Intel, Verizon to Bring PC Games to TV
Verizon and Intel announced a partnership Thursday that would bring the telecommunications company's games on demand service to television via Viiv-enabled PCs. Included with the new application would be PlayLinc, a service aimed at enhancing multiplayer games through chats and the creation of private servers.
The telecommunications company previously acquired a stake in Super Computer International, which created the PlayLinc service. Verizon says moves like this are intended to help the company find new ways to generate revenue, as its traditional landline phone business continues to struggle.
PlayLinc is also meant to show off the features of its fiber-optic Internet service FiOS when it comes to gaming, allowing up to 32 gamers to talk with one another at the same time, in addition to significant reductions in "lag," or the delay between a requested action and its execution in a online game.
"We're creating a graphics-rich, big-screen game-playing experience for the entire family," Verizon new product development director Colson Hillier said. "The games that families now enjoy on their PCs will become larger than life, more fun to play and accessible in virtually every room of the house, through linkages between a family's PC and their TV."
To use the service, an Intel Viiv computer running Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 would be required. Additionally, the service would be optimized for use on the Intel Core 2 Duo processor.
Verizon Games on Demand is available for $9.95 USD per month.