OnLive was the hot topic for GDC. The company stirred more than a few pots with claims of HDTV quality gaming on a console that could hide under a DVD. We had the chance to sit down with OnLive's CEO Steve Perlman to get a few more answers about how the service might play out and how it behaves under different sets of conditions. His answers shed more light on how the system will work. Check out the video to see what Perlman has to say about bandwidth concerns, energy usage, the achievements system, spectating, and more.

Motion-based gaming without controllers is coming - again. We've seen various iterations of the technology, like Eye Toy, over the years but it's never really caught on. Softkinetic thinks they've got the technology nailed to the wall now. They've even had a working version of their equipment running a game at the Colt's stadium in Indianapolis. As one would expect, the game is football related and has the player act as the quarterback. You use one arm to target and the other to throw a football. We got to try out the game and it's remarkably intuitive and reactive. A few seconds in front of the screen had us throwing balls down field. Unfortunately we didn't complete any passes, apparently even the most reactive system can't compensate for a lack of talent.

A 3D camera, that looks like a fancy webcam, records your motions, which then get translated into onscreen movement. By using a 3D camera, Softkinetic is able to accurately position the user in the room. Actions such as walking, jumping, leaning, tilting, running, kicking, punching and more work quite accurately. In a rather impressive looking demo, Softkinetic showed us just how many points of data the system recorded. From our point of view, about the only thing the camera couldn't detect was finger movement. We saw a few test games that involved goal tending in soccer, kicking a ball, and even a Super Mario-esque platformer. At the moment the camera system incurs anywhere between 10 to 15 milliseconds of lag. The delay is noticeable, but Softkinetic stated that once retail units are built the lag should drop considerably.

Softkinetic representatives stated that the system isn't quite ready for retail. They surmise that consumers will probably see it in homes by 2010. Aside from gaming uses, Softkinetic mentioned that the technology works very well for gesture based interaction with TVs, which were demonstrated at this years CES in January.

OnLive threw the gaming world into a tizzy this last Tuesday, and since then other names started crawling out of the woodwork. In case you haven't heard, OnLive just announced a subscription-based streaming games service. The company claims that by using either a web plugin, or their MicroConsole, you will be able to run the newest PC games at HDTV resolutions with no downloads, and all on the most pathetic of computer hardware. We have a detailed look at the service in our feature over here .

If that wasn't astounding enough, David Perry of Acclaim (formerly of Shiny Entertainment) runs out and says me too! His company, an outfit by the name of GaiKai, just popped into public existence. Apparently he was planning on holding out until E3. Gaikai offers a similar service, except without the MicroConsole aspect that OnLive has(or at least until Perry says they have a little box as well). GaiKai calls their service Streaming Worlds and it only requires a web browser with Flash installed.

Then, we spoke with Jules Urbach, CEO of OTOY and Lightwave. His company basically offers up cloud computing (the technology behind these services) to the highest bidder. This essentially makes them a mercenary computing outfit of sorts, that has the side benefit of being able to stream games as well. In our conversation with him, he stated that his company is in talks with publishers and a whole host of other outfits that want to use the service.

If you're confused, you're not alone. All of these companies have a ways to go before we see them at a consumer level. There's a million questions out there and few answers to go with them. Now I'm just waiting for Valve to announce that Steam will henceforth be known as Stream. We've still got one more day - it could happen.

Good ol' Major Nelson has a public service announcement up regarding Microsoft's Windows Live ID and Gamertag dormancy/cancellation policies. The post reads like a problem off of the LSAT - lots of contingencies, and interrelated account policies that sound confusing. Here's the original text:

What happens:

In the rare case that you DO NOT sign in to Xbox.com or another website that uses Windows LIVE ID (like Hotmail) it is possible that your Windows LIVE ID expires (goes dormant.) An Xbox LIVE Gamertag is unrecoverable from the system only when the associated Windows Live ID has become dormant and the Gamertag has been deleted from all Xbox 360 consoles.

