14 DAY TRIAL // Cloud-based gaming has been causing muttering all over the world, ever since NVIDIA came up with the GeForce GRID graphics accelerator and said it was made for gaming servers. LG is now releasing TVs that can play cloud games.
And by cloud games we don't just mean the sort of small-scale games like on Miniclip, but actual titles on par with PC and console ones.
All the software is installed on Ubitus servers that can be accessed through GameNow. LG managed to score a deal there.
Owners of an LG Smart TV will only need to buy a gamepad. The list of supported game controllers includes Joytron Rumble Power and Rumble Power2, and Logitech’s F310, F510, F710, and Rumble-Pad2.
The LG TVs currently part of the program are the LA7900, LA8600, and LA9600 sets.
“LG is constantly striving to bring consumers the best home entertainment experience possible directly through LG Smart TVs,” said Richard Choi, senior vice president of the smart business center at LG Electronics.
“By utilizing GameNow gaming technology powered by Ubitus in our latest Smart TV lineup,our customers can enjoy blockbuster video games on demand without purchasing a dedicated gaming console.”
It might sound amazing, but GameNow is, at the moment, a free service. Sadly, this will change by the middle of June.
The games currently up for playing are Test Driver Unlimited 2, Blade Kitten, Fighter X Tekken, Resident Evil, and Devil May Cry. Which is to say, both single-player and multiplayer titles, complete with social support. The GameNow store allows pre-purchase trials of 30 minutes per title.
LG TVs will need a connection of at least 3 Mbps for lag not to be crippling.
“We are thrilled to team up with LG to make cloud gaming an integral part of the new consumer TV experience,” said Wesley Kuo, CEO of Ubitus. “We believe consumers will be amazed at how effortless it is to enjoy console-quality games directly and instantly on their LG Smart TVs. Select, click and ready to play, just like the way they’ve been enjoying video-on-demand services.”