Wow, hard to believe another term is almost over – got to start on that work report again. This year has seen a lot of new developments in gaming; at the forefront are new peripherals to enhance the experience of the core consoles as well as extending their lifespans and forestalling the arrival of the next generation. Now another entry into the gaming market has come to my attention, the OnLive Game Service – linking PC, Mac, and console-like gaming. Other big news is the new release date for Grand Turismo 5, which quite possibly holds the record for the longest development and most delays in history.
First, about the existing systems, the latest sales numbers have been released for this year, with Xbox 360 coming out in the lead, followed by the Playstation 3 and the Wii. Of course, the next few months are the largest generators for sales with Christmas and New Year’s sales. Nintendo has released sales numbers in the past (I don’t have a source 🙂 ) showing that over one third of their yearly sales are generated in November and December, so they have their work cut out for them this season.
Microsoft has seen great success with the Kinect – while some people hate it, others absolutely love it. Sales in the first week surpassed 1 million units, which is definitely a great success for Microsoft. Of course the system has already been hacked, allowing for use on a PC for internet navigation and photo resizing (the obligatory nod towards Minority Report). My favourite hack so far is one that tracks a fake lightsaber and automatically adds the lightsaber blade effect on screen. Kinect looks like it will have some very interesting games, as well as the potential in the future for hybrid Kinect and controller gaming.
Sony has also been successful with the Playstation Move controller, selling 1.4 million units in the first month. Interestingly, no one has made as much of a deal about having the controller slipping out of your hand as they did when the Wii was released. Maybe they include a better wrist strap than Nintendo did initially.
Nintendo has also started releasing remotes with the WiiMotion Plus built in rather than as a separate attachment. Of course, the big thing from Nintendo right now is the 3DS, which will deliver 3D gaming in a handheld device without the need for glasses – hopefully the price doesn’t kill this amazing technology.
So, on to that new gaming system I mentioned earlier. OnLive is a game streaming system similar to Steam and Direct2Drive, except with no installs. Instead, it uses a cloud-computing system to host the games at high speed over the internet. What this means for PC and Mac users is that many games will be able to run through the system on a computer well below the minimum technical specifications for installation. Anyone who has read this column knows how much I hate upgrading a computer because of the newest game releases – that above all is what made me switch to console gaming. The OnLive system uses an in-browser installation to link you to the system, where you then set up an account and purchase games. Games are handled through ‘Playpasses’ which can be purchased in 3 day, 5 day or full versions. Obviously catering to the rental crowd, the 3 and 5 day Playpasses allow full access from the time of purchase to the stated deadline. The full version allows full access for as long as the game is on the system (this is stated as ideally being for as long as people are playing the game, but at least 3 years after release in the worst case). OnLive is now offering to bridge the gap between PC/Mac gaming and console gaming with their MicroConsole. This new system is approximately the size of a portable hard drive, connecting to your TV and the internet to access the OnLive server. The MicroConsole allows the same instant access to gaming, accessing your same account and all the games you have purchased. Just like a console, the system uses a gamepad controller for gaming – making this a great way to have a cheap console as well as PC gaming. OnLive is currently offering a pre-order deal, $99 for the MicroConsole and a controller, with the system being released on December 2.
The thing that I am questioning about this OnLive system is the way that saved games and DRM are going to be handled. Ubisoft received a huge backlash with their system that stores gamers saved game files on the server, meaning no access or saving when the server is down. For playing on a PC/Mac, the save files could be stored on your computer, but what about the MicroConsole? The fact that the same games are playable between PC/Mac and the console makes me think the saved file must be stored on the server, otherwise switching systems would not carry over your progress in the game. As for DRM, I think I will always prefer to have a physical disk in my hand (or flash drives if we eventually get to that) rather than counting on an account on some server to remember that I did in fact purchase that game. At least with download and install systems, the servers are only really there in case you need to re-download or forget what your activation code is. I will definitely be looking into this system when it comes out, so stay tuned (I know you can’t tune a newspaper, but you get what I mean).
That is it for this issue, and for this term. Good luck on exams, and have a safe and fun holiday (don’t punch anyone in the face playing Kinect, or throw the Move across the room and destroy your TV). As always, Keep on Gaming.
Leave a Reply