id Software unleashed Quake Live to the public around midnight after the game was tested for six months in a private beta. This, which is the latest installment in the Quake series, differs from its predecessors in one basic but profound way, it lives on your web browser.

By using a modified version of the id Tech 3 engine (used in the decade-old Quake III Arena), Quake Live doesn't need a very fast processor or graphics card to run smoothly on a majority of computers today. id will offer the game for free and support it via in-game advertising, giving a breath of new life to an otherwise old first person shooter.


While we await in line to play the game (currently 8,384 in queue!) we gathered feedback from people that have been playing it since the beginning of the private beta. We are told the game is now quite stable and besides some obvious formula adjustments, it plays a lot like Quake III. A good amount of emphasis went into developing the matchmaking system which ensures players can face opponents with similar skills, so it's just as friendly of an experience to casual first-timers than to hardcore FPS gamers. Your game account will also record statistics and let you gather and talk to friends in a very web-like fashion, reminding you that the whole game experience is in-browser for a change.

EA also expects to join the browser-based shooter party with Battlefield Heroes which is currently under closed beta.