OnLive : The Future Of Online Gaming

OnLive is an on-demand online gaming service that is currently in beta but is scheduled for release in winter 2009. Whats different about OnLive is that the horsepower to render, compute and store the games is provided by an online server, not by your home computer. No high end video hardware or game consoles are required.  A browser plugin uploads the input from your controller or keyboard and then streams the video output back to your PC or Mac. There is also a device called the OnLive MicroConsole that allows you to play games on a TV with an HDMI port.

When you pick a game, it starts immediately. Onlive has developped technologies to help overcome lag, so it is possible to stream at up to 60 frames per second. There is only around one millisecond of lag to encode the video, which is not perceptible. A fast internet connection is required. You need a 1.5 mbps connection for 480p, and a 5 mbps connection for 720p.

When you get online, you will have an online profile, a Friends list, and something called Brag Clips. Brag Clips are short videos of gameplay that you record. These can be viewed and shared later. You can purchase games permanently, or rent for a set amount of time. One of the coolest features is that there will be games demos so that you can decide if you really like something before buying or renting it. You dont need to download any games, they are all housed online.

Game publishers currently include EA, Eidos, Atari, Epic, Take-Two, Ubisoft, Codemasters, Warner Bros and THQ.

Onlive is a paid subscription service, like Xbox live.  Pricing information has not been distributed yet, so we will have to wait for the release to see.