OnLive posts (Subscribe to this feed)

OnLive launch titles 'in the teens,' 50-60 games by 2011

by Randy Nelson { Mar 10th 2010 at 5:20PM }

Following today's GDC keynote from OnLive CEO Steve Perlman, his COO, Mike McGarvey, fielded questions about the game streaming service that's launching June 17. Unfortunately, just how much full games will cost on top of the $14.95 monthly subscription fee was not one that he answered.

McGarvey did confirm that the service will launch with a lineup of titles "in the teens," comprised of some that will have been on shelves for a few months -- Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age: Origins were examples -- and others that will release closer to OnLive's debut, such as Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands. The catalog will grow from fewer than 20 games on day one to "50 to 60" by the end of 2010, according to McGarvey. These (and all) games on the service will be playable "for years" after release, he said, addressing concerns that buying a game "hosted" by the company could be a risky investment.

Some details are being saved for an announcement at or leading up to E3, including when the OnLive micro-console will be available and, of course, game pricing. McGarvey would say that the company is looking to offer incentives (free games, perhaps?) to build the subscriber base, and that those who sign up "may get some free content" for the monthly fee ... at some point. The micro-console may also be offered free with a service commitment, McGarvey stated, though it will "potentially" be sold on its own.

Saying that more than 250,000 people signed up (but weren't all accepted) for the OnLive beta, McGarvey admitted that the company expects "demand will far outweigh capacity" for the service's launch -- we'll be interested to find out how many people actually "pre-subscribe" and if the company changes its outlook leading up to mid-June.

OnLive launching June 17 for PC and Mac, $15 per month service fee

by Randy Nelson { Mar 10th 2010 at 1:47PM }

OnLive has announced that its cloud-based game streaming service will launch in the 48 contiguous US states on June 17, 2010. The service will initially be available to PC and Mac owners for a monthly service fee of $14.95. Each game purchase and rental will carry a charge on top of the base subscription.

Steve Perlman, CEO of OnLive, confirmed that the final version of the OnLive "experience" will be demoed at E3 2010, which kicks off just two days before the service goes live. As for the whereabouts of its "micro-console," Perlman could only say that it will launch at a later date to be announced in the coming months. He offered a quick look ahead at some planned upgrades to the service, the biggest of which is 1080p support at 60 frames-per-second "as the bandwidth becomes available."

OnLive is going to waive the first three months of its service fee for the first 25,000 people who register for the service. Those who want to get a leg-up on being a part of that group can pre-register on the company's site.

OnLive, PlayStation Motion Controller and others getting GDC panels

by Griffin McElroy { Feb 16th 2010 at 1:02PM }

The latest salvo of announcements for panels and presentations taking place at the Game Developers Conference was recently launched, revealing sessions focusing on a wide range of topics. Said topics include OnLive, Shadow Complex, the Smithsonian's admittance of video games, Blizzard's philosophy on game design, and a panel titled "Introducing the PlayStation Motion Controller." We're pretty sure we're already acquainted, thanks -- though we wouldn't mind if you'd finally tell us the damn thing's name.

Check out the full list of scheduled speeches on GDC's interactive site. Just don't look too hard for that special session which allows you to dine on the finest of breakfast cereals. That one will be at the other March gaming convention.

Peter Moore excited about PlayStation 'Arc,' unsure about OnLive

by Ben Gilbert { Feb 8th 2010 at 8:00PM }

In a time-honored Peter Moore tradition, the EA Sports head recently opened up for an interview on a variety of subjects in the game industry. This time, the oft fake-tattooed gentleman exposited on the future of OnLive and his company's investment in the upcoming PlayStation Motion Controller (supposedly named "Arc"). "I don't know about OnLive," Moore told CVG, responding to the question of whether or not the cloud gaming service will become the "iTunes of gaming." He does, however, see opportunity in burgeoning distribution and pricing methods. "If a consumer's got five bucks to spend on some cool DLC; if they love Tiger Woods but want to be able to play online and invest $10 or $15 over a period of time ... those are the things we need to look at."

As far as his interest in the "Arc" goes, he says that he's seen the hardware in action and thinks it'll be a "great complement to what's out there." He directly points out its distinction from the Wii's motion controller and reconfirms EA Sports' development of games with Sony motion in mind -- he even names tennis and golf as prime contenders as each sport lends to an "authentic sports motion" (at least with what he's seen on the Wii). Frankly, we're just about as excited as could be to finally show off our lacking sports skills as games based on sports creep closer to reality.

OnLive technology demonstrated at Columbia University

by Griffin McElroy { Dec 29th 2009 at 12:45PM }

You might want to go ahead and put on your thickest, darkest sunglasses, because you're about to be blinded with science. OnLive founder and CEO Steve Perlman recently showed off the game-streaming technology's applications to a group of students at Columbia University in New York. Yeah, sure, you can be jealous of their rare opportunity, but take solace in the fact that access to this opportunity probably cost them $35,000 a year.

