Is Cloud Gaming the Future?

Yet another company, GameString, is about to launch a cloud gaming service. According to their website, it will give gamers access to 3D games on their browsers as well as the possibility to share gameplay with other people on the Web.

OnLive is already on the market with a solution that enables players to access games remotely through PCs or proprietary micro-consoles.

Gaikai, another company that offers cloud-based gaming, wants to revolutionize game advertising by offering demos that can be played immediately in a browser, without any download.

Is cloud gaming the future for the videogaming industry?

If these solutions are commercially successful, they will up-end the gaming market by making expensive consoles and PCs unnecessary for hardcore gaming. Also, if broadband providers support these services and package them with their offerings, these new gaming companies will be able to reach critical mass in a few years. However, we do not believe that cloud based gaming will ever replace game consoles, which have become powerful media hubs that offer much more than gaming. More likely, cloud-based gaming will be yet another option for people interested in games who have less time and money to spend on traditional boxed games.