Sony left a void in cloud PC gaming when it acquired OnLive and promptly shut the service down. LiquidSky wants to fill that void and it's been able to raise millions of dollars in funding towards that goal. As of right now it's still testing the service in a closed beta, though ahead of its eventual launch LiquidSky announced that it's upgrading its hardware and rolling out new streaming plans.
"Upgraded hardware means our cheapest package is super powerful," LiquidSky says.
LiquidSky uses a SkyCredit currency system, whereby users can purchase SkyCredits and spend them on various levels of performance. Credits can also be earned by watching ads at your convenience. There are three tiers—Gamer, Pro, and Elite.
The Gamer tier consists of three virtual CPU cores, 8GB of RAM, and 2GB of GPU VRAM. LiquidSky says this virtual setup is capable of playing most games at 30 frames per second in 1080p. It costs 60 SkyCredits per hour.
For double that amount (120 SkyCredits per hour), gamers can step up to the Pro tier, which offers twice the amount of everything. LiquidSky says this one will run any game, with performance expected to be around 60 fps at 1080p.
Finally, there is the Elite tier. It runs 240 SkyCredits per hour and consists of 12 virtual CPU cores, 32GB of RAM, and 8GB of video RAM. LiquidSky says this will be enough to run any game at ultra quality settings with 60 fps or higher at 1080p.
"Anyone who’s tried LiquidSky before will tell you that our hardware is FAST, blistering through games. With the upgrades to the new LiquidSky, your hardware is going to be faster than ever," LiquidSky says.
AMD recently announced it had partnered with LiquidSky and that its upcoming Vega-powered GPUs will power the service.
As to the currency system, LiquidSky has abandoned its Unlimited plan due to issues it was having with "users who misused their SkyComputers to abuse our servers." Here are what the plans look like now:
Any SkyCredits remaining at the end of the month will rollover for up to 90 days.
While LiquidSky is not yet available to the masses, you can request beta access here.
