"Yes it is."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dBesXU67Vc
I apologize for the truly horrid video quality. Literally the only thing I have to record with at the moment is my phone and it's not ideal. But you can get the idea. Believe it or not, the frame stuttering/skipping is almost entirely from the video, and not present in the game.
Note, for now, this is still only viable over WiFi.
Also note, I believe this same software is available for iPad and should work just as well. (edit: yep, found somebody trying it, although you can see here how unplayable it is without a gamepad http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0El9HiWjd7M)
What you need: A Tegra2+ Android tablet/iPad (preferably the Asus Transformer or the upcoming Prime, because they come with the software), Splashtop Streamer (server and tablet app), an Xbox 360 controller for Windows/360 pad with wireless USB adapter, a reasonably powerful computer, a WiFi network
So here's the story: months and months ago when I first got my Asus Transformer, I immediately noticed how neat the included software for remote desktop was (Splashtop Streamer). It just seemed way faster and cleaner than VNC options or LogMeIn, even compared over WiFi. I opened up a game (I think Portal 2) and, to my surprise, instead of being given a "WTF IS YOUR PROBLEM NOOB" error, Splashtop simply recommended I open the game in windowed mode instead. So I did, and, lo and behold, there was the Portal 2 intro screen, running at a perfectly decent framerate with sound.
Unfortunately, the controls were completely untenable even with the keyboard dock. It just doesn't carry over- for example, the "right click" button on the Asus mousepad equals "Back" in Android; that is to say, it exits out of your desktop. So I wrote the whole business off as a fun but ultimately useless novelty and forgot about it.
Fast forward to now. Splashtop has offered a number of updates and improvements to the software, and I was lying in bed really wishing I could just play Skyrim on my tablet so I wouldn't have to get my lazy ass up- and it hits me. I've been using the 360 controller to play Skyrim for weeks- why not give it a try? So I logged into my computer with Splashtop, changed the game settings to run in a 720p window, and hopped in. Immediately it hit me how well the controller worked, but I realized I was silly for being surprised by this; of course the controller is still just sending input direct to the PC, so there is no input lag added by the software.
I started goofing around and the game really was, despite running at a considerably lower framerate than usual, apparently playable. It looked great, too. I went off and cleared a bandit camp, then did a Dark Brotherhood mission. After a half hour it hit me: the novelty had worn off and I was just playing the game on my tablet. Of course that's not what was happening... I was simply watching a high-resolution video stream of my computer desktop and sending input back (exactly the same principle as OnLive), but once the seams melt away it really is almost indistinguishable.
This blows my fucking mind.
I'm sure some of you will find it entirely unimpressive, but I really had no idea this was a viable option right here right now. The experiences I've had with OnLive so far at friends' houses have been thoroughly disappointing. The visual fidelity couldn't hold a candle to what my PC can pump out, and the consistent MMO-style laaaag killed any interest I had in playing games that way. But this is really cool!
But Hawkian, why would anyone have any interest in doing this when you can just play at your PC?
Obviously sitting at your Desktop will always be a better experience. But besides playing full Windows games from bed, this has some pretty decent practical applications already:
-Ever have that feeling where 10 minutes after a gaming session you're like, "man I really should have done ___ before I saved so I don't forget"? Now you can do it from anywhere in the home instead of going back to your PC.
-If your WiFi network extends onto your patio or porch, get some true gaming in the sun without needing to buy a powerful laptop
-Seamlessly continue gaming after moving from your PC to another room in the house (I immediately thought of the WiiU controller the first time I did this)
-For extra mindblowing awesome: consider that the Transformer has an HDMI out, allowing you to use it as a makeshift console to stream your PC games to the HDTVs in your house.
Mostly, though, this just make me boggle my mind in awe at the future. After this experience I truly believe that eventually most gaming will be served remotely, either from your home rig or the cloud. As always, Nintendo seems to be the trailblazer here for consoles.
Here's another video of me doing a level in Portal 2. Again sorry for the video quality (at least you can watch this one in "HD"), and I swear, the framerate of the game in play is much more consistent than what was captured by my phone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqW4PVnxvUs
This was my first time ever playing Portal 2 with a gamepad so it doesn't come as naturally to me... think I need to adjust the analog sensitivity. But whatever! Fun stuff.
If you're interested in this, here's kind of where it's at right now:
The GOOD:
-Image quality is equal to whatever your PC can produce, at 720p with great PPI on the Transformer screen
-Full sound is pumped to the tablet with zero audio lag (the speakers themselves suck, so maybe plug in some external powered ones if you care)
-No input lag, since the control is going directly to the PC
-Games are undeniably playable
-A windows app I love called Total Game Control can let you use a gamepad for games that don't support them by default
-HDMI-out opens up a world of possibilities
The BAD:
-Framerate takes an obvious hit
-Must be on the same Wifi network as the server and in wireless range of the 360 pad, though it is pretty far!
-Your Wifi speed is a bottleneck
-Games that don't translate to using a gamepad are not playable this way
-Do you really need to be able to play your PC games more?
-The PC serving the content is not usable while you are doing this
The UGLY:
-Since windowed mode is a requirement, you get some ugly border effects. You can pinch and zoom on the tablet as a workaround but this might affect the in-game HUD, of course. Auto-hiding the taskbar helps, I forgot to in the Skryim vid, but did so in the Portal 2 vid.
-Playing full-featured PC games from bed can lead you to stop taking care of your appearance, resulting in ugliness
Anyway:
tl,dr: you can stream full playable Windows games to any decent tablet on your home network on this very day.
