So Onlive is pretty great. And they're giving it away.

[Curt]

So Onlive has a juicy promotion where you pre-purchase Arkham City and you get a free System. I went for it, and I am really enjoying it.

http://www.onlive.com/go/batman-arkham-city?ol_campgn_internal=homepage&autoplay=yes

MSRP on the system 99.99
Batman Arkham City $49.99
Playpack Pricing $10 - Arkham = $34.99
Shipping is $10.
So a new System for $45 and a free copy of Batman.

This is a phenomenal deal, and the console is very attractive. And evidently very cheap to make.

The service really has surprised me and runs very well on my connection (You need 5mbs+)

They are also having a labor day sale and you can get some games for like a buck fifty.

http://www.onlive.com/games/featuredgames#&ol_campgn_internal=homepage&tab=sale_games

 

[SouthtownKid]

And they're giving it away.

just like your MAMA

 

[GregN]

Too bad it's all mainstream games on the system.

 

[matrimelee]

So Onlive has a juicy promotion where you pre-purchase Arkham City and you get a free System. I went for it, and I am really enjoying it.

http://www.onlive.com/go/batman-arkham-city?ol_campgn_internal=homepage&autoplay=yes

MSRP on the system 99.99
Batman Arkham City $49.99
Playpack Pricing $10 - Arkham = $34.99
Shipping is $10.
So a new System for $45 and a free copy of Batman.

This is a phenomenal deal, and the console is very attractive. And evidently very cheap to make.

The service really has surprised me and runs very well on my connection (You need 5mbs+)

They are also having a labor day sale and you can get some games for like a buck fifty.

http://www.onlive.com/games/featuredgames#&ol_campgn_internal=homepage&tab=sale_games

Great, informative post. I don't get the hate. If someone doesn't already have a mainstream system/games and has a decent internet connection... Onlive can be huge for them. While I don't actually know anyone that uses one, it looks nice. They seem to be breaking into the market with very effective discounting.

I also notice they are doing great deals on pre-orders. One in particular, I can't pre-order at direct2drive or steam yet. I have been checking, because I'm going to... Lord of the Rings: War In The North...

 

[Dr Shroom]

People actually buy into this crap? lol @ buying games you do not physically own.

 

[matrimelee]

People actually buy into this crap? lol @ buying games you do not physically own.

Eventually you run smack up against "Do I really want to store/dust all this crap", as an adult. "Do I really want to load up the kids/find a sitter/even leave the kids for a minute anyway to go pick up a game? No, I want to download it, legally... Play it when they are napping.

I really like what Steam/Impulse/Direct2Drive/PSN/XBLA and others are doing. Just license me the game, to my hard drive. That's all they are really doing when they give me that physical copy these days, anyway.

I don't want to start a debate, as I'm sure both sides of the "digital" issue have made up their minds at this point.

 

[Taiso]

Games from a cloud service=no thanks.

Digital distribution=ok with me.

 

[hyper]

in depth review http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MRowKbtkaQ

seems ahead of its time..

 

[fake]

So has anyone decided if this thing is really the Phantom system that was supposed to come out years ago?

 

[Curt]

So has anyone decided if this thing is really the Phantom system that was supposed to come out years ago?

I thought so. But it is Legit, and works as promised. You can try it for free at Onlive.com

Also they have 2 new things in the works that I'm very excited about...

The Universal Controller will tether with the iPad/Androids and you can play games using your iPad as the display.

Cloud based web browsing. Browse flash using Onlives browser to skirt the no flash on iPad, and view mammoth websites instantly, eliminating load times because Onlive Already did it.

It's pretty brilliant, and is not snake oil.

Also eventually graphics will look better than the next generation consoles because Onlive can throw an almost unlimited amount of horsepower at the games.

 

[DeadPixels]

I'm really surprised, but I think I just might give this a shot. If nothing else it'd be cool to toss in my office for some quick-fix gaming.

 

[ki_atsushi]

I've been getting onlive's newsletters and promotions for a year or two now (since I first heard about it), but I was afraid to take the plunge when the final product became available since I never heard any kind of review for the product. Thanks for sharing, Curt... I just might get me one of these now!

 

[hyper]

thinking about picking one up as well, so affordable you can't go wrong, 30 minute free trial (unrestricted) on every title is a def closer.

