• Home
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Ethics
  • Submissions
  • Contact Us

Grimag

  • Popular
  • #GamerGate
  • Topics
    • Culture
    • Industry
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Retro Games
    • Reviews
  • Submit An Article
Home OnLive Gaming Service Soon Going Offline

OnLive Gaming Service Soon Going Offline The two big problems OnLive couldn't overcome

Derek Baroni

Derek is in search of a real life Super Saiyan mode. He just needs to find the balls!

April 7, 2015 News
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

The OnLive cloud-based gaming service, based in Mountain View, CA, will be shutting down for good on April 30, 2015. At that point, all personal subscriber data will be deleted permanently. All OnLive hardware (console and controller) purchased before February 1, 2015 will not be refundable and is not compatible with any other gaming product or service. All user-owned software found on OnLive servers will also be gone forever. So, how did it come to this?

Why Is OnLive Shutting Down?

mystery onlive

Let’s take a look!

OnLive was made public in 2009 to elated praise from the dinosaur gaming media websites. The company’s estimated worth at the time was almost $2 billion. Yet all major video game publishers refused to let their games be hosted on OnLive. Though you could play a few genuine classics (that otherwise required extensive tinkering to make them work properly), OnLive mostly contained indie games, whose quality varied greatly.

onlive 2

OnLive allowed their users to play demos or full versions of any game from its catalog. Games themselves were hosted and run on computers located in OnLive’s data centers but were playable on any device that could stream HD video. The user of the service would send button presses and commands via the Internet connection to the game on the server and receive a response with perceptible, but otherwise manageable delay. It was supposed to be the next big thing.

onlive 3

The biggest problem with OnLive was the one thing beyond its control: user bandwidth. The service worked flawlessly in ideal broadband conditions, but few peoples’ Internet connections are perfect. OnLive’s solution to this was the death knell of the company.

To transmit the game content to the user via an average Internet connection, it has to be compressed first. High levels of compression wreak havoc on the video quality and cause sudden drops in frame rate or smudged pixels if the action moves too fast, the scenery is too colorful or the user’s bandwidth suddenly shrinks. Another problem was latency, which constantly hovered around 150 milliseconds, with a tendency to spike frequently. Combined, these two factors completely killed any immersion the player might have had in the game.

onlive cloud

Can cloud gaming work? Unless video games get the kind of respect they as interactive worlds deserve, definitely not. Video games have absolutely nothing in common with streaming video, which is a lesson OnLive learned the hard way. Video games are inherently immersive and this makes them fun. If a cloud-based gaming service can create this atmosphere of immersion, then the video quality and framerate don’t matter in the slightest. It’s not about innovation, it’s about engaging the player.

OnLive’s patents were purchased by Sony for an undisclosed sum and will probably be integrated in some fashion into the PlayStation Network. This means we’re likely to witness a new era of DRM dawning.

Read More: Leigh Alexander Leaves Gamasutra To Launch New Gaming Site ‘Offworld’

Apr 7, 2015Derek Baroni
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
How SJWs Took Over Science Fiction, And How They're Losing ControlAngry Joe Rages Against Nintendo Ripping Off YouTube Reviewers
More From Reaxxion
  • What Is Swatting?

  • Nintendo: An Unlikely Anti-SJW Hero

  • Why GameStop Is Here To Stay

Don't Miss Reaxxion's Best Articles!
Every Monday we send an email that recaps the week. Enter your first name and email below to make sure you don't miss out...

We guarantee 100% privacy
Your information will not be shared

Derek Baroni

Derek is in search of a real life Super Saiyan mode. He just needs to find the balls!

April 7, 2015 News
Top 5 Posts Of The Week

  • Parasite In City Is A Great H-Game That Is Full Of RapeParasite In City Is A Great H-Game That Is Full Of Rape

  • Why We Need To Fight Against Transgender AcceptanceWhy We Need To Fight Against Transgender Acceptance

  • Reddit And Imgur Staff Team Up To Shut Down “Fat People Hate” SubredditReddit And Imgur Staff Team Up To Shut Down “Fat People Hate” ...

  • How SJWs Took Over Science Fiction, And How They’re Losing ControlHow SJWs Took Over Science Fiction, And How They’re Losing Control

  • 25 Outfits That Are Now Banned From DOA 5: Last Round25 Outfits That Are Now Banned From DOA 5: Last Round

Amazing Email Newsletter
Don't miss a post! Every Monday we send an email that recaps the week. Enter your first name and email below to make sure you don't miss out on our best articles...
We guarantee 100% privacy
Your information will not be shared
Recent Posts
  • Reaxxion Is Closing
  • Crusader Kings II Will Steal All Your Free Time
  • Will Half-Life 3 Ever Be Released?
  • 3 Things Games Must Not Apologize For
  • Z Nation Is Actually Kind Of Awesome
RSS Newest Articles From Return Of Kings
  • Return Of Kings Is Going On Hiatus
  • How To Conquer Writer’s Block
  • 2 Signs To Identify A Liberal In Disguise
  • Comfort Will Not Give You Meaning In Life
  • The Devolution Of The West Can Be Seen Through Popular Sports
RSS Newest Articles From Roosh
  • Roosh Hour #63 – God’s Judgment
  • The Brave New World Has Been Realized
  • Western Medicine Is Dead
  • What Is Orthodox Christianity?
  • Why Does The Supermarket Play Pop Music?
RSS Latest Forum Threads
  • The Coming War with Iran
  • Roosh Hour #63 – God’s Judgment
  • COVID Passport thread
  • United Airlines wants 50% of its pilots to be black or female
  • The "Woke" Show/Movie Thread...
  • Will you take the vaccine?
© Kings Media 2014-2015 • About • Advertise • Submissions • Contact Us • Privacy Policy • Terms Of Service