Free account users get 2GB of cloud storage to host their files, along with access to the Microsoft Office suite of PowerPoint, Word and Excel. There are also a few basic utilities and games, though true gamers should probably look to OnLive‘s traditional cloud-based gaming package of full titles.

However, in the pipeline is OnLive Desktop Pro, a more advanced version of the service that boosts an account to 50GB of cloud storage, gives “accelerated priority access” to the remote servers, and bundles additional apps and features for $9.99 per month. Both free and pro packages mix together multitouch gestures, onscreen keyboards and even handwriting recognition, in an attempt to blend the best of the iOS and Windows worlds.

Sharing files between OnLive Desktop and other devices is supported, and an Android version is in the pipeline. You can download it from iTunes now [iTunes link].

[Thanks Carl!]

Whatever the year, it’s clear that Sony will eventually launch a new console. Microsoft will do the same. And Nintendo is already planning to do so in the coming months.

But all this talk of consoles has me thinking: do we really need more hardware?

The fact is, we’re inching closer to the day where hardware connected to our televisions will be a thing of the past. Samsung and DirecTV at CES this week announced a “boxless” solution that lets users have the full DVR experience on their 2012 Smart TV without actually needing to hook the device up to the set. There’s talk of Apple wanting to include apps, iCloud, and other features into its own television.

And all that fails to mention we have downloadable games already available to us both on the PC and on game consoles. We’ve already come to the point of being able to enjoy content without being required to have a set-top box to do it.

So, how important will consoles be in, say, 2014 or 2015? Will broadband speeds be fast enough to accommodate downloading a big game, like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3? Will televisions come with application stores in them to allow us to access games without requiring that middleman?

It’s certainly a possibility. But there’s one major issue standing in the way of us finally detaching ourselves from the console life support: the hardware companies themselves.

Like it or not, Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony all rely heavily upon hardware to make their businesses as big as they are. And there’s a good chance that they will be the first companies to denounce ideas of eliminating hardware and getting direct access to titles from game makers.

Microsoft and Sony might be especially outspoken about such a plan. Those companies have not done nearly as good of a job as Nintendo delivering first-party content consumers actually want to play. If television makers and game developers sync up, there’s a solid chance those companies’ game divisions will be marginalized, to say the least.

As for us? Well, we can only hope to get the best experience, regardless of whether that comes via consoles or downloadable content. But I suspect the latter will deliver a better experience at some point in the future.

Who’s with me?

Riding high on Android and with its expertise in search, Google should’ve swept the board when it first turned its hand to smart TV. Instead, Google TV was lambasted for its confusing interface, patchy functionality and ever-changing line up of content (made unpredictable by Google’s apparent refusal to pay for licensing deals but instead attempting to harness free online streams). With the second-gen system now ready for prime time, the search giant has managed to coax some big names back onboard, as well as tease gamers with the promise of OnLive for console-quality play without any extra hardware beyond a wireless controller.

Samsung, Sony, LG and Vizio were all expected to bring Google TV powered sets to the show, and all but Samsung delivered. LG spared us the heavy-duty specs, only saying that its two Google TV sets would drop later this year and use a homegrown quadcore ARM chipset. Like Vizio, which announced the R-Series of Google TVs, LG has reskinned the core Google UI to suit its own interface styling. Vizio also had two set-top boxes, one adding a Blu-ray drive, the VAP430 and VBR430, which promise to make Google TV more affordable.

Sony, meanwhile, took another approach, not bothering with fully-integrated Google TV HDTVs but instead looking to two new set-top boxes instead. It’s possible the company learned the hard way from its first-gen Google TV sets, though the new Network Media Player NSZ-GS7 and Blu-ray Disc Player NSZ-GP9 are arguably more useful given there are plenty of people content with their existing TV but still wanting a smart upgrade.

Finally, Marvell brought along its ARMADA 1500 chipset and a reference design Google TV STB to demonstrate it. The company is pushing the design to its hardware partners, along with a useful upscaling addition that promises to make lower-res content and UI look better on a 1080p Full HD display.

As for Samsung, it stuck with its homegrown smart TV platform for CES, though reiterated its support for Google TV and promised that “a forthcoming offering will deliver an entirely distinct experience in the category” later in 2012. That’s not to say its hardware this week has been underwhelming, however. Our playtime with Samsung’s 60-inch smart TV – which packs Kinect-style motion and voice control – suggested the non-traditional navigation may be gimmicky but the core software is very strong, while integrated DIRECTV support and the potential for hardware upgrades along the line shows services aren’t being left behind either.

LG may have had Google TVs to show off, but it also pushed ahead with its own platform, and some models ramped up the extras to stand out of the crowd. The Cinema Screen 3D HDTVs, for instance, can use their 3D screen technology for dual-view gaming, each player getting their own full-screen view simultaneously.

Vizio, too, used its own VIA smart TV software on some of its other models, echoing Philips’ push for true theater-aspect 21:9 screens with the new XVT CinemaWide line-up. You’ll need a big living room to accommodate them – and Vizio will need more luck than Philips, which eventually axed its range – but if you’re a keen movie buff they might be a solid alternative to a projector.

Lenovo isn’t a name generally associated with TV, so the company’s K91 entrant to the home entertainment segment came as something of a surprise. Headed to Lenovo’s home territory China first, but with broader international availability expected after that, the K91 actually runs Android but Ice Cream Sandwich rather than Google TV (v.2 of which is based on 3.x Honeycomb) and has a custom UI to suit sofa-bound users.

Finally, Canonical is hoping the hunger for Linux-based smart TV platforms will see its own embedded Ubuntu system picks up steam. We were impressed by the performance on the Ubuntu TV the team had prepared for CES, though Canonical wouldn’t say much on the “multiple manufactures” apparently in talks about using the system. It’ll go head to head with Google’s renewed Google TV drive, that’s for sure, and the search giant’s known brand and significantly improved second-gen software could prove difficult to beat.

Convinced by Smart TV? Considering buying one of these sets, or holding out for more new hardware later in the year? Let us know in the comments!

The app will use the Universal OnLive Wireless Controller announced last week, hooking up to the TV or Google TV STB directly. The first 30 minutes of most of OnLive’s 200 games will apparently be free to try, with per-title purchases supported after that; alternatively, there’ll be the subscription-based OnLive PlayPack Bundle for unlimited access to more than 140 of the cloud-based games.

Vizio will be showing off a playable version of OnLive on Google TV as part of its V.I.A. Plus smart TV system at CES 2012 this week, and you can bet we’ll be headed over to see if we can take part in some cloud gaming fun today. The app is expected to be preloaded onto future Google TV sets and adapters.

iPad users will be able to easily and securely view and edit cloud-hosted documents with Windows desktop apps in a smooth and seamless experience. Instant-response multi-touch gestures combined with a full on-screen Windows keyboard and handwriting recognition will make it easy to view and edit even complex documents directly on the iPad.

The OnLive Desktop app is free and comes with 2GB of cloud storage along with access to available Windows 7 apps, which so far include Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and several utilities and games. An OnLive Desktop Pro option will be coming soon that offers 50GB of cloud storage and accelerated priority access, and additional PC apps and features for $9.99 per month. The free OnLive Desktop app will also be heading to Android soon.