 

[fake]

Can you play subscription games on this? I really want Phantasy Star Online 2 when it comes out, but I don't think I'm going to build a new PC just for that.

 

[NeoSneth]

Last year I was so so with Onlive.

Now after working with cloud computing for over a year, Onlive is ahead of it's time. The interface is slick and the performance is improving. Really, the better your internet connection, the better the experience with Onlive.
I don't currently subscribe because my computer is powerful enough, but one day my PC isn't going to cut it. As more and more of my data is stored on the cloud, this seems like the right direction. It's platform agnostic. Any computer that can run the client can play any game out there. You don't have to worry about hardware conflicts or updating/tweaking drivers to get the best experience.

One of the main problems right now is so many people don't understand the service. If you scroll through Onlive discussions on forums, there is a clear education problem there.

I think Onlive would be a perfect solution for MMO's. You can have an internet cafe of simple computers but beefy internet connections.

 

[BobbyPeru]

I might give it a go just for the Witcher.

 

[SonGohan]

Games from a cloud service=no thanks.

Digital distribution=ok with me.

This, all day. I love digital distribution, and would take all my games that way if I could. Having games on demand beats the shit out of rummaging through shelves of games each time I want to swap.

 

[X]

If I could get rid of all my physical copies of games and trade them for digital version I would. I just fear that some services will not always be availble and I will lose access to those games down the road.

 

[IcBlUsCrN]

If I could get rid of all my physical copies of games and trade them for digital version I would. I just fear that some services will not always be availble and I will lose access to those games down the road.

yea well thats what will happen so your gonna have to deal with it. heck it happens already with xbla games and that service is still available.

with that said i may try onlive just for a bit i plan on going back to "slower" high speed

 

[Phyeir]

People actually buy into this crap? lol @ buying games you do not physically own.

This. It's a part of a larger issue (at least I see it as an issue) where due to the terms of service you agree to and a lack of an actual physical copy, you actually don't own anything you are throwing your money at. It comes out as basically a rent-to-rent business model, you throw money into something to use it and after you're done, you have nothing to show for it other than less money (one step below rent-to-own in my eyes).

I'm not buying games to make money off of them, but when I own a physical game, I can go back to it at any time and it doesn't involve different companies agreeing to continue licensing rights or a service still existing in 10 years, etc.

Don't even get me started on the whole concept of "cloud" computing, storage, etc. Let's give it a cute name so people won't care that they don't really control the things they feel like they own!

 

[Eric]

Some of you have really out dated concepts of ownership. Do you also keep all of your money under your mattress instead of in a bank?

My question to Curt or anyone else who has tried Onlive, how is the video quality? Not from streaming but from the power of the machines the service is using. Is it similar to a PC running the game on low, medium, high quality? Just wondering how they would compare to just playing them on my non gaming laptop.

 

[Dr Shroom]

Some of you have really out dated concepts of ownership. Do you also keep all of your money under your mattress instead of in a bank?

Not under the matress but I always keep some cash in my ushanka hat at home.

 

[Phyeir]

Not under the matress but I always keep some cash in my ushanka hat at home.

I keep mine under my gothic lolita dress, wrapped around my raging boner.

 

[BigTinz]

Too bad you don't actually own the game...and aren't guaranteed access to it past a certain year. I remember reading that many games are only guaranteed until 2013.

 

[Curt]

Some of you have really out dated concepts of ownership. Do you also keep all of your money under your mattress instead of in a bank?

My question to Curt or anyone else who has tried Onlive, how is the video quality? Not from streaming but from the power of the machines the service is using. Is it similar to a PC running the game on low, medium, high quality? Just wondering how they would compare to just playing them on my non gaming laptop.

The video quality of course depends on your connection. I'm on cable so during heavy load times it can stutter. I have a 20 mbs down speed.

Overall though its quite good, the games run at 720p, and depending on the action it will be around that real resolution.

I like to think it looks better than the Wii since its at least HD.

If your curious to see how it works on your connection download it for free. If your connection can't support it, I really can't recommend it though.

As for the actual game being streamed to you. I have done a lot of comparisons and In terms of Visuals I would put it on the low end of the totem pole but still very good.
Generally comparable to PS3/Xbox versions, and not as good as a maxed out PC version. But I have a feeling this will change as more games can implement server only tricks.
Eventually I can see the root video fidelity eventually surpassing anything a console will ever be able to do. But currently it's great as a value/try before you buy alternative.