OnLive.

[AnthMUFC-Champs]

 

 

After almost 8 years of development, thousands of partner meetings, millions of lines of code, and an uncountable number of all-nighters…

 

Drum roll please…

 

On June 17, 2010, during the E3 2010 show, the OnLive Game Service will be available for users in the 48 contiguous United States!

 

Everyone here at OnLive is just incredibly excited about this milestone. It’s the realization of a dream that we knew would be a huge undertaking, but also one that would change everything.

 

OnLive fundamentally transforms the way users experience games and interact with each other, and in time, will transform the way games are developed and marketed. By distilling specialized game hardware out of the equation, OnLive will allow games to be played as a pure media experience on virtually any device, with the same flexibility and instant-play experience that we’ve come to expect from online video and music.

 

For gamers, this means you never have to do anything for your gaming experience to keep getting better. And developers now can unleash unbounded creativity to deliver state-of-the-art gameplay that they know will reach virtually any gamer—instantly.

 

Today we also announced OnLive’s base service pricing, and a pretty cool special offer.

 

The base month-to-month service fee is $14.95. Loyalty programs (e.g. multi-month pricing) and other special offers will be announced by the start of E3. We’ve got a great special offer for starters: The first 25,000 qualified people to register on the OnLive Game Service will have their first 3 months’ service fee waived. You’ll find all the important details here, and note that the service fee does not include the purchase or rental of games.

 

Included in your monthly service fee are OnLive-exclusive features such as instant-play free game demos; multiplayer across PC, Mac and TV platforms; massive spectating; viewing of Brag Clips™ video capture and posting; and cloud-saving of games you’ve purchased—pause, and instantly resume from anywhere, even on a different platform.

 

Also included in the monthly service fee are features you’d expect from standard online games services such as gamer tags, user profiles, friends, chat, but with a twist: everything is live video. You’ll be friending through multiplay, Spectating, Brag Clips, or by flipping through video profiles of friends of friends of friends. OnLive is delivering the first instant video-based social network. It’s really cool.

 

Once you are on the service, instant-play, top-tier, newly-released games will be for sale and for rent on an à la carte basis. Specific pricing will be announced as games are released, so you’ll hear about the pricing of the first games by E3, but needless to say, we expect them to be offered at competitive prices. Games are always updated with the latest versions, and purchased game add-ons are playable instantly.

 

Initially, we’ll be offering the OnLive Game Service for PCs and Macs through a small browser plug-in. Later this year, we’ll announce the public availability of the MicroConsole™ TV adapter. And, we’ll be steadily expanding to other devices over time.

 

So, there it is. After a long and arduous journey, OnLive will be coming to a screen [really] near you.

 

Steve Perlman, OnLive Founder & CEO

 

 

 

http://blog.onlive.com/2010/03/10/onlive-c...creen-near-you/

 

http://www.onlive.com/service.html

 

http://uk.videogames.games.yahoo.com/blog/article/9173/

Edited March 11, 2010 by AnthMUFC-Champs

[Robinski]

Heard about it a few years ago I think. It works like cloud computing right? That is, there is a bunch of hardware in some central location that you link up to to play the games. Don't think it'll take off in the near future, what with the lag that'll exist due to having to press a button, send that to the cloud, and then bring it back, it just can't work very efficiently on massive scale these days.

 

Also, to be honest, I like to have my own hardware in front of it. I can't really put my finger on what it is about it that I don't like, but there is something. But it is a really cool idea, I'd much like it to take off an be successful simply because of the different angle it's taking on gaming. It's always good to have fresh ideas.

[Mike]

An average 1080p video (around the sort of res current gamers will be running) runs at around 40Mbps, which ain't suitable for the huge majority of connections. There's some ways around this:

First there's lower quality, worsening the quality of the images given, so it's at a major disadvantage to current games.

Second there's higher quality, this seems to work (an average h264 compressed 1080p video will be around 8mbit, still too high for a lot of people of course) but it requires gaming-level hardware to decode in realtime, so we're back to square one.

 

Then there's still the lag issues, which will be pretty awful for any serious game.

Edited March 11, 2010 by Mike

[Creed Bratton]

An average 1080p video (around the sort of res current gamers will be running) runs at around 40Mbps, which ain't suitable for the huge majority of connections. There's some ways around this:

First there's lossy compression, worsening the quality of the images given, so it's at a major disadvantage to current games.

Second there's lossless compression, this seems to work (an average h264 compressed 1080p video will be around 8mbit, still too high for a lot of people of course) but it requires gaming-level hardware to decode in realtime, so we're back to square one.

 

Then there's still the lag issues, which will be pretty awful for any serious game.

They claim that they have it all worked out. Something to do with their revolutionary technology. I don't think I believe them though.

[AnthMUFC-Champs]

Am all for the classic consoles.

[Reconite]

OnLive seems like crap to me, feels gimmicky. Especially for the PC gamers who don't want that sh*t Ubisoft DRM, this would be one of the only other options - but it costs a subscription.

 

Why can't things just go back to the old days without all the DRM bullsh*t, this crap and console wars.

