Commentary – Page 49

Onlive: Gaming in the Cloud review

Just before Xmas I was contacted by a PR agent for the new BT Onlive Service. Onlive is one of the “big two” cloud gaming services and happens to be the one having received investment from BT and being bundled with some of BTs other premium services with their broadband offering. (The other cloud gaming … Continue reading “Onlive: Gaming in the Cloud review”

Just before Xmas I was contacted by a PR agent for the new BT Onlive Service.

Onlive is one of the “big two” cloud gaming services and happens to be the one having received investment from BT and being bundled with some of BTs other premium services with their broadband offering. (The other cloud gaming service is Gaikai).

A few days after agreeing to post a review, I received a new Onlive Microconsole in the post. As it arrived just before Xmas day, there was much speculation on the service and how it would work. The requirements for Onlive are pretty basic:

minimum 2 Mbps internet connection (5 Mbps recommended)

and that’s pretty much it. My internet runs at 6.5 Mbps downstream (real world about 5 Mbps) and 700 Kbps upstream (real world about 600 Kbps) and with a latency of about 40 ms. So you’d think I should be fine for this. For a good discussion of the other sources of latency – including the latency of your TV display, see Eurogamer.

But, this is from the Onlive help on Latency:

The lower the better, but if your “ping” result is much more than 25 ms, we do not recommend using it for online gaming.

Oh crap.

So I did a traceroute test:

mycomputer:~ me$ traceroute bt.com traceroute to bt.com (62.239.237.1), 64 hops max, 52 byte packets 1 skyrouter.home (192.168.0.1) 1.225 ms 0.689 ms 0.709 ms 2 bm5.niba-dhcp.isp.sky.com (94.9.207.62) 22.532 ms 23.585 ms 23.632 ms 3 10.245.166.241 (10.245.166.241) 22.570 ms 22.977 ms 22.726 ms 4 89.200.131.173 (89.200.131.173) 38.261 ms 39.105 ms 35.741 ms 5 linx7.ukcore.bt.net (195.66.224.56) 94.604 ms 35.891 ms 39.608 ms ...

So, really, I can’t even make it to the BT Core network without incurring over 35 ms of latency, which means my connection is too ‘laggy’ for Onlive. I checked with some friends on BT Infinity and their connections incur about 25-28 ms on BT Infinity to the BT core network. That’s much better and obviously the bulk of my latency is eaten up in the transition from the Sky network to the BT core network. I’m a bit annoyed because it is part of BT’s Wholesale ADSL offering. Bah.

Anyway.

The Microconsole requires a HDTV with a HDMI connection and there’s a client that can access the service which runs on Windows, Macintosh and Android. While there is an Onlive Viewer for the iPad, it’s not going to permit you to play games because Apple would demand 30% of any revenue. Yes, Onlive could work around it the way that Amazon has worked around the Kindle. Yes, Apple are being unreasonable. Let’s just leave it at that.

And then I was greeted by

You’ll note the setup is extremely simple. I have two bugbears.

The power socket is pretty much the same size as the hole for the sound jack. That flummoxed me for a minute. My own fault but still.
No WiFi built-in. What a pain in the ass. This means I have to either run CAT5 to my TV or use a PowerLine adapter. What sort of system doesn’t have WiFi?

This was followed by an email to support and this is the first real frustration; it took 24 hours to get a reply. Any enthusiasm for playing the console had completely deserted my son as soon as the initial excitement died. It took me a little troubleshooting but I figured out that my 14Mbps PowerLine adapters needed to be replaced with 200 Mbps adapters as the former weren’t transferring enough bandwidth.

So, eventually I got it running.

The selection is okay. For a family with a lot of consoles (we have PC, Mac, PS3, XBOX 350 and Wii as well as iOS devices) then the immediacy promised is an improvement over options like Steam or the XBOX Marketplace, PlayStation Store or other App Stores.

