OnLive demo shows remote iPhone, web gaming
updated 09:50 am EST, Wed December 30, 2009
OnLive details streaming gaming UI
OnLive at a recent Columbia University demo (viewable below) showed off a functioning example of its streaming gaming technology that included a demo of its iPhone app. The Apple device demo, from about 17 minutes onwards, shows the smartphone being used both for the service's spectator and networking features but also for controlling the multiplayer shooter Crysis Wars. Company chief Steve Perlman describes the control as "funky" due to the use of a touchscreen for a keyboard-heavy game but notes that it's playable with little lag and a fast frame rate, since the computing isn't done on the iPhone itself.
The test also shows the regular interface for computers, which depends only on a 1MB web browser plugin for both Macs and Windows PCs. The interface depends on a "video wall" style layout that lets users both play their games as well as as see what their friends are doing and view "brag clips," or short video captures from their play sessions made possible by the streaming nature of OnLive.
A final version of OnLive still doesn't have a concrete release date, but the company still promises to offer a small streaming hub for those who want to access the service from a TV. [via Gamertag Radio]