[Rebel]

Am I the only one that read the entire post and still doesn't get what this is meant to do? I mean, does it take any game that they have set up on some huge server and you just hook up and play it in front of your TV instead of buying the actual game, you pay for a subscription?

[MMFF]

Am I the only one that read the entire post and still doesn't get what this is meant to do? I mean, does it take any game that they have set up on some huge server and you just hook up and play it in front of your TV instead of buying the actual game, you pay for a subscription?

The way it works is you pay the $15 for Onlive and then you can buy and rent games through their service and play them via your computer or TV. Specs will not matter. You can play games that would normally take a high end PC to run, and it will work on most all computers.

[Snake Without a Tongue]

Wasn't there something like this once before but it never took off?

[Carnage1120]

I would rather hold my own physical copy of things thank you.

 

[MMFF]

Wasn't there something like this once before but it never took off?

I am not sure. I would think you are thinking of the same thing. This was announced last year I think maybe even 2 years ago, and I wouldn't doubt thats what you are remembering. Now it is resurfacing, because it is close to being released I guess. So, time will tell if it works out or not. I signed up for the chance at 3 free months. If I get it, I will try it out, if not, then I will wait to see what people say of it. I like the idea of this better than buying a new computer every 6 months.

[JOSEPH X]

Do you still have to buy the games on top of the subscription? If so count me out, but if you can just play any game you want to anytime, then that`s really competitive pricing.

[Rebel]

Am I the only one that read the entire post and still doesn't get what this is meant to do? I mean, does it take any game that they have set up on some huge server and you just hook up and play it in front of your TV instead of buying the actual game, you pay for a subscription?

The way it works is you pay the $15 for Onlive and then you can buy and rent games through their service and play them via your computer or TV. Specs will not matter. You can play games that would normally take a high end PC to run, and it will work on most all computers.

Ah I'm with you. It seems like an alright idea. I wouldn't be apart of it myself since I'd rather just have an actual copy of the game, since I'm not into buying really high spec games for my PC as it is. Not to mention, I'd always worry that the server may over load and you couldn't play. Not to mention I take it you can actually save your game and they'll keep the copy so that next time you log on you can play it from where you left off. Not one of those things where you have to play until you finish and then next time you come back you have to start all over again because that would really suck.

[Carnage1120]

So a computer on the other side of the planet runs the game, and the thingamabob just has the footage of the game being played. But the controller signally thingy sends the signal to the computer...

 

Sounds like you are just renting a High end PC on the other side of the planet that you can play in your living room.

What's next? Wireless controllers?

[Andrew]

Been discussing this at work, I can't see it working. Since you have to pay a subscription fee to access the service, then either buy or rent the game at a less then retail price. Which will probably be around 1/2 or 3/4 of the retail price. Not to mention you never actually own the game, you're just paying to rent it, also if you decide to cancel the subscription you loose access to the games.

 

The CEO of the company talks about the end of physical medium, because apparently 25% of web traffic for 2009 was for steaming media... Personally I think the guy is a fruit cake.

 

Onlive isn't the death of video games, it's merely another distribution platform, albeit every expensive and full of DRM.

[agent17]

Games saves would be less accessible, not to mention modding would be an impossibility. OnLive only works well on paper, in reality it is destined to fail. Not unlike communism... If OnLive were to go under, all the user's games would also disappear with it.

 

I've never trusted OnLive from the start, they market this as "The most power gaming system of all time". It is not even a gaming system.

 

Personally my biggest fear would be lag.

[Mr.Mister]

I'm abit confused right now to be honest, and I have some questions

 

1. Any info on a Canada release?

2. Does the monthly $15 subscription fee give you access to a certain amount of games/movies that you can buy and keep at no additional fee?

 

I wouldn't mind owning a digital copy when it comes to games, I've had countless CDs break because of stupid reasons (no i dont smash it)

[MMFF]

You get free demos and stuff like that, just as you would on PSN or Xbox Live. No free games. I don't really see why you would get free games. Idk, I can't see this taking place of my PS3, but I like the idea of getting to play some games that they PS3 doesn't get. Like it would be cool to play Fable or something like that. Just don't know if that would be worth $15 a month. I will just have to see it before I make a final judgement.

[JOSEPH X]

If you don`t need a PC to play it, it won`t be long before TV manufacturers are building it into their TVs, just stick an ethernet cable in there and you're away.

I can see a future in this, but I also see the consoles lasting a good while yet.

[freak2121]

If I can't play old games like Neverhood and Daggerfall on it then I won't give a sh*t about this.

[Andrew]

Consoles will around for alot longer then this sh*t, it is destined to fail. It's 40 or 50 years far too early. I like holding physical media, I like buying new games, and since I'm a pc gamer, there is nothing better then buying a selection of hardware and fitting it all together and doing my own mods for it.

 

The 15$ fee only includes access to the service, you've then gotta pay game rental charges or buy the game on there, which you'll never own. So you could well be looking at nearly 100$ a month for gaming access. (internet, service fee, 2 / 3 game rentals etc).

 

At 100$ a month, you could get 2 xbox, ps3 or pc games. Or save up for a few months and can build a stonking gaming PC.