Members with dormant Windows Live IDs can continue to enjoy the benefits of their Xbox LIVE Gamertags on their Xbox 360 consoles, including earning Achievements; however, they will not be able to use their expired Windows Live IDs for activities such as account management on Xbox.com.

It is important to note that an Xbox LIVE Gamertag is unrecoverable from the system only when the associated Windows Live ID has become dormant and the Gamertag has been deleted from all Xbox 360 consoles.

What you can do to prevent having any problems:

We recommend that people log into their Windows Live ID on Xbox.com or Xbox LIVE Marketplace on the Web at least once every four months.

What we're doing:

We are actively working on an update that will allow you to link your Gamertag to a new Windows Live ID if one becomes dormant.

Our translation - Your Xbox Live Gamertag is safe unless you delete it from your console. Don't worry about logging in every month or so to keep it active. Nothing will happen to it. The Windows Live ID, on the other hand, suffers from the Hotmail affliction. Use it or lose it. Log in at least once every four months to keep Microsoft happy. In the case that you've tied your Windows Live ID to your Gamertag and let the Windows Live ID go dormant, you won't be able to do any online account management or tie your Gamertag to a new Windows Live ID. Microsoft is addressing that last bit as we speak. That should be it, unless we missed a point in there. Carry on.

Razer products have style. Starting with the Boomslang from years ago, the company always kept an eye on form, presentation, and functionality. The Mako 2.1 speaker system doesn't veer away from the company's roots in the least. Like other Razer products, the Mako has looks to kill and sound quality to match. Priced at $399, the Mako doesn't exactly sit alongside budget computer speaker setups, but it more than justifies the price tag.

Simple, refined, and understated the Mako satellites sit easily on your desk, happy not to make a nuisance of themselves. The two matte-black, bowl-shaped speakers sit low enough to plunk down directly underneath an LCD should space be a concern. The downward firing design of the satellites makes them great for desks. By using a table to reflect off of, the sound becomes more diffuse, which makes it harder to obfuscate. Consequently you get a fuller sound across the room rather than just directly in front of you.The subwoofer looks like a large black mushroom on the floor, acting as the central point for all connections as well as the source of bass.

We just met with Mad Catz's Alex Verrey here in our San Francisco offices to get hands-on with the Mad Catz Street Fighter IV product line-up and to find out what makes them special.

First off, forget everything that you might remember about the cheap Mad Catz accessories from the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube days. All of Mad Catz's new Street Fighter IV controllers have tremendous build quality and feel terrific in hand. The company worked with Capcom and expert players to make sure that the sticks meet the standards of serious Street Fighter enthusiasts. Mad Catz also had to get the approval of Capcom Street Fighter IV producer Yoshinori Ono on aesthetics and controls, and he wasn't afraid to send the joysticks back for more work if the button layout wasn't correct or if the controls didn't feel right.

Playing with the Mad Catz Street Fighter IV FightStick Tournament Edition is as close to the arcade experience as you're going to get. The stick uses the exact same Sanwa joystick and buttons found in the actual Street Fighter IV arcade cabinets in Japan. You used to have to build your own stick or get someone in a fighting game forum to make one for you if you wanted a controller that used genuine arcade parts. The FightStick is also very easy to mod in case you wanted to change out the artwork or even swap in an American-style joystick and convex buttons.

Experienced players will appreciate several features on the stick. The designers placed the start and select buttons on the front part of the box well out of the way of the joystick and buttons to prevent any inadvertent mid-game pauses. The controller also has a lock switch that disables the turbo and, depending on platform, the Xbox Guide or PlayStation Home buttons. A lot of players like to bring their sticks with them when visiting friends or traveling to competitions so the Tournament Edition stick has a small compartment for cable storage.

