Throw out the name "OnLive" in video game conversation today and you'll probably be met with one of two reactions, both expressing an extreme opposite of one another: "Yeah, OnLive is the future of video games!" some might say, with enthusiasm. A popular response from the opposing camp is usually something along the lines of, "No way, it's a pipe dream—real-world application just won't work!" It's one of the most hotly-debated topics the video games industry today, and with good reason; if successful in its mission, OnLive could very well change the face of PC and console gaming as we know it.

Although it's actually been in-development for years, OnLive never received much attention from the industry until March of this year, at the Games Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco. It wasn't until then that OnLive publicly unveiled its product; a new gaming-on-demand service, capable of "instantly delivering the latest high-end titles over home broadband Internet to the TV and entry-level PCs and Macs." Essentially, OnLive allows users to play graphics-intensive games like Crysis with a piece-of-crap computer, as long they have a decently-fast Internet connection. But what about the MMO market? If the technology works, could OnLive revolutionize MMO gaming as well?