Gadget, Mobile Phone, Computer Blog

Music and movies can be streamed over the Internet. Now, imagine a supersvelte thin-client box that streams HD games in real time over the Internet. Pay a subscription fee and it can run the latest games at reasonably high resolutions on your TV, PC or Mac. We just saw it. A new streaming online game system introduced by Steve Perlman -Technology Entrepreneur-. It’s called On Live.

This box has a couple USB 2.0 ports, Bluetooth support, optical audio and HDMI out jacks. The OnLive “microconsole” doesn’t have much in the CPU-wise, but it just let us play Crysis at 720p on an oversized HDTV.

Seven years in the works, brings the concept of “cloud computing”, OnLive says it has developed a way to stream video games without any lag, allowing remote computers to do the heavy processing while users play on simple PCs or televisions that have an Internet connection.

For players, OnLive offers us the chance to get into the game without having to plunk down hundreds of dollars for a console or high-end gaming PC and without worrying about downloads, discs or eventual hardware upgrades. For publishers, the service provides a piracy-proof way to deliver games to users, bypassing traditional brick-and-mortar retailers.

OnLive plans to launch its service this winter for monthly subscription fees. Most big-name game publishers, like THQ, Electronic Arts Inc., Ubisoft, Take-Two Interactive Software Inc., Eidos Interactive Ltd. and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.

Sony Computer Entertainment America said it was not concerned with the threat posed by OnLive. “With both digitally distributed and disk-based content, we have a competitive offering for consumers, whether they are tethered to the Internet or not,” said Patrick Seybold, a spokesman for Sony. “We’re confident in our approach and have a proven legacy that validates our long term value proposition.”

Which brings up a good point: just how fast does our internet need to be in order to get an enjoyable experience out of OnLive? For 720p HD video, OnLive requires a high-speed broadband connection rated at 5Mbps; standard-def video can swing as low as 1.5 Mbps. How many people really hit that magic data speed connection? Will it work wirelessly? At the local Starbucks?