A new cloud-based video game company will launch this June when OnLive begins service with games for console gamers.
The use of OnLive, which is similar to Microsoft's Xbox Live or Sony's PlayStation Network, allows OnLive users to access a very controlled environment in which they can review and purchase games.
Instead of forcing customers to pay for a video game immediately, there is a payment plan that offers little chunks of the game when needed. Users can, of course, also purchase the game outright if they wish to.
According to OnLive, game studios receive $27 from a $60 retail game; other money is distributed into licenses, retailers, manufacturing related to the games, etc. Publishers can partner with OnLive and these other companies, which lets them increase profit by reducing the number of middlemen and cost-prohibitive methods in use today.
The new service was officially introduced during the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, an annual event that lets smaller game studios and developers show off their products. Two other companies also showed off cloud-based technologies, with on-demand game downloads expected to become even more popular this year.
A different service unveiled during GDF, dubbed InstantAction, offers social networking and additional features that make it an ideal place to chat with others.
Most gamers prefer to have a physical copy of a game, which is most often stored on a DVD nowadays. There has also been talk about some PC games launching on Blu-ray, although the lack of PC Blu-ray drive penetration in the consumer market has stalled the use of the medium.
Are you interested in an online-only gaming platform, with no physical disc to own?
