New players shake up the gaming biz

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Danette Breitenbach

It's Game Developers Conference (GDC) time, and that means plenty of news - some good, some great. Thus far, the most eye-catching announcements out of GDC '09 have come from two upstart hardware makers - one trying to bring console gaming to users around the globe, the other aiming to take the console out of the gaming equation altogether.

Also, NPD released its monthly sales tracking data, and despite the ongoing global economic crisis, the gaming industry continues to see significant growth.

Changing the game

Two potentially game-changing announcements came recently from Zeebo and OnLive. Both hardware makers revealed new systems that could dramatically expand the number of gamers in the world - or even make the console a thing of the past.

First up is Zeebo with its new videogame console. Expected to begin shipping in Brazil as early as April, the company touts its creation as the "first affordable 3-D game console" designed for and aimed specifically at emerging global markets. The system features a secure 3G wireless game delivery system and addresses the region-specific requirements that often plague the bigger-name market dominators.

We don't need no stinking console

Also attracting attention at GDC '09 was OnLive, a California-based company that has pioneered a console-free, on-demand video game system. The system is comprised of the OnLive MicroConsole device - roughly the size of a deck of cards - and the OnLive Game Service. The cloud-based system streams games from OnLive's remote servers.

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