The iOS and Android apps themselves are free, though you’ll of course need to pay OnLive for the privilege of using the games. If you’re on a budget, though, you can bypass the wireless controller and just stick with the touchscreen on your phone or slate, though only 25 titles actually support that method of input; if you want to use most os OnLive’s near-200 games, you’ll need that controller.

Up to four controllers can be paired with a PC using a bundled USB adapter, along with a Bluetooth headset for in-game voice communication. It’s powered either by a pair of AA batteries or an OnLive rechargeable pack, which rejuices via a USB connection and is apparently good for up to 36hrs of play.

Those gaming on their phone or tablet can play against others using their PC, Mac or the OnLive Microconsole itself, and all the usual social and “Brag Clip” features are present. Touch-supporting games include L.A. Noire, LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 and 5-7, and Defense Grid Gold.

[via Android Community]

HTC is arguably at a disadvantage from the off in comparison with its mobility rivals. The smartphone market, outside of Apple for the most part, has become a vast game of spec-sheet bingo, with flagship, mainstream and budget products competing on how many buzzwords they can tick off. Advanced users familiar with the tech look for key features like the current generation of high-speed dualcore processors and pixel-dense displays, while the less involved can only compare long lists of checkboxes in stores to figure out which of the increasingly identikit devices is “best.”

When your worth is the sum of your components, HTC’s shortfall in manufacturing begins to drag. Samsung has a huge advantage in producing its own displays, camera modules, chipsets and memory, while LG has its NOVA display prowess. Apple has not been shy in flexing its mighty bank balance and tying up the latest and greatest in hardware for its phones and tablets. In comparison, HTC has been left to pick up what suppliers will allow it to have.

Meanwhile, its lead with Android – founded on the very first Android smartphone, the G1/Dream – has lost momentum. Samsung usurped HTC’s Nexus role with the Nexus S and leveraged its leading-hardware position to produce the Galaxy Nexus after it; Motorola Mobility, now in Google’s pocket, looks increasingly likely to produce the fourth Nexus device, despite Andy Rubin’s protestations that it will be an independent decision.

Where HTC should have pushed ahead was in software and services; in fact, at one point it showed all the signs of doing so. HTC Sense was the perfect sop for the smartphone-naive public, back in the days when Android’s own UI was more hotchpotch than holistic. The company even led the way for features Google later integrated into Android itself, such as synchronizing Facebook details with individual contacts.

With HTCSense.com and the investment in OnLive, it looked like HTC was doing its best to innovate on software and services to balance out its shortcomings in raw components. The online Sense service was to be a cloud hub of contacts, messages and content, offering free tracking and remote access if your lost your phone or left it in your desk drawer at work, while offering a distilled selection of apps that HTC had picked out of the Wild West melee of the Android Market. With the addition of gaming it could have been a legitimate selling point, not just to first-time smartphone buyers drawn in by HTC’s eyecandy-rich UI, but to upgraders too. After all, why jump ship from HTC to, say, Samsung if you lose access to all those useful cloud services in the process?

Unfortunately, Sense online ran out of steam and HTC seemed to lose interest. What could’ve been a strong differentiator – something that would have a powerful impact on users’ daily experience with their phones – it became little more than another pointless pop-up in the notification bar. For most, the only reminder that HTCSense.com is there is the “Matched Contacts” dialog that periodically appears, asking you to link new profile information on your phone with that of other registered Sense users in the cloud. Problem is, once you’ve gone through and signed off on the links, nothing actually happens. It’s smartphone busy-work, another missed opportunity for HTC to put its merits front and center before an audience near-addicted to tapping on their phones.

With Ice Cream Sandwich receiving rave reviews, the Sense UI is losing some of its schtick. HTC is still positioning it as the straightforward, multimedia-rich way to interact with your device, but the OS it covers up no longer really demands such short-cuts. Instead, with fragmentation the platform bogey man of the moment, it introduces a cavalcade of delays to updates.

That’s easy to gloss over when you’re writing about the mobile industry, or investing in it. When you’re a user, less than a year into your 24-month agreement, watching your friends get OTA updates bringing shiny new features to their smartphones and wondering where yours might be, you may not know it’s called “fragmentation” but you definitely know you don’t like it. After two years of that, it’s perhaps enough to make you look elsewhere for your next smartphone hit; that’s when HTC’s value-added services should be coaxing users back into the fold, but we’ve already seen how that’s not happening.

Based on the latest batch of leaks, HTC’s 2012 line-up shows real promise. Gone are the “big screens for the sake of big screens” of me-too handsets like the Sensation XL, replaced with top-tier hardware, aesthetically pleasing design and an apparent recognition that more-of-the-same is a shortcut only to mediocrity, not a consistent cash-flow. We’re seeing devices that can legitimately compete with the spec sheet prowess of Samsung and Motorola phones, for instance.

Hardware is only half of the story, though, and we still need to see whether HTC can deliver the second part. The company needs to screw its courage to the sticking place, and trust in the strengths of its software and service acquisitions. In today’s market, that means recognizing that a smartphone or a tablet is part of an ecosystem: communications, entertainment, gaming, social media and more. HTC has stuck a toe in before: OnLive for cloud gaming, the MediaLink DLNA-streaming adapter, HTC Watch for movie purchases and rentals. Now it needs to commit to them in a way that convinces carriers, investors and – most importantly – customers that there’s more to company strategy than a scattershot of ad-lib devices and ephemeral services.

UK gamers can choose the £6.99 per month OnLive PlayPack Bundle program, which includes over 100 titles. Meanwhile, BT broadband and BT Infinity subscribers will get three months of access to the PlayPack Bundle free. For those not opting for the PC/Mac software client, the OnLive Game System hardware – which plugs into a TV – is priced at £69.99 ($108) and will be offered with the wireless controller as well.

OnLive has also signed a deal with GAME, which will see the company’s hardware go on sale in the retailer’s stores. Service highlights include “massive spectating”, Facebook integration, Brag Clip videos and spectating voice chat (both within the UK and with US gamers).

UK Launch Title list:

4 Elements
Aaaaaa!
AC-130: Operation Devastation
Advent Rising
Alarm for Cobra 11 Nitro
Alien Shooter: Vengeance
Alien vs. Predator Classic 2000
Aliens vs. Predator
Alpha Prime
Alpha Protocol
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
A.R.E.S.: Extinction Agenda
Around the World in 80 Days
Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood
Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood Deluxe Edition
Assassin’s Creed II
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Bloodrayne 2
Blowout
Borderlands
Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition
Braid
Brain Challenge
Ceville
Conflict: Denied Ops
Darksiders
Darkstar One
Defense Grid: Gold
Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Dimensity
DiRT 2
DiRT 3
Disciples III: Renaissance
Divinity 2: The Dragon Knight Saga
Doc Clock: The Toasted Sandwich of Time
Dracula 3: The Path of the Dragon
Duke Nukem Forever
Elements of War
Elizabeth Find, MD: Diagnosis Mystery
Evil Genius
F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin
F.E.A.R. 3
Faery: Legends of Avalon
Fate of the Pharaoh
Fishdom 2
Flatout 2
Frontlines: Fuel of War
GearGrinder
Glyph 2
Grand Ages: Rome
Hitman: Blood Money
Hitman 2: Silent Assassin
Homefront
Homesteader
Infernal
Just Cause
Just Cause 2
Kane & Lynch 2
King’s Bounty: Armored Princess
King’s Legacy
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
LEGO Batman: The Videogame
LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
Luxor 2
Madballs in Babo: Invasion
Mafia II
Men of War: Red Tide
Metro 2033
Mini Ninjas
MLB 2K10
MX vs ATV Reflex
NBA 2K10
NBA 2K11
NecroVision: The Lost Company
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Ninja Blade
Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee
Osmos
Pathologic
Patrician IV
Port Royale 2
Prince of Persia
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlord
Red Faction Guerrilla
Red Faction: Armageddon
Remington Super Slam Hunting: Africa
Royal Envoy Premium
Saints Row 2
Shatter
Shaun White Skateboarding
Shellshock 2: Blood Trails
Silent Hunter 5: Battle of the Atlantic
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
Star Wolves 3: Civil War
Super Granny 6
Supreme Commander
Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance
Syberia II
The Ball
The Bard’s Tale
The Maw
Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X
Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. 2
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction
Tomb Raider Anniversary
Tomb Raider: Legend
Tomb Raider: Underworld
Trapped Dead
Trine
Tropico 3
Tropico 4
Unreal Tournament III
Vegas: Make it Big
Virtua Tennis 2009
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II Chaos Rising
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine
Wheelman
World of Goo
Zombie Shooter 2

