The pioneering technology will allow gamers to select from around a 100 titles, playing them instantly online via a PC, tablet or HDTV
Cloud-gaming pioneer OnLive has announced that it will be introducing its instant-play games service in the UK on September 22. Originally launched in the US last summer, the technology allows users to play well-known titles via a broadband connection without having to initially download the entire game. Instead, the code is stored on OnLive's servers and the action is streamed in real-time to the user's computer, TV or tablet device via the internet, like a YouTube video.
OnLive has claimed that over 100 'top tier' titles will be available from the launch date. It is yet to announce specific games, but has told The Guardian that it is in the process of licensing most of the catalogue currently available in the US. Many major publishers including Ubisoft, THQ and Square Enix have partnered with OnLive to make games such as Assassin's Creed, Homefront and Batman: Arkham Asylum available via the instant-play technology. However, the two biggest game publishers Electronic Arts and Activision have yet to announce any supporting titles.
Users will be able subscribe for free at the official UK website. They can then choose to rent games for a limited periods, buy unlimited access to specific titles or pay a monthly fee to access the OnLive PlayPack Bundle, which gives unlimited access to a large chunk of the OnLive line-up. UK prices are yet to be announced, but in the US, most titles offer a three-day pass for $5.99, a five-day pass for $8.99 or a full price of $20-$60. The PlayPack bundle is $9.99 a month.
Customers can play on various platforms including PC, Mac, and iPad and Android tablets. OnLive will also be distributing a set-top Game System and controller which allow owners to play via their HDTV. The price for this equipment, which will be available via the OnLive website, has yet to be announced, but a console, controller and video adaptor combined come to $180 (£111) in the US.
"OnLive will utterly transform gaming in the UK," said OnLive founder and CEO Steve Perlman. "No discs, big downloads or specialised hardware needed. OnLive gives you the latest games instantly, anytime, anywhere on HDTV, PC, Mac, as well as iPad, Android tablets. High-performance gaming as accessible as streaming video, with unique social features such as massive spectating with voice chat and Facebook integration."
The instant-play system will support any broadband service provider in the UK, though thanks to a partnership deal revealed earlier this year, BT customers will have access to exclusive bundle deals, which will build OnLive access into broadband subscriptions. Regardless of provider, broadband speed will be a key factor in visual quality. In the US, OnLive has advised a minimum requirement of 2 Mbit/s, which is comfortably below the country's average speed of 5.3Mbits/s. In the UK, the average is 6.8Mbit/s, although many areas get considerably slower access. A recent study by Pando Networks uncovered large regional variations.
The big question marks are over the two bugbears of internet gaming: lag and latency. As the game is stored remotely on a server, every interaction between the player and the onscreen action has to be sent to and from the user's PC via their broadband connection. If there are delays in that data transaction, the action can slow to a crawl. In a major review of the US version of the service last year, games site Eurogamer questioned claims by Perlman that he was seeing latency of around 35-40 milliseconds. In their own tests they found several games peaking at over 200ms, though many ran acceptably at around 150ms. The lag will be most noticed by players of twitch games like first-person shooters and racers – however, similar lag and latency tests have obviously yet to be performed on the UK service.
OnLive has been reviewed favourably by US sources such as Wired and Engadget, though Games Radar drew attention to the slightly 'fuzzy' visuals – refering to the onscreen 'artifacts' that are a consequence of the need to compress the video data for faster throughput from the servers to the client.
The big advantages of the system however are cost and convenience. OnLive owners will have easy access to a large range of titles without having to buy retail copies or wait for games to download via services such as Steam. Comparisons have been made with YouTube, which, at launch, offered significantly lower picture quality than many rival services but offered the speed and convenience that internet users wanted. For more casual gamers who don't wish to buy a dedicated console, the compromise on speed and graphics quality may be acceptable. OnLive also offers instant free playable demos of every title, and provides supplementary features such as the ability to spectate multiplayer gaming tournaments.
The digital games business is the fastest growing area of the games industry. According to the Entertainment Software Association, digital content accounted for 24 percent of game sales in the US last year, generating $5.9 billion in revenue. The sector is currently dominated by Steam, a PC games download site operated by Valve, the developer behind hits such as Portal and Half-Life. Steam is estimated to account for over 70 percent of the digital distribution market. There are also rival cloud-based gaming services such as Gakai and Playcast. OnLive is yet to officially provide a figure on how many subscribers it has in the US.
OnLive will kick off its UK presence at the Eurogamer Expo in London, where the company plans to hand out thousands of its Game Systems for free.
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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/aug/11/onlive-uk-launch-date
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