UK’s video game outlook is cloudy
We’ve been monitoring the success of US cloud gaming service, OnLive, for a while so we were excited to catch up with them at the Euro-gamer Expo in London yesterday for the launch of OnLive in the UK.
OnLive acts much like on-demand TV or Spotify.
Streaming 100+ on-demand titles (including top-tier games like Deus Ex, Assassin’s Creed and Home Front) over the internet to HDTVs, PC, Mac and mobile devices, OnLive’s service really is all about instant gaming.
We think this convenience factor, coupled with a flexible and keenly priced payment model (one-off and subscription options), should encourage new as well as lapsed gamers to get playing.
The service also includes the ability to demo games for free, watch and play other gamers, as well as recording and sharing your best moves with friends.
The OnLive stand saw long lines of eager gamers queuing patiently for a chance to trial the service and to get their hands on the OnLive game systems which were being given away for trial.
OnLive kindly lent us a system, so now we’re all connected up.
The launch again raises the question as to how long Xbox and Playstation will survive. As far as we see it, OnLive is providing another – not the only - way to game, and so we don’t see traditional consoles gathering dust just yet.