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Video of OnLive running on iPad from D8 conference that was recently posted.
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As of July 2010, the game service is available for PCs running [[Windows XP]], [[Windows Vista]], or [[Windows 7]], or [[Intel]]-based Macs running [[Mac OS X 10.6]] or later. The service requires a 5 Mbps wired Internet connection and is limited to the contiguous United States.<ref name="Tech FAQ">{{cite web |url=http://www.onlive.com/support/performance |title=OnLive Technical FAQ |publisher=OnLive |accessdate=2010-07-17}}</ref>
As of July 2010, the game service is available for PCs running [[Windows XP]], [[Windows Vista]], or [[Windows 7]], or [[Intel]]-based Macs running [[Mac OS X 10.6]] or later. The service requires a 5 Mbps wired Internet connection and is limited to the contiguous United States.<ref name="Tech FAQ">{{cite web |url=http://www.onlive.com/support/performance |title=OnLive Technical FAQ |publisher=OnLive |accessdate=2010-07-17}}</ref>


The OnLive service has been demonstrated on [[smartphone]]s such as the [[IPhone|iPhone]]<ref name="phone1">http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/700743/OnLive-Service-Works-On-Cell-Phones-Too.html</ref><ref name="phone2">http://www.gamespot.com/news/6240231.html</ref><ref name="phone3">http://blog.onlive.com/2009/11/13/onlive-in-the-palm-of-your-hand/</ref>, and [[Tablet_computer|tablet computers]] such as the [[IPad|iPad]]<ref name="D8-Demo-Barrons">{{cite web|last=Savitz |first=Eric |url=http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2010/06/03/d8-demo-onlive-a-cloud-based-video-gaming-system/ |title=D8 Demo: OnLive, A Cloud-Based Video Gaming System |publisher=Barron's |date=2010-06-03 |accessdate=2010-08-06}}</ref>, and there are plans to launch a [[video game console]] that will support it as well. Steve Perlman has also suggested that the underlying electronics and compression chip could be integrated into set-top boxes and other consumer electronics.<ref name="joystiq.com">[http://www.joystiq.com/2009/04/02/gdc09-interview-onlive-founder-steve-perlman-continued/ Joystiq: GDC09 interview: OnLive founder Steve Perlman, continued]</ref>
The OnLive service has been demonstrated on [[smartphone]]s such as the [[IPhone|iPhone]]<ref name="phone1">http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/700743/OnLive-Service-Works-On-Cell-Phones-Too.html</ref><ref name="phone2">http://www.gamespot.com/news/6240231.html</ref><ref name="phone3">http://blog.onlive.com/2009/11/13/onlive-in-the-palm-of-your-hand/</ref>, and [[Tablet_computer|tablet computers]] such as the [[IPad|iPad]]<ref name="D8-Demo-Barrons">{{cite web|last=Savitz |first=Eric |url=http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2010/06/03/d8-demo-onlive-a-cloud-based-video-gaming-system/ |title=D8 Demo: OnLive, A Cloud-Based Video Gaming System |publisher=Barron's |date=2010-06-03 |accessdate=2010-08-06}}</ref><ref name="D8 Video:OnLive demoed on iPad, PC, Mac, Console, iPhone">{{cite web|url=http://video.allthingsd.com/video/d8-video-onlive-demo/9D57A2C6-24ED-4351-8266-F3F7BA0C4D18/ |title=D8 Video:OnLive demoed on iPad, PC, Mac, Console, iPhone |publisher=Wall Street Journal |date=2010-08-09 |accessdate=2010-08-19}}</ref>, and there are plans to launch a [[video game console]] that will support it as well. Steve Perlman has also suggested that the underlying electronics and compression chip could be integrated into set-top boxes and other consumer electronics.<ref name="joystiq.com">[http://www.joystiq.com/2009/04/02/gdc09-interview-onlive-founder-steve-perlman-continued/ Joystiq: GDC09 interview: OnLive founder Steve Perlman, continued]</ref>


===Console===
===Console===

Revision as of 06:05, 20 August 2010

OnLive
File:OnLive Logo.jpg
ManufacturerOnLive
TypeGaming on demand
LifespanUSJune 17, 2010[1]
UKend of 2011[2]
MediaN/A (on-demand content)
Controller inputPC: Mouse and Keyboard MicroConsole: Gamepad (Max. 2 USB, 4 Wireless)
Online servicesOnLive Games On Demand
Websitewww.onlive.com

