OnLive, Inc. today emerged from seven years of stealth
development within the Rearden incubator to unveil The
OnLive Game Service and OnLive MicroConsole at the 2009
Game Developers Conference.
OnLive is an "on demand" video game platform
delivering the latest games instantly, on any TV via an
inexpensive MicroConsole, or on almost any PC or Mac. The
company said its service will allow users to play games on
any TV and nearly any personal computer -- even
stripped-down netbooks and PCs without graphics
processors.
A console slightly larger than an iPhone connects TVs and
broadband connections to the OnLive service, and is
operated via a wireless controller. OnLive delivers games
run on servers in the "cloud," rather than locally on a PC
or a console.
OnLive is supported by many of the top names in the video
games industry including Electronic Arts, Ubisoft,
Take-Two Interactive Software, Warner Bros. Interactive
Entertainment, THQ Inc., Epic Games, Eidos, Atari
Interactive and Codemasters.
"OnLive is the most powerful game system in the world. No
high-end hardware, no upgrades, no endless downloads, no
discs, no recalls, no obsolescence," said Steve Perlman,
Founder and CEO of OnLive.
Designed for gamers of all skills and ages,
the OnLive Game Service is easy to use. The OnLive
MicroConsole connects any TV and home broadband connection
to the OnLive Game Service and is operated by an OnLive
wireless controller. Gamers can enjoy the same experience
on almost any Internet-connected PC or Mac via a small
browser plug-in from OnLive.com?even entry-level computers
will play the highest performance games. Whether on TV, PC
or Mac, OnLive provides instant access to the most
advanced games in the world, solo and multiplayer.
A user interface allows video game fans to watch live
games in action, join in at any point, share their
exploits with friends through social networking tools, or
make Brag Clips that showcase their skills. With OnLive,
gamers have immediate access to demos and can instantly
try, buy and play top-tier games, whether playing solo or
with friends.
OnLive also offers benefits to publishers and developers.
It costs far less to develop a game for OnLive, and the
economics are far more efficient than retail or download
distribution models. It typically only takes a few weeks
to extend an existing version of a game to work on the
OnLive service, so there is little cost incurred by
developers and publishers to support the OnLive platform.
Through a partnership with Epic Games, a developer of
triple-A games and cross-platform game engine technology,
the award-winning Unreal Engine 3 is compatible with the
OnLive platform. Games leveraging the cutting-edge
technology and versatility of the Unreal Engine will
easily run on the OnLive service.
OnLive will be showing 16 great titles playable during the
2009 Game Developer?s Conference in San Francisco at the
OnLive Booth, North Hall #5128.
The OnLive Game Service will be offered through a monthly
subscription in Winter 2009. OnLive will be available in a
variety of different pricing packages and tiers,
competitively priced to retail, the company said. Although
OnLive did not release details on pricing, it will follow
a subscription model and Perlman said it will be
"significantly" cheaper than consoles.
Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's
PlayStation 3 consoles can cost anywhere from $200 to
$400.