When we first announced the HP Firebird, a few people were skeptical about the performance prowess of the system. Could such a small and slim form factor really have what it takes to handle gaming? Minus the super-demanding games, we knew that that the system was as capable as some of its more beefy counterparts at playing popular titles. Our friends over at CNET, Digital Trends and the Houston Chronicle seemed to agree.
It appears that we’re not the only ones flying against the face of conventional gaming. A lot of hype has been building around OnLive, a new gaming service that provides access to popular game titles without the necessity of owning a costly computer or console. That’s right, with OnLive, there is no need to spend $5,000 on a gaming system. The OnLive distribution model lets you play any title on any device, and it streams it over the home broadband network. Everything runs off their server and all you need is Internet access, and everything is subscription based. You can check out the official announcement at GDC here.
If services like OnLive catch on, could it mark the end of the road for the four foot high behemoths many of us have on – or under – our desks? I believe that some gamers will be reluctant to give up on their digital arms race. But the rest of us will start looking for a middle ground between performance, cost and even things like energy efficiency. New research from Jon Peddie seems to support the idea.
What do you guys think? Will you ever give up your big gaming rig for something more energy efficient?
- Brian (BZGuy002)
