OnLive Announces Release Date

An OnLive controller and MicroConsole will allow users to stream games onto their televisions. Courtesy of OnLive

Rumored to be the “console killer,” OnLive announced a June 17 release date and a $15 per month subscription fee. The Web-based gaming service will allow users to play high-end games on low-end computers using a browser plug-in. The service can also be accessed on a TV using OnLive’s MicroConsole.

The games will be run on off-site computers. The user can then control them from home using a controller or mouse and keyboard. The images of the game are then streamed online back to the users’ screen. The technology has been in development for seven years and currently has many of the big names in the game industry signed on including Ubisoft, Eidos, and THQ.

OnLive promises that prices for games will be lower than retail, and will also offer a rental service. Since the service is browser-based it can be accessed from anywhere with a broadband Internet connection.

There are a few major pros to the service. For users it means they no longer have to spend money on game consoles or high-end computers in order to play games. No more worrying about system specs, and no more worrying about whether the games will be compatible on the systems they own. Even small netbooks can potentially use the service.

Multiplayer games will also not be restricted by which gaming platform the user is playing on. Anyone with the service can play multiplayer games with others on the service. Since everything is streamed from off-site computers there is also no download time when purchasing a new game from OnLive.

For developers the benefits are broader. First and foremost, it will likely eliminate software pirating, since the user will never technically have the game itself—just images of it streaming back to their screens. It will also eliminate the need for manufacturing and distribution since everything will be digital.

Resolution will also be maxed out at around 1280 by 720 at 60 frames per second, which isn’t too bad.

There are also a few cons though. The largest issue rests on whether OnLive can pull it off. The company is setting high goals, and users who buy games through the service could potentially see their purchases vanish if the company goes under—since users do not own physical copies of the games.

The cloud-computing concept could also eliminate the ability to share, trade, or re-sell the games.

Perhaps the largest issue users face though will be the actual game performance. Response and lag time will be one of the larger factors of whether the concept will sink or swim. OnLive said there is typically a lag time of 35 milliseconds to 40 milliseconds, which can peak at around 80 milliseconds.