Coming Soon
Assassin’s Creed Revelations
Assault Heroes 2
Batman: Arkham City
Bulletstorm
Call of Juarez: The Cartel
Civilization V
Driver: San Francisco
F1 2011
Fallout Tactics
Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game
Football Manager 2012
From Dust
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
Limbo
Might & Magic: Heroes VI
MLB 2K11
NBA 2K12
Operation Flashpoint: Red River
Orcs Must Die
Red Bull X Fighters, International Freestyle Motorcross
Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad
Roller Coaster Tycoon 3
Saints Row the Third
Sniper: Ghost Warrior
Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition
Trine 2
Wargame: European Escalation

The boxed PC version of the Deux Ex: Human Revolution game was prepackaged with a coupon from OnLive that gave customers a free online version of the game to encourage customers to try the OnLive cloud-based gaming platform. When GameStop discovered this, they issued a memo to employees asking them to remove this coupon.

Many gamers wanting to purchase the title and to receive the coupon were outraged at GameStop. However, the publisher behind Deus Ex, Square Enix, has issued a statement in support of GameStop’s decision. Their statement reads:

“As part of Deus Ex: Human Revolution’s boxed offering on PC, Square Enix included a third-party coupon. GameStop was not made aware of this inclusion and Square Enix respects the right of GameStop to have final say over the contents of products it sells and to adjust them where they see fit in accordance with their policies.”

GameStop has issued a new email to employees asking them to place all the regular PC editions of the Deus Ex: Human Revolution game in the backroom, where they’ll wait to be recalled. The company has also openly stated that the OnLive service directly competes with its own streaming service that is still under development by its Spawn Labs Cloud Gaming Division.

[via Wired]

In an email from GameStop Field Operations Manager Josh Ivanoff, employees were asked to “Please immediately remove and discard the On Live coupon from all Regular PC versions of Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Our desire is to not have this coupon go to any customers after this announcement.”

GameStop has officially confirmed that it is pulling these coupons, stating that Square Enix, the game publisher of Deus Ex: Human Revoltuion, pre-packaged the coupons without first informing GameStop. When asked by VentureBeat, a GameStop spokesperson said:

“We pulled the coupons because, like all retailers, we prefer not to promote our competitors and their competing offerings and services in our stores. Unfortunately, the coupon was packed without our prior knowledge.”

Additionally, GameStop has its own cloud gaming ambitions as digital distribution of game titles is increasingly eating away at the company’s core business of buying and selling physical copies of games. However, OnLive expects to offer more combo package deals like this one that will give customers a digital copy that they can access anywhere when they purchase a physical copy. Some of those upcoming titles include Batman: Arkham City, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Space Marine, and Saints Row: The Third.

[via VentureBeat]

As in the US, both pay-per-play, outright purchase and the OnLive PlayPack Bundle – which gives unlimited access to over 70 of the titles the service offers – will be available. Pricing is yet to be confirmed at this stage, either for the games or the Micro Console itself; in the US, the console hardware is $99 with further wireless controllers at $49.

The release is also likely to see HTC enable OnLive gaming on its high-end devices, such as the HTC Flyer. While the Flyer launched in the UK before it made its US debut, so far UK gamers haven’t been able to take advantage of HTC’s $40m investment in the games service since it was US-only. It’s not just the Flyer, however; OnLive has generic Android tablet and iPad apps too.

Those attending the Eurogamer Expo may be able to grab one of the “thousands” of free OnLive Micro Consoles the company plans to distribute at the show. Everyone else can sign up for priority access here.

According to Perlman when the OnLive servers were co-located with DIDO servers, the latency of the OnLive games was less than that of the same game running on a local console. That is one hell of a statement. Latency is the devil when it comes to online gaming. Perlman claims that the latency with DIDO should be a mere millisecond or two. The DIDO magic is in how it transmits data across the network. DIDO cuts out the intelligence integrated into the radios at the PC and the access point and replaces them with the much more robust and powerful cloud-computing servers.

That processing allows the DIDO servers to shoot the signal to only one computer so the machine doesn’t have to sift through all the data for multiple computers in a single stream to find its own data. The DIDO data center would create the radio signal and send it across a wired cable so the only radio needed is at the access point. In a nutshell, DIDO is able to create an independent waveform for each device on the network with only that devices data. That means each individual computer no longer needs to sift through packets not containing data it needs.

[via PCMag]

The OnLive Player App will bring gameplay of almost all OnLive games to the iPad and Android tablets. Currently, there are over 100 games available for the high-end cloud gaming platform. Games can be played on tablets directly using the touchscreens or using OnLive’s new Universal Wireless Controller. Without the controller, the tablet itself can be used as a touch and motion controller and can be used with an HDTV.

Some other features include full voice chat in multiplayer mode, spectating live gameplay, instant no-obsolscence gameplay, and Facebook integration with Brag Clip videos. The OnLive Player app is set to launch sometime later this year. The following video previews some of the games available for OnLive, including Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, Split/Second Velocity, NBA2K11, Homefront, Pure, and Amnesia The Dark Decent.

Press Release:

OnLive Unveils iPad/Android Tablet App That Far Outperforms New Consoles

iPad, Android Tablet Instantly Becomes Touch/Motion Controller or Standalone Cloud Gaming System With Touch/Motion or Game Controller; Seamless Integration of Tablet With or Without HDTV; First Touch/Controller Game From Major Publisher Unveiled for OnLive; Unparalleled Multiplayer Mobile or In-Home Experience; Available in Autumn 2011 in US and Europe

LOS ANGELES, CA–(Marketwire – Jun 7, 2011) – E3 Expo 2011 – OnLive, Inc., the pioneer of cloud gaming, is pleased to report that gamers throughout the world can immediately experience the seamless integration of tablets and HDTVs with high-end gaming. Their current iPad or Android tablet and current HDTV will not only provide this experience in 2011, but will provide it with far higher performance, richer gameplay and deeper social integration than any console announced for 2012, with more than 100 games available today.

