Is it time for Gaming-as-a-Service?

Consoles, game discs and hardware have all taken a step closer to the out-of-date pile, with Nvidia releasing their new GeForce GRID – which does the job of all three.

The GRID was introduced last week at the GPU Technology Conference, and essentially serves as a streaming device.

The difference is, by plugging in the GRID a user can play the most sophisticated games on any platform including TV’s, smartphones and tablets.

The idea is for Gaming-as-a-Service providers to render the frames on their end and then have them streamed to the GRID, which will make it playable on any device with a solid internet connection.

Nvidia chief executive Jen-Hsun Huang, who made the announcement, says the device will drive down the cost of online gaming services and make gaming more accessible.

"Our vision is that one of these days any device will be able to host a fantastic video game, that this video game experience would no longer reside just on the device in the room, but that it would fall away and effectively become a supercomputer in the cloud,” says Huang.

This would have knock-on effects, for example the elimination of videogame piracy, as well as accelerating the turn-around for new gaming software and releases.

Several major companies have already expressed interest in supporting the GRID, including EPIC Games, Bitsquid AB and Tripwire Interactive.

Nvidia aren’t even the first to suggest this, with competing company OnLive offering a similar service.

Although this is all very exciting, there’s something nice about having a console beside your TV; it’s the same sense of security you get from holding a DVD or owning a hardcopy album. I don’t think that’s going to be eliminated anytime soon.

Let us know what you think of this new-fangled technology – will a simple cord attached to a controller replace consoles? Or is this a flash in the pan? Let us know below.