Verizon just announced a subscription-based gaming service for it's High Speed and FiOS customers in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New York. The service seems to be very similar to what Gametap has been offering for years. What makes this service different is that it's from a content provider and could spark a trend that could change the landscape of gaming.

This year at GDC (Game Developer Conference) a new gaming service called OnLive was announced. The service is basically "cloud computing" for gaming. One of the main questions people had about the service is how much bandwidth will be needed to properly use the service. A common solution that game journalists came up with was for OnLive to team up with ISPs such as Comcast.

If services like GameTap and OnLive start teaming with companies like Comcast and Verizon to stabilize bandwidth issues and reach a broader market, this could start to spell the end to console and gaming PC manufacturers. For the regular consumer, why would they spend $400 for the next Xbox or $1500 for a great gaming PC when they only need to pay an extra $20 a month to play all the games they want on their HDTV or 5 year old laptop? I don't think a situation like that will come about for a few more years and the console makers (Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo) will do everything they can to stop it. Verizon's announcement does show that ISP companies are thinking of gaming as a viable source of income and something that consumers might want. I will say that if Comcast announces a similar service for Tennessee, I will definitely try to convince the wife to let me try it out.

To read the full article of the Verizon announcement, head over to G4.tv here.