Take your PC games with you anywhere with LiquidSky for Android

Almost everything is in the cloud these days. We store our files on the cloud and we stream our videos and music from the cloud. We can even play games from the cloud too. Well, sort of. Game streaming has been around for quite some time, but it never really fully took off. LiquidSky wants to change all that by making cloud-based PC game streaming more accessible everywhere, especially with its shiny new Android app available now in public beta.

Game streaming isn't exactly new and companies larger and more famous than LiquidSky have tried, and continue to try, their luck at it. OnLive was acquired and then shut down by Sony while NVIDIA's GeForce NOW continues to operate. LiquidSky, however, distances itself from these two pioneers by removing the limits of what you can install and run on the service.

The startup doesn't want to call it a remote desktop solution but, in practice, it really is. Each subscriber is given a Windows virtual machine to tinker with. This means you can install any game from any source or distribution channel you wish, from Steam to GOG and others. In theory, it also means you can install any old Windows program and take advantage of the powerful remote hardware.

Another key difference is that LiquidSky can be accessed from just about any device, though that list currently consists only of Windows and Android. Both are still in beta, so LiquidSky warns of potential bugs and performance issues. That said, any Android device running 6.0 Marshmallow or higher (the FAQ states its 4.4 or higher) can be used to play any PC game, like Overwatch for example. That said, games that use controller input are better than those that rely on mouse and keyboard.

While it sounds ideal, cloud-based game streaming still has to overcome technical and geographical hurdles to become mainstream. LiquidSky uses IBM's global cloud infrastructure in order to provide servers around the globe to minimize latency from their end. Users, of course, need an equally good Internet connection. LiquidSky is a subscription-based service with a $19.99 monthly fee or a $9.99 "pay as you go" option. An ad-supported free tier is also available but only in the US, Canada, and certain European countries.

SOURCE: LiquidSky