to keep on the cutting edge. For this demographic, OnLive has the potential to open up an entire world that was heretofore closed off. The games do not run as smooth as they would locally, but there’s no doubt in my mind that they work, and work well. Certainly I’ve seen games perform far worse on local PCs because the owner was too proud to turn down the texture detail.
It will be interesting to see how the service develops now that more and more people are getting into the Founder’s Program. I’ll keep you posted as things develop.