Gameplay - M4V video, H.264 encoded, 11 MB

Cons:

It eats bandwidth. Which means no Youtube for the wife when it’s running and I’d even discourage other less intensive uses of the network.
Latency issues mean that what you see is not timed with your reactions. For games where reaction time is important (i.e. most of them), I found this maddening.
They take payments by card but if a PIN is required, it’s not eligible. Which rules out pretty much every Debit card in the UK. Maybe they should sell cards at the checkout in Tesco?
No login, no play. This is a worse system than the extremely draconian Steam DRM (which means you can’t play two games you own at the same time on different computers) – it just means you can’t play at all.

Pros:

You can decide to ‘rent’ a new game like Arkham City for 3 days (for £3.99), 5 days (for £5.99) or permanently (for £34.99). That’s comparable to video game rentals and outright purchase. (Arkham City is cheaper at £29.95 from Amazon but you have to wait.)
There are free trials available for just about every game which allow you to pay the game instantly for 30 minutes. That’s better than a demo or crippleware.
The Playpack Bundle which provides 135 games for £6.99 a month is incredible value. You also get a 30% discount on all other games if you subscribe. It includes games like Fallout, Fallout 2, Supreme Commander, Bioshock, Borderlands.

Conclusion: it’s not really for me at the moment. I’m enough of a twitch-gamer that I need every second of latency to allow me to play the game properly. In shooters, this level of latency would just be unacceptable. Even Izaak, 10, whose reactions in games tend to be a little slower due to inexperience, found it irritating. It would, however, be an awesome service for a game publisher to tap into if you couldn’t be bothered putting out a demo level. And for gamers who don’t want to bother with downloading demos, why not try the full game for 30 minutes.

But I don’t think know if this is a permanent conclusion. I have standard BT Wholesale ADSL in the house because BT Infinity has not been rolled out to my area yet (the BT Exchange is enabled but … the doowhangle isn’t connected to the gazwhingie). Maybe Infinity has better latency? If it does, then I’d certainly re-consider.

Onlive has UK servers so if your ping latency is less than 25 ms then I think you should try Onlive with the Playpack Bundle. The console is £69.95 retail and you get free access to the Playpack for the first three months. You can also sign onto Onlive with a Mac or PC or Android tablet by just downloading a client. Give it a go and if you find the latency to be acceptable, then please let me know in the comments?

Just be aware: No Wifi so you have to run a cable. A bad connection means no games (use pingtest.net to check). Prices are not really cheaper.

Other Reviews:

wee doors banging: Online with Onlive

Totally Unscientific Broadband Test: BT20

Service Ping Download Upload Sky, fixed line broadband: 60 ms 1.74 Mbps 0.51 Mbps iPhone, on Three mobile: 106 ms 2.14 Mbps 1.71 Mbps iPad on Vodafone mobile: 139 ms 4.43 Mbps 1.15 Mbps No editorial necessary. Related posts: The Broadband Blueprint (re DETI Telecoms Consultation) Your definition of broadband is wrong. Onlive: Gaming in … Continue reading “Totally Unscientific Broadband Test: BT20”

Service	Ping	Download	Upload
Sky, fixed line broadband:	60 ms	1.74 Mbps	0.51 Mbps
iPhone, on Three mobile:	106 ms	2.14 Mbps	1.71 Mbps
iPad on Vodafone mobile:	139 ms	4.43 Mbps	1.15 Mbps

No editorial necessary.

Northern Ireland has excellent broadband.

Due to multi-million pound investment, Northern Ireland has the best broadband in Europe. Apparently. We just moved from Belfast (BT5) where I was getting around 3-4 Mbps of bandwidth (and no ability to get BT Infinity) to Bangor (BT20) where I’m now getting about 1.8 Mbps of bandwidth (and no ability to get BT Infinity). … Continue reading “Northern Ireland has excellent broadband.”

Due to multi-million pound investment, Northern Ireland has the best broadband in Europe. Apparently.

We just moved from Belfast (BT5) where I was getting around 3-4 Mbps of bandwidth (and no ability to get BT Infinity) to Bangor (BT20) where I’m now getting about 1.8 Mbps of bandwidth (and no ability to get BT Infinity).

