A forthcoming Internet player from Sony is being offered to customers with service and hardware from game streaming company OnLive as an optional inclusion. This marks the first time that a Sony product has shipped with OnLive as an option. The inclusion of the game streaming service lends credence to rumors that there is some sort of significant collaboration occurring between the two companies, though the exact nature of the relationship remains unclear.
The NSZ-GS7 is an Internet-enabled set-top box with Google TV built in. Within the device’s specifications page, though, the OnLive Gaming Controller and USB dongle are listed as optional accessories. This means the device will likely come with OnLive preloaded, giving customers access to the game streaming network out of the box.
While this is the first Sony product to feature OnLive, the streaming service appears to be becoming more prevalent within the set-top box sector. Most recently, the Vizio Co-Star was revealed to feature OnLive out of the box.
Sony executives are on the record saying they believe cloud gaming is the way of the future. Some have gone so far as to say cloud gaming is inevitable, though its adoption slow due to disparities in Internet connection reliability around the world.