OnLive is pleased to announce the OnLive® Player App for iPad and Android. Like the recently announced consoles, the OnLive Player App will enable gameplay of virtually all OnLive games on an iPad and Android tablet with touch or OnLive’s new Universal Wireless Controller. In addition, the OnLive Player App allows the tablet to be used as a touch and motion controller combined with an HDTV (or PC/Mac® if preferred), and allows both synchronized or independent video on the tablet and HDTV screen, enabling combined gameplay with tablet and HDTV, or separate gameplay on tablet and HDTV.

Full voice chat-enabled multiplayer is supported, both in-room and with others throughout the world, providing a complete multiplayer experience whether at home or on the go with a mobile device.

Core patent-pending exclusive OnLive cloud gaming features such as massive spectating of live gameplay throughout the world, instant no-obsolescence gameplay, Facebook integration with Brag Clip™ videos, etc., will work seamlessly on both tablets and HDTVs and will continue to distinguish OnLive from consoles, both in 2011 and beyond.

“The power of the cloud is definitely the theme this week, displacing what had been assumed to be platforms that could never be displaced,” said Steve Perlman, Founder and CEO of OnLive. “The OnLive Player App for iPad and Android shows how with the power of the cloud, the question is not whether cloud gaming will be able to catch up to consoles, it will be whether consoles will be able to catch up to cloud gaming.”

OnLive is excited to demonstrate the first game from a major publisher supporting both OnLive’s iPad/Android tablet touch and game controller, as well as running seamlessly on an HDTV, PC and Mac, to be released later in 2011. Come to OnLive’s booth (South Hall, Booth #801) for a demo.

For gamers preferring a smaller screen, OnLive will provide the exact same functionality on iPhone and Android smartphones, allowing them to be used both as game systems themselves with touch and the OnLive Universal Wireless Controller, or as a controller to an HDTV (or PC/Mac), for simultaneous or independent play.

OnLive is also unveiling as part of this experience the first 10 gigabit cloud-based full-featured browser for iPad, Android and HDTV; bringing the full richness of the Web loading from ultra-fast 10 gigabit/second Web connections to OnLive’s cloud-based servers, including support for full-featured Flash and video sites. Mobile and home devices will no longer be limited to the speed of their local connection for Web browsing or Web plug-in compatibility, opening up access to Flash games and social gaming for tablets and HDTVs.

All OnLive games played using the OnLive Player App will play seamlessly across all OnLive-compatible devices, including iPad, iPhone, Android, on HDTV via the OnLive Game System, on connected HDTV and Blu-ray/media players and on PC and Mac.

The OnLive Player for iPad and Android is being showcased live at OnLive’s booth (South Hall, Booth #801) and will be available later this year. For a video presentation please visit http://www.onlive.com/corporate/pressroom.

About OnLive
OnLive is the pioneer of instant cloud gaming, delivering real-time interactive experiences and rich media through the Internet. With groundbreaking video compression technology, OnLive harnesses cloud computing to provide the power and intelligence needed to instantly deliver the latest, premium game titles to any HDTV via the OnLive Game System or nearly any PC and Mac via a small browser download. The OnLive Viewer app is available for the iPad and full gameplay is coming to both iPad and Android tablets. OnLive is currently available in North America, and will be available in the UK and expanding into Europe later this year. OnLive technology is backed by hundreds of patents and patents pending. The company is headquartered in Palo Alto, California. OnLive investors include Warner Bros., Autodesk, Maverick Capital, AT&T, British Telecommunications (BT), The Belgacom Group and HTC. More information is available at www.onlive.com.

OnLive and Brag Clip are trademarks or a registered trademarks of OnLive, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

The new sharing system will help publishers take advantage of social media to help spread the word on their games. The sharing links can be pasted into an email, a tweet, a Facebook status update, or embedded on any web page. If the you already subscribe to OnLive, then all you have to do is click on the Play Now link for the game to start without the extra step of having to sign in.

If you are not currently a member of OnLive, you will first be taken to an age filter page if the game contains mature content. After that, it takes about 10 seconds for the OnLive plug-in to load and the game demo to start. Today’s $5 game deal is Mafia II, which contains mature content, so hopefully you’re of proper age. And if so, let us know how you like it.

[via VentureBeat]

OnLive lets gamers stream games to their MicroConsole and play games off the “cloud” that is OnLive’s servers. It gives gamers the ability to play games at 60 fps on either their computer or HDTV. Homefront is a futuristic first-person shooter where North Korea has invaded and occupied the U.S. The gamer then has to fight back the occupying forces. It is one of THQ’s marquee games this year. You can use OnLive’s system to stream the game to your computer or use the MicroConsole and stream the game to your television.

“This is a watershed event: It’s the first time a game system has ever been given away with a purchase of a game, “said OnLive Chief Executive Steve Perlman. “Homefront is one of the biggest games out this quarter, and we wanted gamers to see just how incredible is to have the hottest title playable with the instant-play, massive spectating audience on their HDTV that is only possible through OnLive.”

OnLive currently has more than 70 games in its games library at the moment and if the company can add to that, it could start to be a serious competitor in the industry. The small MicroConsole is only about an inch high and is much more portable than other high-end video gaming systems. OnLive has been working on its server based gaming for more than eight years and recently inked a deal raising $40 million from HTC with the entire deal totaling around $1.8 billion

[via VentureBeat]

The full cloud gaming service is integrated into the HTC Flyer. Those familiar with the OnLive will instantly recognize the same user experience that is on the PC and TV versions of the service. The noticeable difference is that virtual control pads show up as soft keys on the screen of the tablet.

Another part of the demo that stood out included Steve Perlman demonstrating the OnLive service also running on the HTC EVO 4G hooked out to a TV via HDMI out. He then used the existing OnLive controller to play the same game that was being played on the Flyer through the EVO 4G on the LCD TV.

Check the out full demo in the video:

As well as working as a regular capacitive touchscreen with multitouch gesture support, the Flyer’s display packs an active digitizer. Bundled is a battery-powered stylus – it uses an AAAA battery which HTC says should rarely need replacing – that’s pressure sensitive, and allows for handwriting recognition, sketching and flowing ink in the newly adapted Sense. HTC has created a new app, Notes, specifically for stylus use, into which you can paste and annotate text and photos, and then sync them wirelessly to Evernote. Notes will also allow you to record audio in a feature called Timemark, time-linking your handwritten jottings to index points along the track so that you can skip easily to each section. They’re also linked to the calendar, so you’re offered a new note when you have a scheduled appointment, or the chance to append to old notes for recurring appointments.

That’s not the extent of Sense’s adaptations, however. HTC has completely redesigned the UI to suit a tablet’s 1024 x 600 display, with a new 3D homescreen complete with floating widgets. In landscape orientation, icons are arranged into a carousel, while in portrait orientation – which HTC user experience manager Drew Bamford tells us the company expects most users to favor, given the Flyer’s compact, notepad-scale dimensions and option of two-handed stylus use – there’s a new 3D grid of apps.

The HTC Flyer may not run Android 3.0 Honeycomb out of the box – HTC says that “soon after” launch there will be a Honeycomb OTA update, and the company assured SlashGear that the timeliness of that update shouldn’t be impeded by carrier modifications – but it still gets dual-pane apps of HTC’s own making. There’s multi-pane browsing, calendar, email and address book, and, perhaps frustrating some would-be users, even when Honeycomb arrives, like HTC’s smartphones there won’t be a way to turn Sense off (short of flashing a custom ROM, of course).