OnLive is a cloud computing, gaming-on-demand platform: the games are synchronized, rendered, and stored on remote servers and delivered via the Internet. OnLive was announced in 2009[3] and launched in the United States on June 17, 2010.[4]

The service is available in the United States for PCs running Microsoft Windows (7, Vista, XP) and Intel-based Macs with OS X 10.6 or later.[1] A low-end computer, as long as it can play video, may be used to play any kind of game since the game is computed on the OnLive server. For that reason, the service is being seen as a strong competitor for the console market.[5][6] All games on the service are available in 720p format and to play in high-definition OnLive recommends an Internet connection of 5 Mbps or faster.[7] The average broadband connection speed in the US at the end of 2008 was 3.9 Mbps, while 25% of US broadband connections were rated faster than 5 Mbps.[8]

Over 20 publishers, such as Electronic Arts, Take-Two, Ubisoft, Epic Games, Atari, Codemasters, THQ, Warner Bros., 2D Boy, Eidos Interactive, and others have partnered with OnLive.[9] Over twenty one game titles are currently available from the OnLive service.[10]

History

OnLive was announced at the Game Developers Conference in 2009.[3] The service was originally planned for release in the winter of 2009.[11][1]

On March 10, 2010, OnLive announced the OnLive Game Service would launch on June 17, 2010, in the US, and the monthly service fee would be US$14.95,[12] however at launch the membership option available was through AT&T's Founding Members promotion which provides the service free for the first year and US$4.95 per month for the optional following year.[13][14]

On March 11, 2010, OnLive CEO Steve Perlman announced the OnLive Game Portal, a free way to access OnLive games for rental and demos, but without the social features of the Game Service. The Game Portal will launch sometime later in 2010.[15]

Service

As of July 2010, the game service is available for PCs running Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7, or Intel-based Macs running Mac OS X 10.6 or later. The service requires a 5 Mbps wired Internet connection and is limited to the contiguous United States.[7]

The OnLive service has been demonstrated on smartphones such as the iPhone[16][17][18], and tablet computers such as the iPad[19][20], and there are plans to launch a video game console that will support it as well. Steve Perlman has also suggested that the underlying electronics and compression chip could be integrated into set-top boxes and other consumer electronics.[21]

Console

File:OnLiveMainMenu.jpg
OnLive main menu

OnLive will sell a console, called the "MicroConsole TV Adapter,"[22][23] that can be connected to a television and directly to the OnLive service, so that it will be possible to use the service without a computer.[3] The MicroConsole supports up to four wireless controllers and multiple Bluetooth headsets. It also has two USB ports for a keyboard and mouse. For video and audio output it provides component, HDMI, and S/PDIF ports. An ethernet port provides access to the network, which is required to access the OnLive service.[24]

Architecture

The OnLive service will be hosted in five co-located North American data centers. Currently there are facilities in Santa Clara, California and Virginia, with additional facilities being set up in Dallas, Texas, as well as Illinois, and Georgia.[25][26] OnLive has stated that users must be located within 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of one of these to receive high quality service.[27][28][29]

The hardware used is a custom set up consisting of OnLive's proprietary video compression chip as well as standard PC CPU and GPU chips. For older, or lower performance, games such as LEGO Batman, multiple instances can be played on each server using virtualization technology. However, high-end games such as Crysis Warhead will require one GPU per game. Two video streams are created for each game. One (the live stream) is optimised for gameplay and real-world Internet conditions, while the other (the media stream) is a full HD stream that is server-side and used for spectators or for gamers to record Brag Clips of their games.[21]

International availability

Steve Perlman plans to offer the service in the United Kingdom[30] in partnership with British Telecom as a bundled service with their broadband packages[31], as well as in the rest of Europe, after getting it established in the United States over the coming year.[32]

OnLive plans to offer the service in Belgium and Luxembourg in partnership with Belgacom.[33] Belgacom has the exclusive right to bundle OnLive in Belgium and Luxembourg with their other broadband services, but gamers in these countries also will have the option of ordering directly from OnLive through any Internet service provider and it will be offered in multiple languages there.[33]

