Scientist bids to transform video game market

A FORMER principal scientist at Apple and the founder of WebTV says his new company is set to radically transform the $46 billion (€34bn) worldwide video game market.

Steve Perlman also predicts the demise of the video game console, where Nintendo’s Wii, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s PlayStation 3 consoles can cost hundreds of euro.

The Silicon Valley veteran this week unveiled his new company, OnLive, that will challenge the big three console makers by providing a “cloud-based” gaming system promising on-demand access to games and no lag time.

The company said its service will allow users to play games on any TV and almost any personal computer — even PCs without graphics processors.

A console slightly larger than an iPhone connects TVs and broadband connections to the OnLive service, and is operated via a wireless controller. OnLive delivers games run on servers in the “cloud”, rather than locally on a PC or a console.

OnLive has deals with 10 publishers to provide new game titles when they hit the shelves.

Heavyweights such as Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Take Two, and THQ have signed on.

“When you want to play a game, you just click a button and it plays instantly,” said Perlman, OnLive’s founder and chief executive. “It’s that simple.”

He said OnLive allows complex and graphically rich games to play with outstanding performance on even low-end PCs or Macs.

The company expects to launch its service next year. Although OnLive did not release details on pricing, it will follow a subscription model and Perlman said it will be “significantly” cheaper than consoles.