Third-party developers won’t be left out of the Flyer’s unique stylus use, with HTC hoping to quickly release the necessary HTC Scribe Technology driver to allow other apps to take advantage of the dual-mode touchscreen. HTC isn’t saying which company provides the stylus technology, though Bamford did tell us that they’d auditioned “pretty much them all” before settling on the system that best fit with the existing touch panels the company uses. To apps themselves, the nib is presented as another touch point, albeit coded as a different type, so apps can respond differently to the stylus and a fingertip touching the same controls. The finger will still reign supreme for general use, however, with the stylus not expected to be used for navigation. Finally, there’s a new content drive that will see HTC put OnLive streaming gaming and a “Watch” app for streaming movies and TV on the Flyer.

All that software magic is wrapped in a unibody chassis combining matte-finish aluminum and sturdy white plastic. There are front and rear cameras, a 4,000 mAh battery and a custom microUSB port that ensures not only backward compatibility with regular accessories but HTC’s new high-power charger. Battery life is tipped at a whopping 820 to 1470 hours of standby – that’s over 61 days – while video playback is up to four hours. The first Flyer units will have integrated HSPA+ connectivity, albeit for data only, while a WiFi b/g/n-only version will follow “pretty soon” after. There’s also Bluetooth 3.0, 32GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot.

They’ll be the first in a new range for HTC, too. “We’re pretty serious about this category,” the company told us at a pre-briefing last week, “we’re not just dipping our toe into the water.” While they wouldn’t be drawn on what sort of models are next on the roadmap, we’ve heard separately that a 9-inch slate is a strong possibility.

The Flyer will come with the stylus – that has two buttons, by default mapped to erase and text-select – and a pouch case with a loop for the pen itself. There’ll also be a range of accessories, including a second case that can turn into a stand, a desktop dock, and a Bluetooth keyboard for easier text entry. HTC isn’t talking specific pricing at this stage, but will say that it’s targeting the sort of “high end” tablets, like the iPad, that we’ve already seen on the market. The HTC Flyer should arrive globally in early Q2 2011.

Press Release:

HTC UNVEILS HTC FLYER, THE FIRST TABLET WITH HTC SENSE

Aluminum unibody design with touch and pen interaction make HTC Flyer unique

First tablet with HTC Watch video service, HTC Scribe Technology
and OnLive gaming

BARCELONA, SPAIN – Mobile World Congress – February 15, 2011 – HTC, a global leader in mobile innovation and design, today announced its first tablet, the HTC FlyerTM. HTC Flyer blends HTC’s trademark design language with an all-new HTC Sense user experience that has been reimagined for the tablets. Using an intuitive and innovative approach to tablets, HTC Flyer combines natural touch and pen interaction. HTC also announced HTC Watch, a new connected video service that will debut on HTC Flyer tablet, and will collaborate with OnLive Inc. to launch the first cloud-based mobile gaming service on a tablet.

“Clearly, smartphones have transformed our lives but as we observed how people use smartphones, computers and other technologies, we saw an opportunity to create a tablet experience that is different, more personal and productive,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation. “We are progressing down a path as an industry when people will no longer be in a single device paradigm, but have multiple wireless devices for different needs; this is the direction we are moving.”

Encased in a sleek aluminum unibody, the HTC Flyer tablet exudes the iconic style and build quality HTC is known for. It is also ultra-light, weighing as little as a paperback book, and compact enough to fit in a jacket pocket only. With a seven-inch display, lightning fast 1.5Ghz processor and high-speed HSPA+ wireless capabilities, the HTC Flyer tablet is perfect for those who have been waiting for a tablet that is both compact and powerful.

HTC Sense for Tablet
HTC Sense revolutionized smartphones by placing the person at the center of the experience. HTC Flyer’s tablet-focused HTC Sense experience focuses on surprising and delighting people with its gorgeous 3D home screen. A unique carousel of widgets puts a user’s most important content and information at the visual center of the experience. The HTC Flyer tablet also offers uncompromised Web browsing with Flash 10 and HTML 5.

HTC Scribe Technology
Touch interaction lights up the HTC Flyer tablet experience, but it also offers a groundbreaking pen experience. With the new HTC Scribe Technology on the HTC Flyer tablet, people can rediscover the natural act of writing. HTC Scribe Technology introduces a wave of integrated digital ink innovations that make it easy and natural to take notes, sign contracts, draw pictures, or even write on a web page or photo.

HTC Scribe Technology on the HTC Flyer tablet transforms traditional note-taking into smart note-taking by integrating natural onscreen writing with thoughtful and integrated innovations. A feature called Timemark enables you to capture the audio of a meeting in line with your written notes, so tapping on a word in your notes instantly takes you to that exact place in time in the audio recording of the meeting. Notes are also integrated with the calendar so when there is an appointment reminder you are automatically prompted with an opportunity to begin a new note or in the case of recurring meetings, to continue where the last meeting left off. In an industry first, the HTC Flyer tablet also features built-in synchronization with Evernote, the world-leading notes application and service.

Streaming Mobile Movies with HTC Watch
The HTC Flyer tablet premieres HTC Watch, HTC’s new video download service. The HTC Watch service enables low-cost on-demand progressive downloading of hundreds of High-Definition movies from major studios. The intuitive, natural design of the HTC Watch service makes it easy to find the latest movie and video content, while advanced technology on the back-end enables instant playback over the HTC Flyer tablet’s high-speed wireless connection.

Mobile Gaming with OnLive
HTC takes mobile gaming to an entirely new level by being the first mobile device in the world to integrate OnLive Inc.’s revolutionary cloud-based gaming service. OnLive is leading in the home gaming market by letting people play top video games on their televisions without the need to buy expensive gaming hardware or software. When integrated fully, the OnLive service will enable customers to pipe the OnLive service through the HTC Flyer tablet’s broadband wireless to their television sets, or let them play directly on the tablet. When integrated on the HTC Flyer tablet, people can play a variety of games, including hits like Assassin’s Creed II, NBA 2K11 and Lego Batman.

Availability
HTC Flyer will be available to customers globally during Q2 2011.

The OnLive news comes hot on the heels of HTC’s investment in digital media delivery specialists Saffron Digital yesterday, a company which provides various DRM-protected video streaming technologies to carriers, manufacturers and content owners. Saffron Digital has also expressed an intention to move into game and music streaming.

HTC has previously expressed its intention to move Sense away from just the phone and into the living room and other areas of the home. The company already offers ebook access on its smartphones, along with a subscription-based navigation package, and with these latest deals it looks like that focus on value-added services – which will also help to lock-in HTC users – is only going to increase.

The service, which offers unlimited access to OnLive’s back-catalog of videogames, was supposed to see a full launch starting tomorrow (as of the time of this writing), but for unknown reasons it’s been set back to an unknown date. The result is that OnLive is ready to set the beta onto all of OnLive’s users, allowing them to access the catalog free-of-charge.

Playback was only originally available for OnLive users on the MicroConsole, but now the beta will be open to everyone that uses the service. On any platform that OnLive is accessible. As of right now, the catalog has only about 12 titles available to play, but OnLive says that the content will expand to about 40 titles once it leaves the beta status.