GamertagRadio snagged a video of the event, which we've embedded after the jump. It's awfully long -- feel free to jump to the 12-minute mark to check out the OnLive user interface, and the 17-minute mark to see the iPhone's social networking functionality.

Continued →

Big Download awards 2009's vaporware

by Xav de Matos { Dec 23rd 2009 at 11:30PM }

In response to Wired's own 2009 vaporware awards, our pals at BigDownload have complied their own list of software and hardware that woulda, coulda and shoulda seen the light of day this year. Topping the list is the streaming service OnLive, which was slated to release in "winter 2009," following a healthy dose of beta testing. While reception for the service has been mostly positive, OnLive's claims have yet to be tested on a global stage (during E3 2009, OnLive was previewed for select media via a cable modem connection to the service's California-based headquarters).

Other nods go to Gearbox Software's oft-delayed -- we'll believe it when we see it -- Aliens: Colonial Marines, Obsidian's "oh, by the way, it's not coming out today" Alpha Protocol, and Midway's This Is ~~Canceled~~ Vegas. Sadly, Duke Nukem Forever failed to win an award for what would have been a record twelfth-straight year.

Zelnick: OnLive 'beneficial' to gaming industry, doesn't fit with Take-Two's business model

by Griffin McElroy { Dec 8th 2009 at 11:30AM }

Though most gaming enthusiasts received the announcement of the streaming game service known as OnLive with raw, unmitigated zeal, Take-Two chairman Strauss Zelnick isn't convinced of the platform's revolutionary properties. According to GamesIndustry, Zelnick explained during the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference in New York City, that, if successful, OnLive would "meaningfully and beneficially transform the economics of our business." However, he later added that the digital distribution-centric system "doesn't really speak to our business model."

Zelnick noted the benefits in not having to worry about costs associated with production and distribution, but explained that "the bulk of our business is packaged goods because initial releases are for the console business." He later claimed that OnLive's bold distribution model "probably won't be a sea change in our business." Shortly after that, he did 1,000 sit-ups, and then arm wrestled everyone in the audience simultaneously. Needless to say, he won.

OnLive closes 'major round of funding' with support from AT&T, Lauder Partners, et al.

by Christopher Grant { Sep 30th 2009 at 8:28PM }

Worried that a service like OnLive -- the black-magic-fueled game streaming device unveiled at GDC earlier this year -- can't make it to market? "It would cost a fortune to get something like that off the ground!" you exclaimed to your parents over dinner. Of course it costs a fortune! The company wants to stream video of games from high-powered computing clusters at strategic locations, straight to your parent's basement. That stuff ain't free!

To that end, CEO Steve Perlman has announced via the company's blog that OnLive has "closed a major round of funding with participation from AT&T Media Holdings, Inc., Lauder Partners, Warner Bros., Autodesk and Maverick Capital." While Perlman isn't saying just how much is "major" the press release did note that this "is by far OnLive's largest closing." The money "will be used to launch OnLive's service offerings and to protect OnLive's extensive intellectual property rights."

We can only imagine Perlman and Company are watching competitors like Gaikai and Otoy closely. With the beta soon (now?) underway, and the company's coffers filled, we can hopefully expect a steady march of progress towards launch.

Source – OnLive Blog
Source – Press release

OTOY: The game streaming service you've never heard of

by Ben Gilbert { Sep 13th 2009 at 6:30PM }

While OnLive and Gaikai continue to hog the game-streaming spotlight, few are talking about the third option that people will have for server-based gaming: OTOY. And that's likely because the company (of the same name) behind the technology hasn't been exactly forthcoming with details -- even the official website has nothing more than the "Soon" image you see above. Ars Technica recently got a chance to check out the service in action, pushing graphical monster Crysis to an iPhone with reportedly good results.

The service is still in its infancy, as demonstrated by a TechCrunch hands-on video we've dropped after the break, but shows a lot of potential. Considering OnLive's currently holding its public beta in North America and Gaikai's kicking off a private beta in Europe late this month, we hope OTOY decides to start getting vocal soon. We're all ears!

Continued →

OnLive beta program is on, live

by JC Fletcher { Sep 2nd 2009 at 6:15PM }

Want to try playing a game here that's actually running over there? OnLive has announced today that it's opening a public beta of its impossible-sounding game streaming service. Users who have signed up on the website (and, the announcement suggests, users who do so soon) will be asked for "general information about your ISP, your computer configuration and your location" so OnLive can build "test groups" of users working under various conditions.

Should you make the cut, you'll receive an invitation, which requires a Performance Test. If your settings make the cut (the "cut" being whatever configuration OnLive is looking to test), you'll become part of a Test Group at some unspecified time, at which point the (hopefully) awesome part begins: the part in which you play games. It'll be buggy, and you'll probably have to fill out reports about the experience, but video games.

It may not have been an "official" beta, and it may have been under carefully orchestrated conditions, but our own experience with OnLive was a positive one. We'll see how the public beta compares.