Service has definitely gotten worse rather than better due to the last time we lived here (about 18 months ago), the line was capable of 6 Mbps. So we’ve gone from 6 Mbps to 1.8 Mbps.

BT still think we’re capable of getting 6 Mbps.

The point about BT Infinity is a little bizarre because people up the road can get it. And BT’s own Infinity Checker says the Bangor Exchange is enabled. Infinity, of course, is not accurate and tends to permit 10 Mbps upstream and 40 Mbps downstream. That’s obviously quite a bit off “infinity”.

So how can my exchange be enabled and I’m still unable to get BT Infinity? Because the exchange being enabled is only part of the equation. The problem is that the number of exchanges enabled is seen as the key performance indicator – not actual coverage, download speed or upload speed. In other words – none of the indicators that actually matter.

The problem I see here is smoke and mirrors. Unless we start to be honest about the level of broadband provision in Northern Ireland, nothing will improve.

Proprietary Solutions in Schools

While this isn’t really a comparison of iPad and Windows, it serves two purposes. To remind us that proprietary solutions are sometimes the only way to get something decent What a shambles open source free software is. Especially in the education sector. But, despite my love of apps, there is a place for open protocols … Continue reading “Proprietary Solutions in Schools”

While this isn’t really a comparison of iPad and Windows, it serves two purposes.

To remind us that proprietary solutions are sometimes the only way to get something decent
What a shambles open source free software is. Especially in the education sector.

But, despite my love of apps, there is a place for open protocols and file formats. I love that HTML is still the great leveller. The potential of ‘HTML5’ to deliver standardised content to dedicated native apps has been proven again and again.

So, I have an idea that I’m going to chat to the awfully smart folk at Learning Pool about. Their system, learning solutions for the public and third sector, presents one of the cleverest uses of digital technology combining with value for money that I have ever seen. It actually boggles my mind that large private corporations haven’t snapped up their solution despite their sector focus. (And if you can find two founders in a digital startup who give more time to helping other startups and good causes, I’d need to see proof because Paul and Mary are tireless)

Do yourself a favour and send a link to My Learning Pool to your local HR representative or manager.

No honest money in Android. And only crack at Google.

Distimo recently published a report saying there was no honest money in Android. Highlights: 80% of all paid apps have been downloaded less than 100 times until now. There are only 5 Android games that cost money and have reached 250,000 downloads. The App Store has ten in the U.S over the past two months … Continue reading “No honest money in Android. And only crack at Google.”

Distimo recently published a report saying there was no honest money in Android.

Highlights:

80% of all paid apps have been downloaded less than 100 times until now.
There are only 5 Android games that cost money and have reached 250,000 downloads. The App Store has ten in the U.S over the past two months alone!

Yes, I’m being a little melodramatic here but advertising is such a bad experience on mobile, it’s a point I feel very strongly about. When you see apps like angry Birds being paid on iOS and advertising-supported on Android, it makes me feel very uncomfortable regarding the money-making potential on the platform.

Doesn’t it depend on the product? If your content delivery is what you’re trying to sell (and not additional services) then you are really just trying to sell the bits that you’ve crafted over many months. And when you can’t sell them, are you seriously supposed to survive on the pennies gleaned from producing a polluted application experience?

Over at MobileOrchard they have a different report.

“During the LeWeb conference in Paris Eric Schmidt (Google Chairman) commented that he believes developers will abandon iOS for Android in less than 6 months”

The reason for this shift will be the “high volume of Android shipments”. There’s no doubt that this will favour Google and they are motivated to make it easy for developers to sell advertising but they don’t have the same motivation to help developers make money directly off consumers.

It’s plain to me that Android has replaced Symbian in the market. There have been a plethora of app stores for Symbian over the years and still, bugger all money came out of them.

How do you reconcile releasing a polluted (advertising supported) product for free on Android and a premium paid product on iOS?

