GameStop streaming service not coming to consoles

On the heels of OnLive's implosion comes news that GameStop's impending streaming service won't be coming to consoles after all. The service was pitched as a seamless, multi-platform solution that would work with PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. But after a private beta test earlier this year, the retailer has decided that it should target PCs and mobile devices only.

"Based on consumer feedback, our success in selling mobile devices, and the imminent launch of new consoles, we have decided to move our technology to a PC-based model," said GameStop president Tony Bartel during a conference call, reported by Gamasutra.

This follows a report from The Verge that the major problem for consoles may be scalability. The technology reportedly evolved past the point of needing to hook up a physical console for every remote player, which would involve swapping out discs for new waves of games. That, paired with potential legal pitfalls and nebulous commercial viability, may have killed the console streaming idea.