Company

Executive team

  • Steve Perlman is OnLive's CEO who is well known for QuickTime, WebTV, and other ventures.[34]
  • Mike McGarvey is OnLive's COO who was Eidos Interactive's former CEO.[35]
  • Tom Paquin is OnLive's executive vice president of engineering. He is best known as being a key developer behind Netscape and as the founder of Mozilla.org.[36]
  • John Spinale is OnLive's vice president of Games and Media. Spinale previously was SVP of Product Development at Eidos and Director and Executive Producer at Activision. He also founded and ran Bitmo.[37]
  • Paul V. Weinstein is OnLive's vice president of business development. Previously, he worked as EVP of Business Development for open source database company MySQL.[38]
  • Charlie Jablonski is OnLive's vice president of operations. His career includes 16 years at NBC as Head of Engineering and Technology.[39]
  • Eve Saltman is OnLive's Vice President of Legal. Previously, she helped build LiveOps legal department and oversaw all aspects of the company’s commercial and licensing transactions, as well as its intellectual property portfolio and policy development.[40]

Corporate information

OnLive was incubated within Rearden LLC, a company founded by Steve Perlman. Since it was spun out as an independent company, it has also taken over control of MOVA, another Rearden start-up founded by Steve Perlman, as a wholly-owned subsidiary. MOVA is a facial creation and motion capture company whose technology has been used in films such as The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.[41][42]

OnLive's original investors include Warner Bros., Autodesk and Maverick Capital.[43] A later round of financing included AT&T Media Holdings, Inc. and Lauder Partners as well as the original investors.[44] In May 2010, it was announced that British Telecom and Belgacom invested in and partnered with OnLive.[45][46]

Reception

Pre-Launch Skepticism

Soon after the company's announcement at GDC 2009, there was skepticism expressed by some game journalists. This skepticism concerned their theories of how the OnLive service might work and what the quality of the service might be both in terms of the hardware required in OnLive server centers to render and compress the video, as well as the impact of commercial Internet broadband connections on its delivery. During GDC 2009, which was held in San Francisco, the OnLive service was 50 miles (80 km) from its Santa Clara data center. The closed beta had "hundreds of users on the system".[47] Near E3 in 2009, which is approximately 350 miles (560 km) away from their data center, OnLive demonstrated their service performed well with a consumer cable modem and Internet connection.[48][49]

Matt Peckham from PC World stated in his blog that it might be technically difficult to transfer the amount of data that a high definition game would require. He stated he believed OnLive customers would need a broadband line with "guaranteed, non-shared, uninterruptible speed", but "broadband isn't there yet, nor are ISPs willing to offer performance guarantees". He also mentioned his concerns that the mod community might not be unable to create and offer mods, and that games played on OnLive might not be "owned" by the user, and thus if OnLive were to go under, all the user's games would be inaccessible.[50][51]

Cevat Yerli, the CEO of Crytek, had researched a method for streaming games but concluded that Crytek's approach would not be viable until 2013 "at earliest". Yerli made it clear Crytek was not directly involved with the OnLive service, and Yerli had no personal experience using the service. Rather, Electronic Arts, the publisher of Crytek's Crysis Warhead, had partnered with OnLive and had tested and endorsed the OnLive technology. Yerli stated:

I want to see it myself. I don't want to say it's either 'top or flop'. I hope it works for them because it could improve gamers' lives. The technology of video-based rendering is not actually a very new concept but they do some things that others didn't do before so it will be interesting to see.[52]

Post-Launch Reviews

After the launch of the service in the United States, favorable reviews by game journalists stated that the service performs well, and they look forward to the service improving over time.[53][54][55][56] Hiawatha Bray of The Boston Globe stated, "It felt exactly as if I had installed the software on my local computer."[57] Chris Holt of Macworld, in his review of Assassin's Creed II on OnLive using his Mac, wrote that he looks forward to future higher resolution improvements that are already promised, he "never encountered any frame rate issues," and "the game is on the whole every bit as immersive, rewarding, and free as the console version."[58] Dan Ackerman of CNET wrote that, "OnLive was an overall very impressive experience, and several minds around the CNET offices were officially blown--a difficult task among this jaded bunch."[59]

Reaction of console manufacturers

Steve Perlman has said the OnLive console, joystick, and subscription would be cheaper than the cheapest of standard consoles.[60]

None of the console manufacturers made any official announcements about OnLive; however, Sony registered a trademark for cloud gaming called "PS Cloud" the day after OnLive was announced.[60][61] The trademark covers a broad range of possibilities, including online videogames, Internet radio, electronic magazines, cloud computing, and thus no direct conclusions can be drawn from it.[62]

Competitors

The first company to enter this space was the UK based company StreamMyGame which launched its game streaming and game recording software publicly on 26 October 2007 and then released a version for the PlayStation 3 in January 2008.[63]

The California-based company OTOY made an announcement on January 8, 2009, at the Consumer Electronics Show that they were teaming with AMD to create a supercomputer capable of rendering graphics for up to a million users.[64]

