OnLive gaming due in June for $15 per month
updated 02:50 pm EST, Wed March 10, 2010
OnLive to stream modern games to PCs, Macs
OnLive at GDC today narrowed down the launch date and pricing for its streaming gaming service. The technology is now due to go live June 17th and will cost $15 per month for playing OnLive's entire catalog through a broadband Internet connection. An exact game library isn't fixed but should vary between 12 to 25 games, including modern games like Borderlands and Mass Effect 2 in addition to some older titles.
The service should be available with both Mac and Windows PC clients at the same time and is unique in offloading the entire performance aspect of the game to a remote server, allowing even some entry-level computers and notebooks to run games at 720p as smoothly as on some higher-end hardware. The system still allows for multiplayer and provides saved replays of game sessions for later. Lag is minimized enough that a typical broadband connection can play a game without noticeable delays, but certain especially timing-sensitive games are unlikely to reach OnLive.
The company doesn't expect its MicroConsole TV Adapter, a peripheral that streams directly to a TV set, to be available until sometime before the end of the year. It also hasn't said how soon a demonstrated, prototype iPhone app might be available.
