OnLive (revisited)

[J T]

At first I really liked the idea of OnLive, then I really hated it, now I'm somewhere in-between. I liked the idea of being able to play a game via streaming, so that I wouldn't need a high end PC to play graphically intense games. I didn't like that they were charging full price for what amounts to a rental, and that there used to be a subscription fee on top of that.

I recently picked up a deal that allowed me to get a full access pass to LA Noire for $1, so now I am actually using OnLive and I've adapted my opinion of it after, you know, actually trying it out. I've discovered that there are more cool things about it than I thought.

The upsides
What I didn't realize is that there are rentals and 30 minute demos. That changes how I think about this service. I love the idea of being able to demo a game without having to clear the hard drive space for it-- it's stored on their system, not mine. It's great for being able to gain quick access to a new game to see if you want to add it to your wishlist or something. I would recommend this, even to my friends with X-box 360s and PS3s for multi-platform games.

The rentals are kind of expensive, but about what you used to have to pay at Blockbuster before they crashed. You can often choose between a 3-day, 5-day, or 1 month rental. the price varies depending on the title. If there is ever a game that I don't really want to own, but might enjoy playing for the weekend, I'd use it. There is also a service where you have access to a huge pack of games for $10 per month. I like this as well, except most of the games are either not interesting, or I already have them via Steam or GOG.

I also tried out the spectator system, and it was nice because it is so fast. You can quickly find someone playing a game that you are interested in and just watch them. It's like watching "Let's Play" videos without the annoying commentary of some random YouTuber.

The lag is the thing most people seem to complain about. That is a problem, but not as much as I thought it would be. LA Noire is a game that likely would not run on my current laptop, but it runs really smoothly on OnLive. There is a little lag, but nothing as bad as if I were to try to get the game running on a machine that barely meets the minimum system requirements.

The downsides:
The idea that OnLive will let you play new games on any old machine is a myth. There is some intense graphics processing needed to run the OnLive client because it does some really fantastic video decompression to allow you to stream such high definition video. The machine I have is certainly old by a few years, but it's not terrible, so I get the benefit of being able to play games that are better than my computer can handle, but people that don't have gaming machines already, probably won't be able to run the OnLive client either (though the client is free, so you can always try it before you buy any games).

You don't own your games or saves, they do. Also, full passes are ridiculously priced. They are the same price as a new release that you actually own (unless there is a sale). This means you can't apply mods, you can't backup games and saves, and you just don't have a lot of control over the product. There are some benefits to certain OnLive versions of games though, such as being able to play a version of Batman: Arkham City WITHOUT the otherwise required Games For Windows Live component, since it has been removed for the OnLive version.

My revised thoughts
Ultimately, my impression of OnLive now is that it is a fantastic substitute for renting games on a PC. I think it's also wonderful for demoing games without having to take up harddrive space (other than the OnLive client). I wouldn't recommend buying full price games here though, unless they have it on a decent special, or your PC can't handle the game and you don't plan to upgrade any time soon.

[REPO Man]

I personally love OnLive. I've got the PlayPack and it's got 100some games.

However, my lack of a decent PC made me get the MicroConsole, and through a composite connection (my TV doesn't have HDMI), some games have hard-to-read ingame text.

Also, I messed with the settings to Saints Row 2 (part of the PlayPack), and now the graphics are messed up.

[AznKhmerBoi]

interesting write up/ review, personally im still iffy on this streaming stuff. I heard about lag and video clarity issues. Until i can see this product with my own eyes im still on the fence wether...

Its just like the motion controlls witht he wii first time, seeing it on tv one thing while playing it live is another.

[deathsled]

What was the deal for LA Noir for $1? Is that still available?

I've got access to Batman: Arkham Asylum and Assassin's Creed Brotherhood that I paid a combined total of less than $2 for, I wouldn't mind adding another game in there for a buck. It's possible the deal you used for LA Noir was the same one I used a month or so for ACB, was it the 98% off deal or whatever that was?

You certainly can play OnLive on a crappy machine and that's one of the things I love about it. OnLive runs perfectly fine on my original eeePC with a 900mhz (overclocked) celeron M and integrated intel gma900 graphics (not good at ALL). The fact that thing can play "modern" games using OnLive is incredible.

[RetroGam3r]

Onlive is a good service internet permitting,But i feel it needs more support from the bigger developers so it can really push through?
I have one game for it when it was a pound so i could try the service.The ability to watch people play and upload clips effortlessly are all huge thumbs up.Using my ps3 pad on it with motioninjoy makes it all easier aswel.

It makes you wonder if Sony and Microsoft would look at onlive and say "we could do this better".I got tempted by the box under the tv but instead opted for the cheaper version.
Course another huge benefit is the fact every game has a trial so now you can use it to test demos without waiting hours for gigs of data!

[Inazuma]

I can understand someone thinking OnLive is good as a rental service, because honestly, that's what it is. For those of us who prefer to own our games, OnLive is useless at best, and potentially a serious threat.

I'm really worried that everything will be cloud based in the future, so I want to make sure I stay far away from stuff like OnLive. I don't want to support it at all.

[J T]

I can understand someone thinking OnLive is good as a rental service, because honestly, that's what it is. For those of us who prefer to own our games, OnLive is useless at best, and potentially a serious threat.

I'm really worried that everything will be cloud based in the future, so I want to make sure I stay far away from stuff like OnLive. I don't want to support it at all.

I can appreciate that. You should try it for the free demos though. It's great to not have to take up the harddrive space or wait for several GB of data to download. You just click and start playing.