Richard Branson touts revolutionary PC game download servic

[News Reader]

Richard Branson touts revolutionary PC game download service
Filed under: PC, Business
"This is a really exciting development for us, as it gives us the opportunity to do for PC games what iTunes has done for music," says Virgin mega boss, Richard Branson. We've all heard that one before, but Branson promises that his take on digitally distributed PC games will rely on top-notch technology to push it into the mainstream market. MCV reports that Virgin Games and Game Domain International have unveiled plans for a distribution platform called A World of My Own (AWOMO).

A woah mow? The service is described as a 3D virtual world (likely the interface) built upon several key features, including quick download speeds -- supposedly you'll get your games in minutes, not hours -- and better security. Branson even goes as far as to say that the proposed technology will "revolutionise how the mass market will play games, and will give them more choice for less money." Koch Media has already pledged its support.

Though it will be interesting to see just how the technology gets around download speeds (barring an artificial size limit, as was present in Xbox Live Arcade until a while ago), that factor alone won't be enough to break into a mass market already targeted by the likes of Gametap and Steam. Content is, as always, key. Until Virgin and GDI unveil a library of games and real specifics, their revolutionary proposition remains nebulous at best.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Author: Ludwig Kietzmann
Category: Game Domain InternationalGameDomainInternationalGametapRichard BransonRichardBransonSteamVirgin
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Source: Joystiq
Description: Joystiq

[Woo Elephant Yeah]

Sounds interesting, all ties in nicely with the new Virgin Media brand (aka the takeover of telewest/ntl recently)

[Dog Pants]

The service is described as a 3D virtual world (likely the interface) built upon several key features, including quick download speeds -- supposedly you'll get your games in minutes

So, you have an interface like Second Shite to go and find the stuff you want to download? No thanks.

it will be interesting to see just how the technology gets around download speeds

Indeed. Call me cynical but I can't see it happening.

[pixie pie]

Indeed. Call me cynical but I can't see it happening.

I guess they could do it if you're a subscriber to Virgin media, as they provide the cable link to your house. For example a digital television channel has approx 20Megabit link to get the data across. (I'm doing a physics research project on television). Might drag more customers to Virgin-(NTL)-Wank.

[Fear]

There isn't a way. It can only be as fast as your interwebs Shirley?

Sounds like a load of made up crap to confuse mongs - anyone with a slight understanding of things would be put off by being lied to. Like I am.

[Dr. kitteny berk]

There isn't a way. It can only be as fast as your interwebs Shirley?

Sounds like a load of made up crap to confuse mongs - anyone with a slight understanding of things would be put off by being lied to. Like I am.

Actually, i suspect pixie may be onto something.

Cable connections are generally artificially limited, so it might just be that they're gonna cheat by uncapping speeds from certain sources.

[Fear]

In which case I will be instead be put off by not living in a cable area.

I suppose they could uncap certain content, perhaps even decentralise it over the network a little - but I was under the impression there was less bandwidth available on cable than ever because they have allocated practically all of it to HDTV and such.

[FatherJack]

Actually, i suspect pixie may be onto something.

Cable connections are generally artificially limited, so it might just be that they're gonna cheat by uncapping speeds from certain sources.

Agreed, the bit about it being really fast suggests they will either cache partial content of "this weeks featured games" or open up the throttle for delivery of purchased items.

Keeping it very asynchronous, and restricting things like peer-to-peer traffic, or even rectricting anything not directly related to their content-delivery system would make this achievable - think how much data is being sent right now via digital television's hundreds of channels. With a client that could pick up and assemble the stream at any time during the "transmission", it's do-able - although as Fear notes, it's uncertain how well it would sit with simultaneous TV-delivery.

It's just the overall service, with strict limitations on activities not directly related to their game provision might not suit all, perhaps not even most gamers.

[pixie pie]

In which case I will be instead be put off by not living in a cable area.

This for myself.

Yet still, because they would be running the games download service themselves, not just routing to another website, they can store the data central to themselves making it much easier to give you a direct connection to their datacentrey stuff.

Although, yet again through not having cable myself, are Virgin-(NTL)-Wank running on fibre or multiple copper wires? Because if it were fibre, then it would be purely limited by the hardware on each end, not the connections, copper wires and there would be a limit; especially considering distances covered.

[Fear]

The cable 'back-bone' is fibre, then from the box in your street it becomes coax I think. It might become coax another step back, not entirely sure.

Optics do have limits depending on length, quality, age, attenuation, number of supported modes, etc.

[Anhamgrimmar]

Wasnt there something about only d/ling the bits you need to play? something like splitting the game up into say the first 2 SP sets of maps/skins/sounds/scripts, so that you can 'play' the game, and the rest of the game will downloaded as you play. sort of like playing a demo that gets bigger and bigger, until you have the whole game.

guess it'd suck for multiplayer, but it might work for singleplayer

[Lateralus]

It always bemuses me slightly that people have to play the newest game as quickly as they possibly can, to the point where they don't even want to wait for it to fully download! It doesn't exactly take a lot of patience! Go have a pot noodle, a wank and a sleep and then play the game.

[Chickenz]

Go have a pot noodle, a wank and a sleep and then play a game.

Sounds like my plan for after lunch.

[Dog Pants]

Go have a pot noodle, a wank and a sleep and then play the game.

Agreed though. Although I can't remember the last time I bought a game the day it came out. Or the last time I had a Pot Noodle for that matter.

[mrbobbins]

Sounds like my plan for after lunch.

You're gonna have a pot noodle after lunch

[friznit]

Agreed though. Although I can't remember the last time I bought a game the day it came out. Or the last time I had a Pot Noodle for that matter.

...

[Lateralus]

You're gonna have a pot noodle after lunch

Well it certainly doesn't count as food.

[spoodie]

It always bemuses me slightly that people have to play the newest game as quickly as they possibly can

Oblivion runs a bit shit on my current PC. My plan is to try again once I've upgraded over the next month or so, that's a fairly long time to wait.

Also I've just started playing this 7 year old game which I am enjoying a lot: http://www.mobygames.com/game/giants-citizen-kabuto

[Dog Pants]

Oblivion runs a bit shit on my current PC. My plan is to try again once I've upgraded over the next month or so, that's a fairly long time to wait.

Also I've just started playing this 7 year old game which I am enjoying a lot: http://www.mobygames.com/game/giants-citizen-kabuto

I noticed that. I played Giants when it came out and it was pretty good - genuinely funny too. But then I did something and it never worked again. I wouldn't mind giving it another go now that it stands a decent chance of working.

[FatherJack]

I got it free two or three graphics cards ago, I had trouble in about the first misison where you had to hover and collect stuff. Annoyed me and I never went back - might have given it more of a chance if I'd paid for it.