Today, we received the amazing news about the new OnLive system. For those who don’t know about OnLive, it is being deemed the next step, the next generation, in gaming. The gaming press is already deeming this new system the death of the game console. I think that’s a bit premature, when the system isn’t even set to be released until this winter (if the release isn’t pushed back).

OnLive is the brainchild of Steve Perlman and Mike McGarvey. If you don’t know the name Perlman, you might know the name WebTV. Perlman’s the man behind that, too. At the time, WebTV was kind of revolutionary. You could browse the internet, sort of, through your TV. Well now, OnLive is bringing gaming directly to your TV and computer. It’s like WebTV for gaming only its supposed to be a lot more high tech.

My girlfriend, Ashtyn, had a WebTV system and she hated it. She bought it because it was supposed to be as good as using a computer. It didn’t take long before she was buying a computer instead. It’s not that I’m a skeptic about OnLive. I’m just wondering if all the hype is for something that’s going to be too good to be true.

The way OnLive works is through servers. You play games hosted on the servers. The service is also going to be a lot more community based. Basically, you must have an internet connection and as long as it is a broadband connection with a speed of at least 1.5 Mbps, its being said you’ll be able to access the servers seamlessly. This is supposed to have high level graphic support on par with most consoles, even if your own computer doesn’t have the best graphic card.

For HD quality, you’re looking at a broadband connection of 4 to 5 Mbps. This is going to limit HD quality to the majority of Americans who purchase the system. If you want this quality, you’re going to have to find a way to upgrade your connection or miss out. That’s just the way it is.

Other “benefits” of OnLive include regular upgrades to the servers where the games are hosted. This means no upgrades to the hardware are needed. That’s pretty standard for gaming systems today, though consoles require downloads for updates. For an update on OnLive, there is no download required. This even makes playing game demos much easier, with no need to download them. Just connect to the servers and have at it!

Additionally, OnLive is already working with some of the big name gaming companies, such as Ubisoft and Electronic Arts. Excluding Sony and Nintendo, who manufacture for their own systems, the one big player holding out as of now is Activision, but Perlman is sure they’ll broker a deal with the company sooner, rather than later.

OnLive can be played on a PC with Windows XP or Vista and on Mac with OS X. There is also the option of playing on an HDTV. This is through a hookup called a MicroConsole, which sounds exactly like what it is. This supports HDMI, optical outs, and BlueTooth, which will be used primarily for video chatting on the system. Pricing for the MicroConsole is being boasted, by Perlman as the “least expensive console, but the most powerful one ever made; and it’s always state of the art.”

It’s a bit presumptuous to call it the most powerful console ever made. How’s that for an ego stroke? We won’t know what its like here in Middle America until we actually get to check out OnLive. Chances are, that won’t be happening until sometime in the summer and as stated previously, the system is slated as being released to the general public sometime this winter. This is supposedly seven years in the making, and its supposed to make its grand debut. Lets just hope it can live up to all the hype.

What I worry about, more than anything, is accessibility for users. Not everyone has a connection fast enough to play on the OnLive servers. Granted, the majority of Americans do, but consoles make themselves accessible to anyone, so long as you have a television (which nearly everyone in the United States has). OnLive is cutting itself off to the poorest of gamers, and that, in my opinion, is just not cool.

Add in the fact that servers do crash and there might be a problem. I don’t know exactly how OnLive plans to compensate for the massive amount of traffic that will want to be accessing and playing games. Supposedly, this system is supposed to feature little to no lag. Preliminary testing and demos for the press have shown games played effortlessly, even with less than high tech computer systems being used. Still, this is with practically no one accessing the servers. How is access by millions of users at one time going to affect lag times without crashing the servers? I’d be interested to know OnLive’s plan for this.

Sure, everything sounds exciting and hunky dory, but there are still a few too many questions about OnLive and its true capabilities to get me too excited before I see the system in action. I’ve been told to never count your chickens before they hatch, and I think this applies well to how I feel about OnLive. The system has the potential for great possibilities. I’m just not sure how OnLive plans to pull off the execution of all that it could be capable of doing.

What do you think of the new system? Feel free to share your thoughts by leaving a comment.

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