The Tournament Edition stick will be available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in the US on Feb. 17 for $149. The sticks aren't cross-console compatible but they will both work with the PC. Pre-orders have already sold out for the initial 3,000 unit launch allocation, but another shipment will arrive in late February according to Alex.

It took seven years but Razer finally has a wireless gaming mouse: the Razer Mamba. Razer founder Robert Krakoff told us that the company started planning for a wireless mouse as early as 2001, but "would only do it if the wireless one could perform as well as a wired one." Krakoff credits the firmware design team for figuring out how to do wireless with minimal latency. The Mamba offers a 1,000Hz polling rate in both 2.4GHz wireless and wired modes (you can plug in the cord when it's time to recharge). The Mamba looks similar to Razer's popular DeathAdder model, but it has a few ergonomic improvements and an upgraded 5600DPI laser engine. Other features include onboard memory for profile saves, Teflon feet, and a traditional charging dock for players that refuse to touch cords.

The retail box resembles a trophy stand that has the Mamba sitting in the center of the package. Please forgive the fingerprints on the case--conference attendees had all morning to fondle the box before we got the chance to take a picture. The mouse will be available next month for $129.

Logitech's back in the mix with a full update of their of high-end G-series PC gaming peripherals: the G19 Gaming Keyboard, the G35 Headset and the G9x Gaming Mouse.

The G19 keyboard builds upon the already feature rich G15 keyboard with several key upgrades. The G19 features a full color 320x240 LCD display capable of displaying all sorts of gaming information and non-gaming related information including images and videos. Keyboard controls will let you switch out what's displayed on the screen while you're playing a game. The G19 also features twelve fully programmable keys, with up to three different presets per key. Two onboard USB 2.0 ports provide additional peripheral hookups.

Logitech's new G35 headset offers 7.1 surround sound thanks to second generation Dolby Headphone technology. Dolby Headphone allows headsets to very realistically simulate a full set of 7.1 home theater speakers. The built-in microphone comes with noise canceling technologies and gives players the ability to mask their real voice. Choose between six different preset voices including cyborg, mutant, giant,troll, alien, and the ever popular space squirrel. Built-in controls let you adjust the volume, microphone, surround sound and voice presets. The G35 also comes with three different size headbands to better accommodate various noggin sizes.

Sensitive just got more sensitiver, or something like that with the new Logitech G9x Gaming Mouse. The G9x sports a brand new laser sensor that has adjustable settings capable of sending the mouse from 200 to 5000 DPI on the fly. The G9x comes with two interchangeable mouse grips like the G9, but has more memory for up for five different user profiles. The G9x also has the prerequisite adjustable weight system and multi-colored LED lighting system.

The G9x mouse, G19 keyboard, and G35 headset will all be available in March with $99, $199, and $129 MSRPs, respectively.

The VoodooPC inspired HP Firebird system announced today at CES highlights two design themes that HP believes will be prominent in 2009: power efficiency and affordability. VoodooDNA based PCs haven't been described as affordable or power efficient in the past--the flagship Blackbird system is known for its powerful hardware and equally intimidating price, but the coming year is going to be challenging for consumers and industry trends in component design have opened the door for power-efficient gaming systems.

The new HP Firebird system shares the same floating-wedge shape as the Blackbird 002, but in a much smaller package, roughly one third of the size of the Blackbird chassis. Designers achieved the space savings by switching to smaller, power-saving components and by moving the power supply to an external 350W power brick. You won't find an Intel Core i7 CPU or dual GeForce GTX 280 cards in this system, but the Firebird will have plenty of gaming performance with its Intel Core 2 Quad processor and Nvidia GeForce 9800S GPUs. Power-efficient components don't generate a lot of noise because they don't need as much active cooling and the Firebird will be quieter than most PCs thanks to its liquid cooling system.The GeForce GPUs come in laptop MXM modules which are great for power and heat, but will make upgrading difficult if not impossible later on because aftermarket GPU upgrades generally aren't available in MXM format.