[via BigDownload]

The service itself was working great, even right on the ShowStoppers floor. We got to watch LEGO Harry Potter in action, while the company was showing off the gaming system itself, they were also demonstrating the SRS 5.1 Surround Sound System, which is still scheduled to release for the service in the near future. The company also confirmed that the 33% discount for the MicroConsole, which will still get purchasers a free game, is still going on, and will end on Sunday, January 9th, at 11:59PM CST.

The company was also showing off their embedded gaming within VIZIO HDTVs, which we’ve reported about in the past, along with their tablet device. The company pointed out that players of OnLive will be able to continue playing a game on any OnLive console, moving from one device to another.

The 33-percent discount on the MicroConsole is valid until Sunday Jan 9 at 11:59 PM PST; buyers still get a free game and free PlayPack Beta. OnLive has also confirmed that games will be resumable across the various devices supporting the platform; so, you’ll be able to start a title on your MicroConsole, pause it, then pick up again on the iPad client, the PC or Mac client, or even one of Vizio’s new OnLive-compatible VIA HDTVs.

There’ll also be OnLive support added to Vizio Blu-ray players. Gamers will buy the same PlayPass game purchases/rentals, ranging in price from $2.99 to $49.99, or can sign up to the $9.99/month all-you-can-play PlayPack.

Previously OnLive has required either a PC, Mac, iPad or MicroConsole unit, which plugs directly into a TV’s HDMI port, but with smart TVs having network connectivity already it makes sense to bundle it into the set itself. Vizio’s OnLive implementation will support up to full 1080p HDTV in 3D with 5.1 surround sound.

Press Release:

OnLive Cloud Gaming to be Integrated into VIZIO HDTVs, Tablets, Smart Phones and Blu-ray Players in the VIA Plus™ Ecosystem

Top-Tier Games Available Instantly on TV with No Console or Downloads

Palo Alto, CA, Irvine, CA & Las Vegas, NV (CES) — January 4, 2011 — At the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, OnLive, Inc., the pioneer of on-demand, instant-play video games, and VIZIO, America’s #1 LCD HDTV Company, announced a partnership to integrate the OnLive® Game Service directly into VIZIO HDTVs, the new VIA Tablet and VIA Phone and Blu-ray players in the VIA Plus ecosystem. The partnership will incorporate the OnLive cloud gaming experience across the next generation of VIZIO Internet Apps™ consumer electronics devices that share a unified, sophisticated and intuitive user interface for seamless access to high-end, interactive content.
Unprecedented Game Performance, Convenience and Flexibility
New-release premier core and casual games will be available for instant play with the flick of a remote—as fast as changing a channel—with no console, discs or downloads required. Games will be available at up to full 1080p HDTV in 3D with 5.1 surround sound, providing a rich, immersive gaming experience on the TV; OnLive game compatibility will also be extended to the VIZIO VIA Tablet and VIA Smart Phone, complementing current OnLive availability on PC, Mac® and iPad®. Since OnLive games run in constantly-upgraded data centers rather than in local devices, game performance steadily improves over time as the device ages, a key benefit for long life-cycle devices, such as TVs.
“Today’s OnLive/VIZIO announcement marks a major milestone: for the first time in the history of video games, consumers will be able to enjoy premium video games directly on a TV, no console or computer needed,” said Steve Perlman, Founder and CEO of OnLive. “VIZIO’s innovative and cutting-edge technologies are ideally aligned to complement OnLive’s vision for the future of entertainment and together we look forward to providing a wealth of rich-media, interactive content to consumers this year.”
With the integration of OnLive across the VIA Plus ecosystem of compatible VIZIO devices, consumers can access the OnLive cloud gaming service directly through any VIA Plus HDTV, Tablet, Smart Phone or Blu-ray Player for instant gaming on any VIA Plus device—even seamlessly continuing gameplay from one device to the next—without the need for a game console.
Early demonstrations of the OnLive cloud game service on VIA HDTVs are running at the VIZIO showroom and in OnLive’s suite at the Wynn hotel this week. OnLive-enabled VIZIO TVs and other devices will be available to consumers later this year.
“Consumer adoption and feedback on VIA has been phenomenal, and we’re excited to work with OnLive to bring instant gaming direct to our products,” said Matthew McRae, Chief Technology Officer at VIZIO. “Besides having on demand access to top movies, TV shows, and music, VIA Plus users will also be able to enjoy the unparalleled convenience of playing the latest hit gaming titles with the freedom to switch games much like you change the channel.”
OnLive launched its innovative, award-winning cloud gaming service in June 2010, enabling the instant delivery of rich gaming experiences to HDTVs via the pocket-sized OnLive Game System’s MicroConsole™ TV adapter, and to PCs and Macs via a small browser plug-in. The OnLive Viewer app is available for iPad and is in Beta for Android™ tablets. OnLive’s unique social features include friending, chat, massive spectating of live games in play, and Brag Clip™ videos, enabling users to record and share their greatest or funniest in-game moments.
OnLive’s growing game library includes over 50 instant-play premium titles priced to suit any budget, including free trials, PlayPass game purchases/rentals ranging from $2.99 to $49.99 and a recently announced $9.99/month all-you-can-play plan called a PlayPack.
OnLive will demo its service on VIZIO VIA HDTVs at the following times/locations throughout CES. Please contact Michelle Curran to schedule an appointment: mcurran@double-forte.com
VIZIO will also demonstrate the OnLive service in its private CES showroom at the Wynn Hotel, from January 5 – 8, 2011 by appointment. For more information, contact Jim Noyd: jim.noyd@noydcom.com

“Apparatus for video gaming includes a box having a slot with an interface that connects to a game card providing a platform to run a software video game. The game card outputs video game data through the interface at a data rate of approximately 200 Mbps or greater. A unit processes the video game data for output to a display device. A wireless transceiver is included to receive the software video game via a wireless local area network (WLAN) and to transmit game information to a remote player having access to the WLAN during interactive play of the software video game.” OnLive patent abstract

The newly granted patent joins the company’s existing portfolio – which apparently extends into the hundreds – and was originally filed on December 10 2002 by company founder Stephen Perlman. Core to the experience is the latency involved, which the patent describes as less than 80ms but greater than 5ms, so as to enable a “high twitch-action video game.”

OnLive began broadly shipping MicroConsoles earlier this month; that was followed by an iPad app earlier this month. A version for Android-based tablets is currently in beta.

Press Release:

OnLive Awarded Fundamental Cloud Gaming Patent

Acknowledgement of Over 8 Years of Pioneering Work by OnLive

Palo Alto, Calif., December 14, 2010—OnLive, Inc., the pioneer of on-demand, instant-play video games, today announced the US Patent Office has awarded the company a fundamental cloud gaming patent, US Patent #7,849,491. The patent is a significant addition to OnLive’s worldwide portfolio of patents filed by OnLive and its affiliate entities. OnLive anticipates receiving additional patents worldwide.

Cloud gaming is a breakthrough technology where video games run on remote servers, and users simply connect an Internet-connected device—be it a TV, PC/Mac®, iPad™, Android™ tablet, smartphone—and instantly are able to play the highest performance, new-release games with no discs, no downloads and no upgrades. OnLive’s patented and patent-pending technology makes the games almost instantly responsive, providing a gaming experience comparable to the games being playing locally, even though they may actually be running on servers 1000 miles away.

