OnLive has shown that it’s possible to play games with good graphics on a device that has little hardware power, which is possible due to cloud computing. We first saw the OnLive system and games in action at EuroGamer in London, and following this we’ve had a lot of hands-on time, which shows both the great potential and pitfalls like lag.

Hardcore gamers would find it hard to move from their dedicated machines like the Xbox 360 and PS3, which is mainly due to the delay when controlling a game powered from “the cloud”. Those that have used OnLive should notice the slight delay, which is more evident in racing games.


While we’re sure these issues will be fixed in time with better technology and increased broadband speeds, questions have been asked if it’s a good route for the Xbox 720 and PS4 to go? Should the next-gen games consoles include a hard drive, or one that is large?


In a recent article seen here, one blogger looks at different innovations for the next-gen systems, and they claim, “We don’t need a hard drive”. While we love cloud computing, to think it would be ready within 2 years seems a stupid idea, and this is without looking at the hardcore gamer, and if they’re ready to let go of hard drives just yet?


Do you think the PS4 and Xbox 720 need hard drives, and if so what size would you like? Are you ready for cloud gaming on the next-gen systems?

The idea of having all your save files somewhere else has its benefits, although we’d need to backup to a portable hard drive at least, but then do you really trust the security in the cloud, considering hackers in the news and the PSN issues not long ago? Can the cloud really be “hack-proof”?


If you haven’t used OnLive yet, we recommend you do so as it’s really impressive but in our opinion, the next Xbox and PS4 need a hard drive. You may also want to read the opinion of one popular gaming website, which claims the Xbox 720 is already here thanks to the new Xbox 360 dashboard. It’s a strange line of thought, but have a read and let us know what you think.

Posted: Dec 28, 2011 10:59 am

Source: http://www.inentertainment.co.uk/20111228/ps4-and-xbox-720-need-hard-drives/