It’s not my fault your code is wrong

Northern Ireland is currently suffering a massive skills gap. Every major IT employer in Northern Ireland is crying out for more skilled personnel. Some of them are wanting graduates, others are just wanting programmers who know what they are doing. That’s not to say we don’t have a lot of programmers, but we have very … Continue reading “It’s not my fault your code is wrong”

That’s not to say we don’t have a lot of programmers, but we have very few great programmers. And we spend far too much time putting students through degrees where they can have their enthusiasm for life removed, module by module. Our programmers lack important skills – social skills, management skills and business skills. More importantly, for a global economy, customer skills.

Earlier this month, when questioning why an error occurred in some software, the developer first accused me of doing something stupid and when I replied this was not the case, a co-developer suggested another stupid thing. There seemed to be some sort of arrogant assumption that I, having been on the Internet for 20 years, would have clicked buttons randomly while trying to submit a form. I resented the implication because the problem was undoubtedly their code. But a blind-spot in their ability to deal with a customer left me feeling annoyed, under-serviced and resentful of the entire exchange. Add to that my general lack of satisfaction with customer-unfriendly solutions.

So, for the benefit of customers everywhere, keep in mind that the customer might be right, that they might not be idiots and that, just maybe, your code is wrong.

An end to provincial thinking

Simple Question: Where did HBO shoot A Game of Thrones? The simplest answer is “Belfast”, but that’s not entirely accurate. Only a percentage of the shots were taken in Belfast and the rest were shot in Saintfield, Audley’s Castle, Banbridge, Parkgate, Downhill Beach, Magarahorn Quarry and the list continues. I’m asking that we end the … Continue reading “An end to provincial thinking”

Simple Question: Where did HBO shoot A Game of Thrones?

The simplest answer is “Belfast”, but that’s not entirely accurate. Only a percentage of the shots were taken in Belfast and the rest were shot in Saintfield, Audley’s Castle, Banbridge, Parkgate, Downhill Beach, Magarahorn Quarry and the list continues.

I’m asking that we end the tendency for provincial thinking in Northern Ireland. I’ve seen this most recently with the number of regions (meaning: towns, counties) proposing their new strategies for the incumbent digital knowledge economy and with precious little thought about the bigger picture.

I have always championed the whole of Northern Ireland. I’ve been to every corner of the province and spoken to anyone who had a notion about the future economy and what I’m asking is an end to individual notions of regional advantage. This isn’t about Belfast any more than it is about Derry or Newry or Strabane. This is all about Northern Ireland.

We should be inclusive rather than exclusive. There is no part of Northern Ireland that is not a commuter region for any other part of Northern Ireland. You can get almost anywhere in the province within 90 minutes and you’re seldom more than 50 miles from the coast. We’re such a small region that it doesn’t make sense to promote our differences and borders.

So I’m asking of you, and more importantly the public sector and ALBs/NGOs:

When talking about the new and shiny, refer to Northern Ireland rather than individual towns unless there is a very specific reason to be exclusive.
Standardise the programmes and developments across the region. If something is happening in Derry, then it should be happening in Newry and Strabane (and Enniskillen and Dungiven).
For equality of opportunity, centralise activities in central urban areas. This reduces the chance that any development is going to be on the “wrong side” of the city for a specific community.

And my justification for the above?

Have a look at the geographical distribution of digital businesses in Northern Ireland. There’s a big number beside Belfast but the much more interesting statistic is the number of areas which only have 1-2 businesses resident. They’re spread all over Northern Ireland.

Doctor, Doctor, my WiFi is Playing Up

Sadly, I don’t have a catchy punchline. According to the Telegraph: Offering patients free wi-fi in accident and emergency waiting rooms would cut the number of aggressive and violent incidents, say designers. Other ideas from PearsonLloyd, the London design studio that led the winning pitch, include avoiding placing seats facing each other, “to prevent confrontational … Continue reading “Doctor, Doctor, my WiFi is Playing Up”

Sadly, I don’t have a catchy punchline.

According to the Telegraph:

Offering patients free wi-fi in accident and emergency waiting rooms would cut the number of aggressive and violent incidents, say designers.

Other ideas from PearsonLloyd, the London design studio that led the winning pitch, include avoiding placing seats facing each other, “to prevent confrontational situations that could lead to violence or aggression”; and installing digital screens advising patients how busy the department is.