“OnLive is pleased to be awarded this patent as an acknowledgement of its pioneering inventions in cloud gaming technology,” said Steve Perlman, Founder and CEO of OnLive. “Hundreds of people have worked incredibly hard for more than 8 years to bring OnLive technology from the lab to the mass market, not just overcoming technical and business challenges, but overcoming immense skepticism. It is gratifying to not only see people throughout the world enjoying OnLive technology in the wake of so many doubters, but also receive recognition for such a key invention.”

The OnLive Game Service was released to the public in June of 2010 on PC and Mac, and on the TV and iPad in December of 2010. An Android version is currently in beta.

US Patent #7,849,491 issued after almost 8 years of pendency on December 7, 2010.

About OnLive
OnLive is the pioneer of on-demand, instant-play video game services, delivering real-time interactive experiences and rich media through the Internet. With groundbreaking video compression technology, OnLive harnesses cloud computing to provide the power and intelligence needed to instantly deliver the latest, premium game titles to any HDTV via the OnLive Game System or nearly any PC and Mac via a small browser download, and on the iPad and Android via the OnLive Viewer mobile app. The company is headquartered in Palo Alto, California. OnLive investors include Warner Bros., Autodesk, Maverick Capital, AT&T, British Telecommunications (BT) and The Belgacom Group. More information is available atwww.onlive.com.
# # #

If you are such a rabid fan of some games or gaming in generally that you like to just watch other people play, OnLive has announced that it has enabled game spectating on the iPad. OnLive also notes that a beta version of the spectating service will be offered for Android soon.

The cooler of the two announcements that OnLive has made is the fact that you can use the OnLive app that allows for game spectating to run Windows 7 apps on the iPhone. The OnLive app will get more appealing when some touch enabled games land on the OnLive service. I would presume that is in the works.

The manufacturer is believed to be in early discussions with content providers, though details regarding the negotiations and the identity of the potential partners are unknown at this stage. They’re expected to find some degree of favor with content owners, however, believed to be wary of Netflix’s rapid expansion and growing dominance in subscription-based digital delivery.

A Vizio HDTV with integrated movie streaming could easily replace a set-top box and offer a more streamlined solution for home users; meanwhile the company could claw subscribers from rivals by bundling access to content with purchases of a new screen. Meanwhile, OnLive’s MicroConsole already has HDMI and digital optical audio connections, making it a straightforward media player option.

[via Electronista]

PlayPack will offer a choice of  recent, indie and classic games, though not the full OnLive catalog; for that, you’ll need PlayPass since the company will be selling new, flagship titles individually from $3.99 to $49.99. Alternatively, OnLive will continue to offer free trials, along with 3- and 5-day rentals for those not wanting permanent access.

PlayPack includes such titles as Prince of Persia, Tomb Raider: Underworld and Ninja Blade. The full list is in the press release below, and OnLive says it will be adding more titles before the official launch next month.

[via Engadget]

Press Release:

OnLive Offers $9.99/month Flat-rate Video Game Plan;

OnLive Game System Shipments Begin

Flat-rate Plan Offers Unlimited Access to Growing Library of Instant-Play Games

Palo Alto, Calif., December 2, 2010-OnLive, Inc., the pioneer of on-demand, instant-play video games, today announced details of its new $9.99/month “PlayPack” flat-rate plan, which is immediately available in beta to OnLive Game System owners and available to all OnLive members on January 15, 2011. OnLive will continue to offer its current free trials, 3- and 5-day rentals and Full PlayPass options for a la carte new-release games in addition to the new PlayPack flat-rate plan for access to a growing library of recent, indie and classic games.

“OnLive’s PlayPass and PlayPack plans give players maximum flexibility to try or buy video games,” said Michael Pachter, Managing Director, Equity Research Wedbush Securities. “Top-tier titles are available as individual rentals and purchases, while everything else is available at a flat rate. With these programs, OnLive is effectively offering the equivalent of an iTunes/Netflix combo for gaming.”

OnLive today also began shipping the OnLive Game System, a $99 controller and MicroConsole™ bundle, providing instant access on HDTVs to all OnLive games.

The PlayPack option is available, in beta, starting today for owners of the OnLive Game System free of charge. The PlayPack game library will steadily expand up to and beyond the January 15, 2011 launch date. After this introductory beta period, the PlayPack flat-rate plan will be available as a $9.99/month option for all OnLive members, including those PlayPack beta members who choose to continue with the plan.

The PlayPack flat-rate plan will comprise more than 40 high-quality games when officially launched, incorporating major franchises immediately recognizable to any gamer. A sampling of the current PlayPack beta game library includes:

•Prince of Persia®, Ubisoft
•NBA® 2K10, 2K Sports
•Tomb Raider™: Underworld, Square-Enix
•F.E.A.R. 2, Warner Bros
•Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X.™, Ubisoft
•Unreal Tournament® 3, Epic
•Vin Diesel Wheelman™, Ubisoft
•LEGO® Batman™, Warner Bros
•Defense Grid® Gold, Hidden Path
•Saw, Konami
•Puzzle Chronicles, Konami
•King’s Bounty: Armored Princess, Katauri Interactive
•Ninja Blade, From Software

Like all OnLive titles, PlayPack games play instantly on TVs, via the OnLive Game System, or on a PC or Mac® via a small browser download.

“OnLive’s new PlayPack plan is another example of unique value and convenience unlocked through cloud gaming technology,” said Steve Perlman, founder and CEO of OnLive. “People love flat-rate plans for instant-play media, so it’s exciting to introduce this offering to the video game market for the first time. With PlayPass games priced from $3.99 to $49.99, along with the new $9.99/mo PlayPack plan, OnLive’s growing library of games will suit any budget and any type of gamer, from casual to hardcore.”

Some PlayPack games require a mouse and/or keyboard. The PlayPack flat-rate plan will be offered on a month-to-month basis and can be cancelled at any time.

For more information about the PlayPack flat-rate plan, visit www.onlive.com/playpack. For additional details on the OnLive Game System, visit www.onlive.com/game-system.

Optionally you’ll be able to use a USB or Bluetooth headset, for in-game chat (after an imminent software upgrade), and up to four wireless controllers are supported simultaneously. The system is also silent and fan-free, yet still capable of 1080p60 high definition together – game permitting – with 3D.

Initially, games will be either rented for 3- or 5-day periods, or bought individually using Full PlayPasses; however, OnLive plans on offering a flat-rate plan for unlimited access to their library later this year.

That doesn’t mean that gameplay is free, of course: you can either buy a game outright, or instead pick a three-day or five-day PlayPass for the title.  OnLive also says it will be launching its MicroConsole TV Adapters and OnLive Game Pad Controllers soon, as they’re currently in manufacturing.  They’ll initially be offered to Founding Members; you can sign up here.

Previously you had to be using a wired connection to the internet to take advantage of the cloud gaming service. According to OnLive, all you have to do to use the new service is start OnLive and a message will pop up that says you are using Wi-Fi Beta and the user selects it.

OnLive says that in testing the Wi-Fi service has been found to be fully functional on networks that can sustain at least 3 Mbps connections. The service will save your game right where you are if you lose connectivity for as long as 5-minutes.