Warner Bros. promotes exec following Midway acquisition

by Ben Gilbert { Aug 1st 2009 at 2:30PM }

Warner Bros. executive Jeff Junge has a laundry list of valuable gaming credentials on his resume. From recently leading the acquisition of a failing Midway Games to an early investment in dark magic engine OnLive, and even spearheading the purchase of TT Games a couple of years back, Junge is no stranger to the game industry. And all that would help to explain why, late this week, Warner Bros. announced the promotion of Junge to senior VP of business management for Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group. The Home Entertainment Group includes, among many other things, the company's gaming division.

According to the release issued by WB, Junge will continue to "drive mergers and acquisitions" for the company. We've been told on good faith that neither "mergers" nor "acquisitions" are any type of automobile. How do you plan on driving them then, Mr. Junge? Hmmm?

[Via Edge]

Dave Perry explains Gaikai's 'bizarre genesis'

by Ben Gilbert { Jul 28th 2009 at 8:30PM }

Dave Perry's idea of a streaming game service has been a long time in the making, though the fruition of that idea, Gaikai, is less than a year into actual development. According to his latest piece for Develop, the idea for an online service with high-end game (and application) streaming has been germinating for some time in his head, starting with Airline Pilots -- an arcade flight simulator from Sega. "A friend of mine told me that we needed to buy that game, so we paid for it between us, and I stored the game in my garage," Perry explains. He found himself playing the game for hours, wondering if it would be possible to "play a real flight simulator" without having to shell out "thousands upon thousands" for it.

Years later, he found himself evangelizing his theories at Leipzig 2008, where he was approached by two gentlemen (Andrew Gault and Rui Pereira) working on the very technology he spoke about. From that partnership, Gaikai was born. Perry says what separates his company's product from OnLive's is that "it's a service" and as such there is no dictating where it can go -- OnLive is technology dependent. Though we've gotten a video tour of the service and plenty of talk from Mr. Perry about Gaikai so far, we've yet to get our hands on the service, and as such will remain (understandably) skeptical until we see more.

Playcast hoping to beat OnLive to the game streaming punch

by Griffin McElroy { Jul 20th 2009 at 11:45PM }

We're still not comfortable with the magical technoworkings that apparently allow OnLive to summon games from the ether -- to think that other companies have the engineering prowess to pull it off is terrifying. According to a recent press release, a startup company named Playcast Media has teamed up with an Israeli cable network called Hot to stream "PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 quality games," straight to Israel's set-top cable boxes. The service is in beta now -- in Q1 2010, it'll rollout over all of Israel. It's expected to hit "major markets" in the US, Asia and Europe later that year.

That's a lot of heady claims from a service we know so little about. Fortunately, an Israeli tech journalist named Denis Vitchevsky got a chance to check out the service, and came off with an optimistic impression. He says the technology is "somewhat similar to OnLive," and that the demo he witnessed "worked quite well." He claims Playcast has signed agreements with a few publishers, and is promising a huge library at launch. For now, the service is offering PC ports -- but no M rated games just yet, due to a lack of parental control features.

We're trying to get more info on the service, but as you might imagine, it takes a while for emails to zip between here and Israel.

Dyack: Industry making more games than consumers can handle

by Justin McElroy { Jul 17th 2009 at 2:15AM }

When we first heard about Denis Dyack's vision of a single-console future, we were ready to dismiss the idea as, if you'll excuse our language, cockamamie. Now, in a world with cloud computing systems like OnLive and Gaikai in the works, it doesn't seem that nutty.

He's still banging the drum and elaborating on his point, saying that the single console would help reduce a glut of games overwhelming the consumer. "There were 300 or so games released last November. We're in a state of performance over supply. We're making more games than consumers can possibly consume," Dyack told Videogamer.com. "Marketing is having a disproportionate effect over the success of games because there's so many out there people are ignoring us."

Hey, you're a consumer, right? Are you feeling overwhelmed?

Dave Perry gives first video tour of Gaikai

by Ben Gilbert { Jul 1st 2009 at 1:30PM }

Between OnLive and Gaikai, we're not sure who to trust less. Both systems are clearly operating under some form of unknown dark magic, allowing the mysterious services to stream high-def gaming directly into your television and computer browser. Both services though -- luckily and necessarily -- have representatives willing to happily test our skepticism in OnLive's Steve Perlman and Gaikai's Dave Perry.

The video (found after the break) has the latter demoing Gaikai, streaming games from Mario Kart 64 to Spore to EVE Online, all from his Vista-powered PC running Firefox on an 800-mile trip between the server and his home. He claims in the video to be streaming all of the games demoed from sub 1-megabit internet speeds and says that "even a NetBook" could run Gaikai with no problems. From what we can see, things are running smoothly, though unlike OnLive, we've yet to get our hands on the equipment. Perry says we'll see more at this month's Develop Conference, so for those of you itching for more Gaikai, you've got a two-week wait on your hands. Perhaps you should play some of those old, less magic-filled gaming consoles you have.

[Via Edge Online]

Continued →