day 90
| twitch 2: the hatfields and mccoys |
Fig. 2. The Hatfields and McCoys practically killed each
Yesterday we learned that Internet Frenzy has
rejuvenated game software manufacturers.
Interactive and Total Entertainment Network
(TEN) are the Hatfield and McCoys of online
games. Mpath bought Catapult in an effort to
pull ahead of TEN. MPlayer will be released
this month - creating the first serious
challenge to Wired World MUDD (Multi- User
Dungeons & Dragons) vendors. Claiming a latency
of 150 milliseconds over the PSINet network,
and 220 milliseconds over AT&T lines, Mpath's
product falls short of being a true twitch game
system. Will Harvey, erstwhile Rocket Science
founder, says 33 milliseconds is needed to
qualify as a "real gaming system." He argues,
"they will never be able to lower their latency
below 53 milliseconds -- the cross-country speed
of light in fiber limit)."
companies are headed for failure, or a new kind
of online game is needed. Which will be the
case? Tomorrow I introduce I-Man -- an
all-knowing oracle who has a much different
take on where games are headed.
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twitch
 1
 Daily Dose Index |