Now, that’s significantly more than the 34-40ms that OnLive themselves suggested gamers would usually see, but still roughly on a par with playing Killzone 2 locally.  It’s also important to factor in the condition of your network, too: your broadband speed could make a big difference (OnLive say 5mbps or higher is ideal) and individual games also fluctuate.  DigitalFoundry found Unreal Tournament III was relatively stable at 150ms, while DiRT 2 and Assassin’s Creed II both showed significant ranges, of 167ms-200ms and 150ms-216ms respectively.

[via Kotaku]

OnLive is offering what it calls the Founding Members program in cooperation with AT&T. If you head over to OnLive you can sign up for the founding members program, assuming there are any spots left.

Those chosen for the Founding Members program will get a free year of OnLive service and the option to get a second year at $4.95 per month on a month-to-month plan. OnLive will offer over 20 games to start with including Assassin’s Creed, Mass Effect 2, and a bunch more. I tried to sign up, but all I got after entering my info was a page telling me they would notify me if selected.

OnLive removes the requirement for gamers to have high-performance consoles or PC hardware in their homes, or indeed to jump on board the upgrade cycle to keep those machines up to date.  Instead, it streams game content via broadband to the gamer’s TV, PC or Mac, using cloud-based servers to do the heavy crunching.  All that’s required locally is a small adapter box, which hooks up to the network, the TV/computer and the controllers.  BT haven’t revealed how much it will be charging for the UK OnLive service, but that news is expected later in 2010.

Press Release:

BT Agrees commercial partnership and investment with OnLive Inc.

BT has entered into a commercial partnership with OnLive Inc., a Silicon Valley based, cloud computing video gaming business, which gives BT exclusive rights to bundle the OnLive® Game Service with broadband in the UK. In conjunction with the commercial partnership, BT has taken a 2.6 per cent shareholding in OnLive Inc.

The revolutionary OnLive® Game Service is a new way to purchase and play video games, which are streamed over the internet, using video compression technology, so the customer can just connect and play. There is no need to wait for games to be downloaded, they run instantly.

It delivers the latest games from many of the world’s leading publishers direct to a customer’s TV, PC or Mac. OnLive works over a wired broadband connection and customers do not need high specification computers to use the service as the complex processing work is done at remote data centres.

OnLive unveiled their service in March 2009 after seven years in development and it officially launches in the US this summer following a successful beta trial. BT will announce further details about its launch plans later this year.

The move by BT into cloud gaming enhances what the company already offers in the entertainment area with BT Vision its on-demand digital TV service.

Gavin Patterson, CEO of BT Retail, said: “Entertainment is going to be at the heart of what we offer customers in the future. The partnership with OnLive complements our existing BT Vision service. It’s great for our customers – they’ll have access to a huge catalogue of games, available instantly on their TV or PC without expensive hardware. And it’s great for BT – it will enhance our premium broadband position and we’ll be entering into a market that’s worth more than £2billion.”

Steve Perlman, CEO of OnLive, said: “The UK market is extremely important to OnLive and our videogame publishing partners as we expand into Europe. We view BT as the ideal UK partner. As gamers are moving increasingly to online game distribution, OnLive delivers video games as a pure form of online media, playable instantly on almost any video-capable device attached to the internet. The implications are nothing short of transformative to video games and in time, all interactive media. OnLive is delighted to be pioneering this revolutionary technology in the UK together with BT”.

Enquiries about this news release should be made to the BT Group Newsroom on its 24-hour number: 020 7356 5369. From outside the UK dial + 44 20 7356 5369.

About OnLive

OnLive is the pioneer of on-demand, instant-play video game services, delivering real-time interactive experiences and rich media through the Internet. With groundbreaking, patent-pending video compression technology, OnLive harnesses cloud computing to provide the power and intelligence needed to instantly deliver the latest, high-end game titles directly via a sleek, inexpensive MicroConsole TV Adapter™, or on PCs and Macs via a small browser plug-in. OnLive technology is backed by over 100 patents and patents pending. The company is headquartered in Palo Alto, CA, and investors include BT, AT&T, Warner Bros., Autodesk and Maverick Capital. More information is available at www.onlive.com.

OnLive, Brag Clips and MicroConsole are trademarks or registered trademarks of OnLive, Inc.

The company is partnering in this launch with publishers including Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, 2K Games, THQ and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. The games will also include new releases like Mass Effect 2, Borderlands, Assassin’s Creed II, Dragon Age: Origins, as well as a bunch of other titles. CEO Steve Perlman anticipates anywhere from a dozen to 25 titles to be available at launch time, and more after that in the future.

Intially the service will run on Macs and PCs as a browser plugin, but the MicroConsole TV adapter will be slated for release later this year, along with other devices. The service will stream at 720p, but 1080p full-HD at 60 fps will be added “as the bandwidth becomes available”.

[OnLive]

The other question was if the graphics of the cloud-based gaming service would be up to par considering it was going to offer some games with decent graphics for play. Some game geeks have spent time with the service and came away with the feeling that for some games and gamers the OnLive service will be good enough.

If you are a power gamer or one of the hardcore, the service isn’t for you according to the story. The crux of the story is that lag is a factor, image quality is an issue for those used to PC graphics, game selection is limited, and bandwidth congestion can really kill the system. Granted the OnLive service is still in beta, here’s hoping it improves a lot.

Reuters reports that OnLive has secured another round of funding to continue to improve and develop its gaming service. The company won’t specify how much funding it raised from the original investors including AT&T Media Holdings, Lauder Partners, Warner Bros, Autodesk, and Maverick Capital.

All OnLive CEO Steve Perlman will say is that it was a “large investment at a large valuation.” OnLive also says that the 100,000 beta users that have registered has exceeded the number of users it had estimated for the first year of its service.

Video demo after the cut

According to OTOY, just about any mobile device – whether Palm Pre, iPhone, iPod touch or Android-based smartphone – will be able to access the service.  They’re currently working on control methods, which will range from accelerometer control, on-screen joypads and even external peripherals.

While it works best over WiFi, it’s still supposedly playable with a 3G connection; we’re not sure how they’ve got past control lag, though, nor instability in the phone’s connection, especially when mobile.  Still, HD-quality gaming without a huge, overpowered mobile console is nothing to be sniffed at, so we’ll be watching with great interest to see when OTOY will be coming to market.

[via electricpig]

Video demo after the cut

Basically, all of the user inputs are funneled off down to the OnLive servers, and all of the graphical output is funneled back to the user’s display.  OnLive also plan a MicroConsole, tipped to be no more than $100, that will plug into an HDTV via HDMI and support Bluetooth for voice communication together with controllers, mouse and keyboard (title depending). 

The off-site crunching means there’s really little demand on the local hardware, so you can potentially game on a netbook.  Gameplay will be handled on a subscription basis, together with an online user profile, friends list and “Brag Clips”, the latter 10-second videos of your best gaming moments which you can replay and send to others.  Publishers are being offered the choice between selling titles outright or renting them, and so far EA, Take-Two, Ubisoft, Epic, Atari, Codemasters, Warner Bros. and Eidos have signed up.

An open, invitation-based beta will start over the Summer, with a full launch planned during the Winter.  No subscription prices or hardware costs yet, but this could be a seriously successful service if OnLive get the numbers right.