Let the future commence!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dBesXU67Vc
I apologize for the truly horrid video quality. Literally the only thing I have to record with at the moment is my phone and it's not ideal. But you can get the idea. Believe it or not, the frame stuttering/skipping is almost entirely from the video, and not present in the game.
Note, for now, this is still only viable over WiFi.
Also note, I believe this same software is available for iPad and should work just as well. (edit: yep, found somebody trying it, although you can see here how unplayable it is without a gamepad http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0El9HiWjd7M)
What you need: A Tegra2+ Android tablet/iPad (preferably the Asus Transformer or the upcoming Prime, because they come with the software), Splashtop Streamer (server and tablet app), an Xbox 360 controller for Windows/360 pad with wireless USB adapter, a reasonably powerful computer, a WiFi network
So here's the story: months and months ago when I first got my Asus Transformer, I immediately noticed how neat the included software for remote desktop was (Splashtop Streamer). It just seemed way faster and cleaner than VNC options or LogMeIn, even compared over WiFi. I opened up a game (I think Portal 2) and, to my surprise, instead of being given a "WTF IS YOUR PROBLEM NOOB" error, Splashtop simply recommended I open the game in windowed mode instead. So I did, and, lo and behold, there was the Portal 2 intro screen, running at a perfectly decent framerate with sound.
Unfortunately, the controls were completely untenable even with the keyboard dock. It just doesn't carry over- for example, the "right click" button on the Asus mousepad equals "Back" in Android; that is to say, it exits out of your desktop. So I wrote the whole business off as a fun but ultimately useless novelty and forgot about it.
Fast forward to now. Splashtop has offered a number of updates and improvements to the software, and I was lying in bed really wishing I could just play Skyrim on my tablet so I wouldn't have to get my lazy ass up- and it hits me. I've been using the 360 controller to play Skyrim for weeks- why not give it a try? So I logged into my computer with Splashtop, changed the game settings to run in a 720p window, and hopped in. Immediately it hit me how well the controller worked, but I realized I was silly for being surprised by this; of course the controller is still just sending input direct to the PC, so there is no input lag added by the software.
I started goofing around and the game really was, despite running at a considerably lower framerate than usual, apparently playable. It looked great, too. I went off and cleared a bandit camp, then did a Dark Brotherhood mission. After a half hour it hit me: the novelty had worn off and I was just playing the game on my tablet. Of course that's not what was happening... I was simply watching a high-resolution video stream of my computer desktop and sending input back (exactly the same principle as OnLive), but once the seams melt away it really is almost indistinguishable.
This blows my fucking mind.
I'm sure some of you will find it entirely unimpressive, but I really had no idea this was a viable option right here right now. The experiences I've had with OnLive so far at friends' houses have been thoroughly disappointing. The visual fidelity couldn't hold a candle to what my PC can pump out, and the consistent MMO-style laaaag killed any interest I had in playing games that way. But this is really cool!
But Hawkian, why would anyone have any interest in doing this when you can just play at your PC?
Obviously sitting at your Desktop will always be a better experience. But besides playing full Windows games from bed, this has some pretty decent practical applications already:
-Ever have that feeling where 10 minutes after a gaming session you're like, "man I really should have done ___ before I saved so I don't forget"? Now you can do it from anywhere in the home instead of going back to your PC.
-If your WiFi network extends onto your patio or porch, get some true gaming in the sun without needing to buy a powerful laptop
-Seamlessly continue gaming after moving from your PC to another room in the house (I immediately thought of the WiiU controller the first time I did this)
-For extra mindblowing awesome: consider that the Transformer has an HDMI out, allowing you to use it as a makeshift console to stream your PC games to the HDTVs in your house.
Mostly, though, this just make me boggle my mind in awe at the future. After this experience I truly believe that eventually most gaming will be served remotely, either from your home rig or the cloud. As always, Nintendo seems to be the trailblazer here for consoles.
Here's another video of me doing a level in Portal 2. Again sorry for the video quality (at least you can watch this one in "HD"), and I swear, the framerate of the game in play is much more consistent than what was captured by my phone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqW4PVnxvUs
This was my first time ever playing Portal 2 with a gamepad so it doesn't come as naturally to me... think I need to adjust the analog sensitivity. But whatever! Fun stuff.
If you're interested in this, here's kind of where it's at right now:
The GOOD:
-Image quality is equal to whatever your PC can produce, at 720p with great PPI on the Transformer screen
-Full sound is pumped to the tablet with zero audio lag (the speakers themselves suck, so maybe plug in some external powered ones if you care)
-No input lag, since the control is going directly to the PC
-Games are undeniably playable
-A windows app I love called Total Game Control can let you use a gamepad for games that don't support them by default
-HDMI-out opens up a world of possibilities
The BAD:
-Framerate takes an obvious hit
-Must be on the same Wifi network as the server and in wireless range of the 360 pad, though it is pretty far!
-Your Wifi speed is a bottleneck
-Games that don't translate to using a gamepad are not playable this way
-Do you really need to be able to play your PC games more?
-The PC serving the content is not usable while you are doing this
The UGLY:
-Since windowed mode is a requirement, you get some ugly border effects. You can pinch and zoom on the tablet as a workaround but this might affect the in-game HUD, of course. Auto-hiding the taskbar helps, I forgot to in the Skryim vid, but did so in the Portal 2 vid.
-Playing full-featured PC games from bed can lead you to stop taking care of your appearance, resulting in ugliness
Anyway:
tl,dr: you can stream full playable Windows games to any decent tablet on your home network on this very day.
Let the future commence!