Soon after OnLive was announced, another competitor, Gaikai, was announced.[65][66] Gaikai had not planned to announce its streaming browser-based Game-on-Demand service until June 2009, but founder David Perry said it had to bring this forward when OnLive made its announcement.[67]

Playcast Media System announced a pilot launch in Israel to allow, "PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 quality games, on demand," over the Hot cable TV network, though they have not announced any business relationships with publishers or specific titles.[68]

References

  1. ^ a b c "OnLive Technical FAQ". OnLive. Retrieved 2010-08-06. Cite error: The named reference "onlive_faq" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  2. ^ OnLive to hit UK ‘by end of next year’
  3. ^ a b c Roper, Chris. "IGN: GDC 09: OnLive Introduces The Future of Gaming". Pc.ign.com. Retrieved 2009-03-25.
  4. ^ Brown, Rich (2010-07-15). "Interview: OnLive CEO Steve Perlman gives us his post-launch perspective". CNET News. Retrieved 2010-08-06.
  5. ^ Ricker, Thomas (2009-03-20). "OnLive killed the game console star?". Engadget.com. Retrieved 2009-03-25.
  6. ^ "Le « cloud gaming », l'avenir du jeu vidéo ? - Actualités" (in Template:Fr icon). ZDNet.fr. Retrieved 2009-03-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  7. ^ a b "OnLive Technical FAQ". OnLive. Retrieved 2010-07-17.
  8. ^ "Akamai: Fourth Quarterly "State of the Internet" Report". www.akamai.com. 2009-03-30. Retrieved 2009-08-12.
  9. ^ "OnLive: Partners". OnLive. Retrieved 2010-08-06.
  10. ^ Roper, Chris. "IGN: GDC 09: OnLive Introduces The Future of Gaming". Uk.pc.ign.com. Retrieved 2009-03-25.
  11. ^ Perlman, Steve (2010-03-10). "OnLive: Coming to a Screen Near You". OnLive.com. Retrieved 2010-03-10.
  12. ^ "OnLive Account FAQ". OnLive. Retrieved 2010-07-17.
  13. ^ "ONLIVE FOUNDING MEMBERS PROGRAM WAITING LIST SIGNUP". OnLive. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
  14. ^ Perlman, Steve (2010-03-10). "OnLive: More News from OnLive!". OnLive.com. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
  15. ^ http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/700743/OnLive-Service-Works-On-Cell-Phones-Too.html
  16. ^ http://www.gamespot.com/news/6240231.html
  17. ^ http://blog.onlive.com/2009/11/13/onlive-in-the-palm-of-your-hand/
  18. ^ Savitz, Eric (2010-06-03). "D8 Demo: OnLive, A Cloud-Based Video Gaming System". Barron's. Retrieved 2010-08-06.
  19. ^ "D8 Video:OnLive demoed on iPad, PC, Mac, Console, iPhone". Wall Street Journal. 2010-08-09. Retrieved 2010-08-19.
  20. ^ a b Joystiq: GDC09 interview: OnLive founder Steve Perlman, continued
  21. ^ Kelly, Kevin. "GDC09: Rearden Studios introduces OnLive game service and 'microconsole'". Joystiq.com. Retrieved 2009-03-25.
  22. ^ "MicroConsole TV Adapter". OnLive. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
  23. ^ "Specifications". OnLive. Retrieved 2010-07-02.
  24. ^ OnLive datacenter locations from Steve Perlman interview.
  25. ^ Joystiq: GDC09 interview: OnLive founder Steve Perlman wants you to be skeptical
  26. ^ "Beta Testing at the Speed of Light". OnLive. 2010-01-21. Retrieved 2010-01-23.
  27. ^ "OnLive Fully Detailed in Columbia University Presentation". The Escapist. 2009-12-30. Retrieved 2010-01-23.
  28. ^ "The Process of Invention: OnLive Video Game Service". The FU Foundation School of Engineering & Applied Science (Columbia University). Retrieved 2010-01-23.
  29. ^ http://blog.onlive.com/2010/05/13/onlive-coming-to-europe/
  30. ^ "BT gets exclusive rights to OnLive in UK". Thinq.co.uk. 2010-05-13. Retrieved 2010-05-13.
  31. ^ http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1556341/onlive-spell-trouble-pc-makers
  32. ^ a b http://blog.onlive.com/2010/05/16/onlive-coming-to-belgium/
  33. ^ "OnLive: Steve Perlman". OnLive. Retrieved 2010-08-06.
