OTOY Developing Server-Side 3D Rendering Technology
Forget upgrading your computer every 2 years to play the newest games. I think this is where PC gaming, hell maybe all gaming is going in the next 15-20+ years. Instead of buying a disk, installing gigs and gigs worth of data on your harddrive. All you do is load up your Internet browser and use plugins that you already have (flash, Java, ActiveX) and you have graphics more realistic than the PS3 or Xbox360 with no installing. Everything is steamed to you.
Basically what's happening is, The software, all the models, textures and everything is rendered on their supercomputers, it's turned into a video and streamed to you. It's PERFECT! almost..
Pros:
- Excellent graphics
- No compatibility issues, All you need to do is be stream high quality video.
- Publisher retains full control of the product. You can't break open the game and steal the models or textures, you can't crack the game because it doesn't even need a CD key, just a login and password.
Cons:
- lag - the high quality stream is about 250kbps
- LAG Ever tried playing warcraft while streaming 250kbps?
- LAGG!!! Not only are you streaming 250kbps and trying to send other data to control the stream, since EVERYTHING is server side, you won't see a response to your movement until you upload the command(up , down, left, right), it's rendered and streamed back to you. At least when you're lagging in WOW you can run around and when it catches up, you don't even notice because the server corrects the de-sync. With this, a lag spike pretty much disconnects you.
-Publisher retains full control of the product. You can't play the game offline. When the publisher decides to quit supporting the game, too bad you can't play it anymore.
This is a VERY early technology. Our current internet infrastructure just can't handle 100s/1000s of games like this, it's not until everything is fiber optic that we're gonna going to see this mainstream. The current applications are a perfect launching ground. They're virtual worlds created by one of the founders of myspace. I say they're perfect because there's no real action that needs to take place, It doesn't matter so much if there's a few MS lag between hitting the up arrow and seeing the character move, it doesn't matter if a lag spike hits because there's nothing to lose..
I'll probably have grandkids before this becomes a reality(I don't even have a GF now if you're wondering how long that will be.) But hell, I can't wait.( For awesome real time gaming that looks better than the transformers movie..) not to have grandkids...