OnLive was debuted at GDC today, showing off seven years of secret development, and seeks to rival video game console manufacturers such as Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony. OnLive allows gamers to play some of their favorite new releases on their low-end PC’s, Macs, or Televisions.

In an interview with GameTrailers, OnLive founder and CEO Steve Perlman revealed his company’s new service called OnLive. OnLive is “Games On-Demand”, an archive of games that a player can choose from to play on their PC, Mac, or Television. OnLive makes available top, high-end games and allows for games to be released in the same time frame that they would be in-store.

The plug-ins found in the OnLive computer web browser service are just One Megabyte in size, allowing for free computer space and speed that would normally be eaten up by a game purchased from the store. The games are stated to play “seamlessly” on the OnLive service, with no real lag or FPS drops. The OnLive service is able to provide this from their supercomputers featured in their Server Centers, allowing even for FPS wrenching games such as Crysis to be played with full AA and shadows virtually flawlessly.



Games can be run at either High Definition or Standard Definition. Players playing in High Definition can play at full 720p (1280×720) at 60 Frames Per Second (FPS), while players playing in Standard Definition can play at a resolution comparable to that of the Nintendo Wii console. To play in High Definition however, players must have an Internet connection of around 5 Mbps (Megabytes per second) or they will be bumped down to Standard Definition. Standard Definition requires an Internet connection of around 1.5 Mbps to play without lag however.

A major spectator mode is in development for OnLive, which will feature the ability for players to choose to allow others who have or don’t even have the game to watch the current player progress through the game.
When watching or playing a game that divides the players into separate teams, the system is smart enough to separate the voice chat so that players on one side cannot hear the players on the other side. Spectators also have the ability to talk to other spectators and/or the player while watching. Brag Clip, a feature included in the OnLive service, allows players to send the past 10 to 15 seconds of gameplay to others to show off a trick they pulled off, or make others jealous by displaying their skill.

Steve Perlman states “OnLive rocks for Beta.” OnLive allows for developers to select certain specific players to participate in their upcoming game’s beta, and also the developers can watch the players move by move, seeing what works and what doesn’t, and what is popular and what is not.

OnLive is stated to have virtually no lag meaning that the second the player presses a button on the keyboard or controller, the game sends its status straight to the Server Center which zips to the computer or television of the spectator so fast that perceptually its as if the game is playing right there.

A new wireless controller is being developed by OnLive and will feature low latency wireless which is measured in microseconds, too fast for milliseconds. The new controller also features a standard game pad layout, Brag Clip Capture buttons, and Media Transport controls.



The game developers already said to be developing for the service are:

* Atari
* Codemasters
* Eidos
* Electronic Arts
* Epic
* Take Two
* THQ
* Ubisoft
* Warner Bros.
* Also one Indie publisher is also developing for OnLive, but the name of the company was not revealed

The listed games in the demo video for OnLive at GDC are as follows:

* Bioshock
* Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box
* Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts
* Crysis Wars
* F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin
* Frontlines: Fuel of War
* Lego Batman: The Videogame
* Major League Baseball 2k9
* Mirror’s Edge
* Prince of Persia
* The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena
* Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X.
* Tomb Raider: Underworld

OnLive is set for a Beta in Summer 2009, and is set for release in Winter 2009.

Source: GameTrailers