  34. ^ "OnLive: Mike McGarvey". OnLive. Retrieved 2010-08-06.
  35. ^ "OnLive: Tom Paquin". OnLive. Retrieved 2010-08-06.
  36. ^ "John Spinale". OnLive. Retrieved 2009-04-06.
  37. ^ "OnLive: Paul V. Weinstein". OnLive. Retrieved 2010-08-06.
  38. ^ "OnLive: Charlie Jablonski". OnLive. Retrieved 2010-08-06.
  39. ^ "OnLive: Eve Saltman". OnLive. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
  40. ^ "OnLive: Background". OnLive. Retrieved 2010-08-06.
  41. ^ "Mova: About Us: Overview". Mova. Retrieved 2010-08-06.
  42. ^ "Rearden: About". www.rearden.com. Retrieved 2009=2009-08-12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  43. ^ "OnLive Raises Series C Round from AT&T, Warner Bros. and Others". www.techcrunch.com. Retrieved 2009=2009-09-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  44. ^ "OnLive Coming to the UK". OnLive. 2010-05-13. Retrieved 2010-08-06.
  45. ^ "OnLive Coming to Belgium". OnLive. 2010-05-16. Retrieved 2010-08-06.
  46. ^ Joystiq: GDC09 interview: OnLive founder Steve Perlman [page 2]
  47. ^ Kelly, Kevin (2009=06-03). "Impressions: online and live with OnLive [update]". www.joystiq.com. Retrieved 2009-08-12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  48. ^ Deam, Jordan (2009-06-08). "OnLive at E3: It Works". www.escapistmagazine.com. Retrieved 2009-08-12.
  49. ^ "GDC 09: 6 Reasons OnLive Could Be a Bust". PC World. 2006-07-31. Retrieved 2009-03-25.
  50. ^ Peter Svensson (2009-03-25). "The Associated Press: Streaming games could be bane or boon for ISPs". Associated Press. Retrieved 2010-08-11.
  51. ^ "Crytek: Streaming games service viable in 2013". Gamesindustry.biz. 2009-04-02. Retrieved 2009-04-22.
  52. ^ "OnLive: The first few weeks". Joystiq.com. 2010-07-13. Retrieved 2010-08-11.
  53. ^ "TechBytes: Kindle App Upgraded, Streaming Your Music Online, OnLive Review, Facebook and Divorce". ABC News. 2010-06-29. Retrieved 2010-08-11.
  54. ^ "OnLive is the easy path to instant gratification gaming". Venture Beat. 2010-06-22. Retrieved 2010-08-11.
  55. ^ Wolverton, Troy (2010-07-18). "Wolverton: OnLive streams console-quality games over the Internet". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
  56. ^ Bray, Hiawatha (2010-07-15). "Service lets players stream video games". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
  57. ^ Holt, Chris (2010-07-05). "Assassin's Creed II". Macworld. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
  58. ^ Brown, Rich (2010-06-28). "Hands-on with OnLive: Is this the future of PC gaming?". CNET News. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
  59. ^ a b Dumons, Olivier. "OnLive ou la fin annoncée des consoles de salon" (in French). LeMonde.fr. Retrieved 2009-04-07. De quoi inquiéter Sony, qui a senti là un danger non négligeable, et a immédiatement déposé (le lendemain de l'annonce) un brevet "PS Cloud" similaire à celui d'OnLive. (Enough to make Sony worried, who felt a significant danger, and immediately registered (the day after the announce) a trademark "PS Cloud" similar to OnLive's one.
  60. ^ U.S. Trademark 77,697,735
  61. ^ O'Gara, Maureen (2009-04-08). "Sony Trademarks the Term 'PS Cloud'". SYS-CON MEDIA. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
  62. ^ Gibbon, David. "PS3 to allow PC games to run on it". http://www.digitalspy.com/. Retrieved 2010-04-05. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  63. ^ Hendrickson, Mark (2009-01-08). "AMD and OTOY Working Together on Fastest Supercomputer Ever". Tech Crunch. Retrieved 2009-07-29.
  64. ^ "Gaikai". Gaikai. Retrieved 2009-03-26.
  65. ^ "GDC Exclusive: David Perry's Entry into Server-Based Gaming". GameDaily. 2009-02-26. Retrieved 2009-03-26.
  66. ^ "OnLive: Inside and Out". Gamespot. 2009-03-24. Retrieved 2009-03-27.
  67. ^ C, Alex (2009-07-21). "Play PS3 Quality Games without a PS3". TheSixthAxis. Retrieved 2009-07-29.

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