The screens and seats facing eat other is obvious. It’s the provision of information, reducing the frustration in individuals who are probably injured, worried and wanting to be anywhere but there.

The WiFi is a curious one. Are we talking about hospitals here? Where the slightest electromagnetic signal from a patient mobile phone is forbidden?

I’m usually one for “unwiring” and getting wireless data in everywhere. But seriously, the costs of this will be low but do we think the neanderthals who cause trouble in A&E will be more concerned about WiFi than causing trouble?

Remember

I’m brought back to these videos again and again. This first one is the unreleased Oni multiplayer version. Oni was a third-person fighter/shooter which was released for Mac/PC and Playstation 2. It was unfortunately the victim of the Myth II HD bug and ended up with Myth itself mortgaged to Take 2 Interactive. If there’s … Continue reading “Remember”

I’m brought back to these videos again and again.

This first one is the unreleased Oni multiplayer version. Oni was a third-person fighter/shooter which was released for Mac/PC and Playstation 2. It was unfortunately the victim of the Myth II HD bug and ended up with Myth itself mortgaged to Take 2 Interactive. If there’s anyone reading this who knows anyone in Take 2 Interactive, I’d love to speak to them.

The second video here is the original Halo trailer. Halo seemed to be more of a squad level human vs alien 3rd person shooter. There was talk of a persistent world, of career specialisms. That was all dumbed down, which isn’t to say that Halo itself wasn’t awesome. It was.

Are we serious about STEM?

I’ve been privileged enough to be attending some of the local Young Enterprise events and during a break today the topic of STEM came up. I’m keen on pushing STEM in YE, and I’ve also signed up with Bring IT On (by default due to my employer) and StemNET (which is hosted by W5 at … Continue reading “Are we serious about STEM?”

I’ve been privileged enough to be attending some of the local Young Enterprise events and during a break today the topic of STEM came up. I’m keen on pushing STEM in YE, and I’ve also signed up with Bring IT On (by default due to my employer) and StemNET (which is hosted by W5 at the Odyssey) in order to try and promote STEM subjects in local education.

We know that software and media is going to be a growth area. There are strategies being published daily by countries all around the globe (though why Northern Ireland needs its own special strategy is frankly beyond me) which explain why and how “digital” is the future growth area for our western economies. The UK has a whole rat of strategy documents written by StartupBritain, NESTA, DEMOS, TSB, BIS and others. The ROI recently published a report by Forfas on the games industry.

But I don’t think we’re serious about STEM.

My grammar school too STEM quite seriously. The compulsory subjects for GCSE were English Language, English Literature, Mathematics, Religious Education and French. (We campaigned during my Fourth year to have the option to switch a language – not abandon a second language – but to choose a different one. We were denied. ) As my elective subjects I took Biology, Chemistry, German and Home Economics*. I later added Physics and Additional Mathematics during my Lower VI year. So while my school may not have taken STEM too seriously, I certainly did.

But I don’t think that the Department of Education has ever taken it seriously. They have the ability to dictate that Science and Computer Science (as opposed to ICT) become compulsory subjects to GCSE level. And if they’re not doing that then it represents a serious disconnect from where we want our economy to go and where we make policy in order to get it there. The Northern Ireland Science Park published a report earlier this month highlighting the opportunity if we seize the knowledge economy at all levels. The headline is “50,000 extra jobs“.

We are inundated with workshops, inputs, seminars, plans, policies, frameworks and strategies on the why and where. What we really need is a bit more focus on the how and the now.

The bottom line is that the results we achieve will be the results we aim for. We can talk about policy all day but if there isn’t a concrete implementation embedding STEM into the curriculum then the policy is wasted. You want to make Northern Ireland a knowledge economy? Start now by incentivising STEM in post-primary. And make computer science one of those subjects which can be taught.

We’ve got serious problems, and we need serious people.

*Home Economics was also called Domestic Science. Which was a bit of a lame duck as it consisted really of cooking and sewing. But it also had a female:male ratio of 15:1.