[oc student]

Consoles will around for alot longer then this sh*t, it is destined to fail. It's 40 or 50 years far too early. I like holding physical media, I like buying new games, and since I'm a pc gamer, there is nothing better then buying a selection of hardware and fitting it all together and doing my own mods for it.

 

The 15$ fee only includes access to the service, you've then gotta pay game rental charges or buy the game on there, which you'll never own. So you could well be looking at nearly 100$ a month for gaming access. (internet, service fee, 2 / 3 game rentals etc).

 

At 100$ a month, you could get 2 xbox, ps3 or pc games. Or save up for a few months and can build a stonking gaming PC.

Loads of consoles won't get this probablyy, i bet

[blahblah1212]

Wasn't there something like this once before but it never took off?

Yes, yes there was.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Phantom_%28game_system%29

 

It didn't work then, it won't work now.

[RMT]

Wasn't there something like this once before but it never took off?

Yes, yes there was.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Phantom_%28game_system%29

 

It didn't work then, it won't work now.

I think that was due to bad management. Plus I don't think they had any major devs sign up. OnLive has EA on board which is a major coup for a technology that hasn't been proven in the marketplace.

 

I can see this being a sleeper hit for a few years. It'll launch, a good few people will buy-in and enjoy. Then it'll snow ball as they make the product better more people adopt. Not to say I like this, but I think it's inevitable that we'll move away from physical copies of games. What with Steam and App Store turning over silly profits and people becoming more accustomed to this purchase method. And I guess doing it OnLive's way eases the minds of publishers when it comes to the whole DRM sh*t storm.

[macorules94]

So you just plug it in your TV and play? I don't get it

[RomanViking]

Am I the only one that read the entire post and still doesn't get what this is meant to do? I mean, does it take any game that they have set up on some huge server and you just hook up and play it in front of your TV instead of buying the actual game, you pay for a subscription?

The way it works is you pay the $15 for Onlive and then you can buy and rent games through their service and play them via your computer or TV. Specs will not matter. You can play games that would normally take a high end PC to run, and it will work on most all computers.

So you're playing a game on a high end PC, but the actual high end PC is somewhere probably 100 miles away, and you control it remotely thru the internet?

 

In order for it to work you'd have the fastest, largest internet connection available. Which would be very expensive. And if you have an internet connection that good, I bet you'd have a PC already capable of playing whatever game..

 

SO the idea that "you can play any game, even on a crappy computer" is stupid as you'd be playing Crysis thru the internet, and would therefore need a stupidly fast connection. And if you can afford a connection that fast, you can most def afford a high end PC.

 

 

It seems like a pointless way to play games..

 

 

And yeah, your whole collection of games would be on a server 1000 miles away. The internet is a cool tool for sharing data and playing multiplayer, but this concept of entire games being played remotely is retarded.

 

Like someone else said, this is like 50 years too soon; and there's still a lot of famine and problems left in the real world, so all this internet convenience is too much when in some places on Earth there's no electricity or plumbing! And here we are with absurdly convenient internets and iphone aps and sh*t.

 

 

WHAT HAS THE WORLD COME TO?!

 

 

[agent17]

Am I the only one that read the entire post and still doesn't get what this is meant to do? I mean, does it take any game that they have set up on some huge server and you just hook up and play it in front of your TV instead of buying the actual game, you pay for a subscription?

The way it works is you pay the $15 for Onlive and then you can buy and rent games through their service and play them via your computer or TV. Specs will not matter. You can play games that would normally take a high end PC to run, and it will work on most all computers.

So you're playing a game on a high end PC, but the actual high end PC is somewhere probably 100 miles away, and you control it remotely thru the internet?

 

In order for it to work you'd have the fastest, largest internet connection available. Which would be very expensive. And if you have an internet connection that good, I bet you'd have a PC already capable of playing whatever game..

 

SO the idea that "you can play any game, even on a crappy computer" is stupid as you'd be playing Crysis thru the internet, and would therefore need a stupidly fast connection. And if you can afford a connection that fast, you can most def afford a high end PC.

 

 

It seems like a pointless way to play games..

 

 

And yeah, your whole collection of games would be on a server 1000 miles away. The internet is a cool tool for sharing data and playing multiplayer, but this concept of entire games being played remotely is retarded.

 

Like someone else said, this is like 50 years too soon; and there's still a lot of famine and problems left in the real world, so all this internet convenience is too much when in some places on Earth there's no electricity or plumbing! And here we are with absurdly convenient internets and iphone aps and sh*t.

 

 

WHAT HAS THE WORLD COME TO?!

Well apparently they found a way to solve the internet connection problem..... I'm calling bullsh*t on that one.

 

I live in an area that doesn't support good connection speeds. the only ISP available to me is absolute sh*t, I won't be using Onlive effectively any time soon.

[TommyMufc-Champs]

I dont think this will work.

[AnthMUFC-Champs]

I might try this but i dont know am not sure.

[blahblah1212]

Console and PC gaming will still prevail, everyone knows this. This may be another lost cause, like the Virtual Boy.