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Internet killed the video game star?

It’s being called the console killer, the next generation of video game systems that will allow people to access top-end games without the need of an expensive console or PC with a high-grade graphics card.

It’s being called the console killer, the next generation of video game systems that will allow people to access top-end games without the need of an expensive console or PC with a high-grade graphics card.

The system is called OnLive, a small box the size of a pack of cards that will allow you to stream games through the Internet directly to your HDTV or PC. Because all the data is held on servers, there is no need for a PC with a powerful graphics card nor an expensive console and games running $60 apiece. Enhanced compression technology means the games will be sent to your home just as crisp and fast as any console. OnLive is boasting an unprecedented online experience and Bluetooth technology will allow online chatting. Finally, and the final nail in the coffin, it will cost less than the Nintendo Wii.

With a wide array of the world’s best developers already lining up to allow access to their best titles, at first glance it certainly looks like the potential is there to make the Microsoft/Sony feud seem like a thing of the past. OnLive is cheaper, more convenient and has all the features of the best of console gaming experiences.

But will OnLive really replace the disc-based industry? Does OnLive represent an end to the console war? Alas, no. It is simply a more convenient way of playing PC games without the hassle of upgrading graphics cards and systems.

The greatest reason why OnLive is not a console killer is because you won’t be able to play every console game out there. Due to DRM (digital rights management) for proprietary titles, gamers won’t be able to play console exclusives on the OnLive system. Only PC games will be available.

Now it’s true that many of the most popular console games eventually become ported to the PC, but they are usually released months after the console version, and it’s never a guarantee that the PC version will be as good.

There is also the appeal of having a physical element to the gaming experience. For the same reason that ebooks have not killed books and for the same reason that digital media has not killed CDs or DVDs, this “console” will not be a console killer. Gamers often enjoy having a physical backup of the game they play, either in disc or on hard drive.

There is also something to be said for the video game ritual. Personally, there is a certain beauty to the experience of waiting hours in line for a game, tearing open the packaging, reading the instruction book cover to cover before popping the game into my beloved console and sitting, wide-eyed and salivating, on the edge of my couch as the opening sequence blows my mind.

Having said that, imagine never having to worry about your $500 machine crashing. Imagine never having to worry about upgrading your PC in order to stay on top of the latest games. Imagine never having to worry about downloading patches to fix game hiccups. There are certainly a wealth of benefits to this new system and the potential future it foreshadows. Whether OnLive will take gaming successfully one step towards a fully online video game industry, only time will tell when the system is released this winter.

When he’s not teaching junior high, St. Albert Catholic High School alumnus Derek Mitchell spends his free time connected to his video game consoles.

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