Recently there has been a lot of buzz about Onlive and cloud gaming in general and I have found myself contemplating the pros and cons about this type of system. For those not familiar with cloud gaming/computing, it is a new method of computing in which all the heavy computing is done by an advanced server and your computer just simply connects through the internet to provide interactivity with the software. Essentially, as long as your computer can run YouTube, you can play any game that the cloud server has pre-installed regardless of your computers system. So what would the impact be of such a system?

Pros

1) Mass appeal: No longer will people have to worry about whether they have the right video card or enough memory to run the game of their choice. Crysis comes to mind as a game in which I would have loved to play, but my computer might have literally caught on fire. I actually bought the Conan MMO only to have it be the most expensive paper weight when my computer (even though it should have technically been able to run it) got no further than the opening cinematic. If you own a computer that is able to surf the internet without bogging down its system, you can cloud game. Onlive will also provide a meager system in case you do not own a computer.

2) Developer Freedom: I don't know about the rest of this community, but sometimes I get a little annoyed with developers or producers complaining about one system or another. The cases of Naughty Dog claiming that it is impossible to bring Uncharted 2 to the 360 (which is most likely true) or Activision threatening not to support the PS3 unless the price point come down come to mind immediately. Developers can simply make games how they choose so long as it can run on these super servers, which supposedly can run anything, and they no longer have to focus on making frame rates work for each system or toning down graphics or content to work with limited disk space.

3) Couch Shopping: All games will be available to you from your couch or anywhere you game. Want a new game? Just get online and head on over to the store and purchase whatever game you would like. You can also demo each game before you buy.

4) No more piracy: Let me start off by saying I am not judging anyone who pirates a game. To each his own and so on and so forth, but the fact remains that piracy can sink a ship, just look at Spore. People deserve to get paid for hard work and dedication. This could even result in lower game prices since a percentage of lost sales will no longer have to be built into price points.

Cons

1) You don't physically own anything: This will probably be the biggest problem with cloud gaming. I personally do not hold onto any of my game collections, I resell them to fund my newer purchases and reduce the cost of my addicting habit. I will no longer own anything to sell. I will simply be paying for the right to play a game on a server for however long that game is available on that server. This also poses a problem for those who never resell their games and like to look at a large book case filled with every game they have ever purchased.

2) Lag issues: Have you ever tried to play a baseball game online? Unless you possess the ability to foresee the near future like Nicolas Cage in Next, good luck hitting that four seam fastball. Until a better infrastructure is laid out for internet speeds, be it more advanced fiber optic systems or whatnot, there will always be some form of lag. Though this isn't a major issue in some MMOs, it becomes a big issue in other types of games, most notably sports. Maybe there is a solution I am not aware of, but as far as I know, this will always be an issue with online gaming.

3) Barrier to entry: Not everyone owns a computer and, more importantly, not everyone pays for broadband internet. Some people purchase consoles solely for the single player experience without ever signing onto PSN or XBL (I won't even mention the Wii and online in the same sentence for fear of being smote by Al Gore, the internet god. Damnit, I just did!!). So what happens if cloud gaming becomes dominant? What if Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo all decide that it is no longer cost effective to make consoles and just focus on developing cloud titles? There is a small niche of gamers who will either have to eat the cost of broadband to play game or just outright get screwed. An even scarier scenario is what if Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo all decide to start their own cloud servers? Instead of console wars, we'll have cloud wars. It will be a virtual hurricane and consumers may end up paying subscription fees with each in order to play all of their favorite games. I just got a chill up my spine…

All in all, I am excited for cloud gaming. I own every console, but I sorely miss the PC market ever since my computer died. I plan to get a new computer by the end of this year, but with Onlive, I may be able to get a cheaper PC or Mac and still be able to play those video card taxing titles. I do see this scenario costing more for the casual gamer, be it from no resale's or the need for faster connection speed, but the possibilities are near endless when you give developers free reign to do whatever they want and still be able to achieve mass appeal. This is the future of gaming, but can the wrinkles be ironed out?

1) Earthrise

After World War III, mankind is forced to repopulate and develop new technologies in order to survive. As a result, man has become immortal through a method of implanting ones digital mind into clones. When the single world government becomes corrupt and plays god, a shadow government called the Noir begins to form a resistance. With a skill based system and solid PvP system, Earthrise will be sure to consume many long hours of gamers' lives.

2) The Agency

This shooter MMO promises fast paced action for all those who love espionage and the crazy little gadgets that 007 uses on the silver screen. Play as a suave Brosnan-esque spy with sophisticated sty|e or as the brawling Craig-type spy that isn't scared to get down and dirty. The agency promises to be a fun and different take on the MMO genre that will slowly eat bank accounts with monthly subscriptions.

3) The Secret World

Playing as one of the three secret factions, The Templars, Illuminati, and Dragons, you fight the forces of evil from an ancient past. With no c|ass system, you will focus on building up your supernatural powers in real life environments, along with some fictional ones. Scared of the boogie man? You'll get your revenge in this hit on both the PC and 360.

4) Torchlight

With the success of its little brother, the loot based RPG, new interest has been sparked for this MMO. With its artistic and sharp sty|e free to play format, and support from an items shop, this MMO promises to be on many peoples' favorite list on release.

5) Planeshift

I can honestly tell you very little about this game, but one thing that has been proven over and over again is that the public can program great games. Look at Counterstrike and the many mods to all our favorite games. Planeshift is an open source project in which anyone can help program for this title. Since it will be free to play, I expect great things from this release.

6) DC Universe Online

Scared of all things yellow? Well your not alone. In DC Universe, you can party with the Green Lantern and live all your crazy fantasy of turning mustard green. An MMO with the DC comics license promises to have a large fan base on release. Customize your own super heros, or super villains, and fight alongside you favorite DC comic book characters.

7) Guild Wars II

With its beautiful graphics, skill based system, large fan base, and a subscription free format, Guild Wars II will pick up right where its predecessor left off. The Charr don't stand a chance as soon as the legion of pre-pubescent kids flock to this title and carry on their previous characters.

Final Fantasy XIV

I don't know what it is about Final Fantasy, but I buy anything with the title. Once again I will travel the plains of Vana'diel on my yellow feathery steed. The previous title was a very difficult and punishing MMO that offered a great challenge and I welcome the new addition and will be awaiting my first cactuar encounter.

9) Blizzard's Unannounced MMO

If I had a picture of this MMO, I wouldn't just post it on this blog. I would sell it for big money. Blizzard, a company that doesn't know how to make bad games and craps solid gold eggs, is at it again with an "original" licensed MMO. The day this gets released can not come soon enough.

10) Star Wars: The Old Republic

Need I say more? Star Wars universe, lore, and fan base; BioWare's near perfect track record with RPGs; Clone Wars like graphics that will withstand the test of time much like WoW's cartoony sty|e. Unless something very bad goes wrong, this game is in position to dethrone WoW in the MMO arena. I am literally buying a new computer solely for the purpose of being able to run this game at max settings. Sith Warrior anyone? How about a Jedi Knight. One lightsaber or two?

Has anyone else found themselves with not enough time to play the games they love?

Right now I am focussed almost entirely on Borderlands. I'm not too far, lvl 15, but I find the style of the game highly addicting and I think this might be the first game that I will strive to fulfill the 1000 gamerscore. But I also have Demon's Souls, which I have started and want to get back to but just don't have the time. On top of that, I want to play Dragon Age, MW2, and others. If anyone out there has designs for a time machine...fill me in. I need more hours in a day...