I agree with your point - as hackers, we are often too quick to dismiss something as "nothing new" because we have seen something similar before ("I don't need Dropbox, I have rsync").
That being said, in this case these three dots have been joined up multiple times already, so there really is nothing new here. The interesting challenge is in reducing latency so that remote games are actually playable when the server is not on the same LAN.
This is my point, it's been done. The problem that still exists is the lag you'll get when not playing at your house, so nothing has changed. Apparently people don't get that.
Now, if he gets this running between his house and work, I'll be give him some credit.
That being said, in this case these three dots have been joined up multiple times already, so there really is nothing new here. The interesting challenge is in reducing latency so that remote games are actually playable when the server is not on the same LAN.