Any PC that is powerful enough to decode 1080p video at 60fps is powerful enough to run a game on low settings.
Nobody is going to expect to be able to play at 60fps using this service. If high frame rate is that important to you then obviously have to upgrade your computer and play locally. If, however, you are happy to play games that you could not otherwise hope to play at half that rate (or even less) without having to buy a whole new computer then OnLive could provide a useful service.
The OnLive client required DirectX 9 level hardware, which is still the minimum requirement for most games, so whining about not meeting some shader spec for games is bullshit.
And yet by your own admission, DX9 is not the minimum requirement for all games. Therefore if you want to play a game for which you don't match the minimum requirement... Go on, guess what I'm going to say next! That's right, you could use a service like OnLive!
I'm sure that would have been awesome to play games optimised for a keyboard and mouse on a touchscreen.
Here we go again. You think that just because it might not work for 100% of games' user interfaces then the service is useless. Once again, you don't have to aim for perfection, just something that is good enough. And my point was not how well it work would on those devices, just that it can work on those low-powered CPU/GPUs (and therefore will also work on low-powered PCs too).
And someone can afford a super expensive Smart TV but they can't afford a slightly more expensive PC? Please.
Perhaps they want to be able to play in their living room without having to move their PC. Considering how often console gamers bring up this scenario, it seems to be a popular idea that PC games might like to share too.
Yes, I can for any reasonably aged computer. Of course you knew that, but you're being childish and pedantic.
That all hinges on your definition of reasonably aged. There are games that will not run at all on my computer that are being released right now. My Core2Duo with 2GB RAM and HD5750 video card running on a 32bit version of Windows just won't cope with modern games. It can stream video quite nicely though.
Who says the second person needs a PC? Maybe they are trying to watch a YouTube video on a $50 tablet.
Then you do what any household does that has multiple people sharing one Internet connection and figure it out. If you can do that, or if this imaginary other user doesn't actually exist, then there is nothing wrong with a system like OnLive.
Fuck, you're an idiot and your entire "argument" is complete shit.
And you call me childish? Your entire argument is that if it doesn't work in 100% of households for 100% of games running at a perfect 60fps then the system is useless. You are damning this service just by having unrealistic expectations.
So if you don't expect a service like OnLive to fulfill all your gaming needs (so you still play games locally if your system can handle it), and you wait to play your games when other people aren't trying to watch Youtube, and you don't mind a drop in frame rate and latency, then this system works. All your swearing and name calling will not change this fact.