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[CTID]

When will this be hitting europe, especially UK & Ireland?

 

[thehillissilent]

Is it possible to rent games through the service? And if you buy it do you own it forever or only until your subscription with OnLive runs out?

Yes, it is possible to rent games from the service. If you decide to buy it, you will own it until the service goes out of business.

There is no mandatory subscription to use the service. There is a separate, optional, Playpack subscription for older catalog games that is $9.99, but you can buy games a la carte. However, some of the Playpack games are not available separately from the Playpack subscription

Every Friday, they have a $5 sale for a specific game. The also have various sales and deals on Holidays and trade shows.

When will this be hitting europe, especially UK & Ireland?

They should be hitting the UK this fall.

 

[JesseZao]

Is it possible to rent games through the service? And if you buy it do you own it forever or only until your subscription with OnLive runs out?

You can rent for 3 or 5 days I think. You can purchase a game and be able to pay it as long as it is on their servers (legally guaranteed for three years). The third option is the monthly pass for $10 for access to 70+ games with more added weekly. You don't pay a subscription to just use the service for rentals, demos, or purchases.

 

[CTID]

They should be hitting the UK this fall.

Thanks will give it a whirl.

 

[sajj316]

Any news on improvements to stream quality? Anything over 5 mbps would be nice for those that have connections to support it!

 

[Burekma]

I'm patiently waiting until this becomes playable in central Europe. Any dates yet?

 

[Bboy AJ]

Any news on improvements to stream quality? Anything over 5 mbps would be nice for those that have connections to support it!

Better, but not perfect. Why don't you try it out? The download is only a few MB.

 

[sajj316]

Better, but not perfect. Why don't you try it out? The download is only a few MB.

I have been .. tag name is sajj316. It's why I've asked. Although it's not perfect, I would like Onlive to be my PC fix (w/o having to keep upgrading). The subscription service is a GREAT idea and I do appreciate the $5 Fridays. The library is improving but where are titles like Crysis?

I would pay upwards of $15-20 a month for a premium subscription service if individual games like Assassins Creed is offered.

 

[robor]

I just wanna say that I'm happy to see OnLive flourishing. I'm looking forward to seeing what changes it will have made in 5 years.

 

[wormstrangler]

I've been unable to game for 7months (overseas, don't have my own laptop or desktop). But I just fired up a game of FEAR3 for the first time on the service using my housemates laptop.

Colour me impressed. I didn't actually play for more than 2 minutes because I don't even have a proper mouse, but I could see myself playing games this way in the future.

Actually, I'd probably buy the micro-console right now except we have a rear-projection TV. It's big, but pretty old school, non-HD.

 

[JesseZao]

I've been unable to game for 7months (overseas, don't have my own laptop or desktop). But I just fired up a game of FEAR3 for the first time on the service using my housemates laptop.

Colour me impressed. I didn't actually play for more than 2 minutes because I don't even have a proper mouse, but I could see myself playing games this way in the future.

Actually, I'd probably buy the micro-console right now except we have a rear-projection TV. It's big, but pretty old school, non-HD.

I probably wouldn't buy it outright, just wait for a deal that has a free console thrown in. Usually they do this with preorders.

 

[19Kilo]

Got my micro-console today from the 100% off deal.

Pretty impressive, it came in nice packaging sort of reminiscent of apple products. The controller is very similar to a 360 pad, including the rechargeable battery pack and a second battery holder for AA batteries.

Very quick set up, plugged in an ethernet cable, a/c adapter, hdmi and powered it up. It downloaded a console update plus a controller (?) update. Put in my login details and was good to go. Two usb ports on the front of the console, so I plugged in a wired 360 controller for two player NBA 2K11. It worked flawlessly with no configuration needed. The image quality is better on the console hooked up to my 32 inch 720p hdtv than it is through the pc client on my 24 inch 1920x1200 monitor. Plus the comfy couch factor.

OnLive is definitely on to something imho. I know others have had sub-par experiences, but so far I've been consistently impressed by the service and now the hardware. I hope they find a profitable market because the tech really has its strong points. I don't see it becoming my primary platform anytime soon, but I will definitely be using it quite a bit from now on.

Now to decide what to get with my 50% off code...

 

[Bboy AJ]

It was very surprising to see a rechargeable battery pack and a battery pack. Not to mention batteries in the box, too. Very quality.

 

[remnant]

Can you hook the controller up to a PC?

 

[Bboy AJ]

Can you hook the controller up to a PC?

Not the one currently with the console, no. It uses some proprietary wireless thing to decrease input lag. I think there's a universal controller coming out that you should be able to use.

 

[thehillissilent]

http://onlivefans.com/news/onlives-...o-work-with-2-mbps-connections-on-hdtvs/1137/

It seems that OnLive is working on a 2Mbps stream to HDTV so the requirement will be from 2mbps-5mbps for HDTVs. This will further help people with slower connections to access the service, not to mention the .5mbps requirement for Smartphones/tablets.


http://www.computerandvideogames.com/309130/news/onlive-invites-sony-and-ms-to-adopt-tech-on-ps3-360

Also, it seems that OnLive is in talks with Sony and Microsoft with enabling the OnLive tech on their consoles. This will prove to be very interesting because in additional to a "Netflix-like add-on", this can lead to exclusive streaming content on each individual console and it will expand OnLive's userbase. It seems like OnLive really wants to be Netflix for games and be accessible by everybody. Also, it would help users transistion to the next-generation of systems.

 

[sajj316]

http://onlivefans.com/news/onlives-...o-work-with-2-mbps-connections-on-hdtvs/1137/

It seems that OnLive is working on a 2Mbps stream to HDTV so the requirement will be from 2mbps-5mbps for HDTVs. This will further help people with slower connections to access the service, not to mention the .5mbps requirement for Smartphones/tablets.


http://www.computerandvideogames.com/309130/news/onlive-invites-sony-and-ms-to-adopt-tech-on-ps3-360

Also, it seems that OnLive is in talks with Sony and Microsoft with enabling the OnLive tech on their consoles. This will prove to be very interesting because in additional to a "Netflix-like add-on", this can lead to exclusive streaming content on each individual console and it will expand OnLive's userbase. It seems like OnLive really wants to be Netflix for games and be accessible by everybody. Also, it would help users transistion to the next-generation of systems.

This will be interesting. The model currently works for streaming movies. I don't see why games have to be different.

 

[Bboy AJ]

I don't see that happening. It's different because people may transition to OnLive, leaving less Xbox and PS gamers.

 

[thehillissilent]

I don't see that happening. It's different because people may transition to OnLive, leaving less Xbox and PS gamers.

I guess the advantage for console makers would be to license the tech and integrate it into their future hardware. Sony and MS can build custom OnLive enabled server versions of their consoles to be in a datacentre which can stream games in addition to their local consoles which can play games locally. It would really help these companies to transition to the cloud. MS is trying to move to the cloud with other products already.

 

[19Kilo]

It seems that Homefront multiplayer is now part of the PlayPack. Any good? The pp deal keeps getting more and more tempting.

 

[Bboy AJ]

If there are more people playing, it should be pretty fun. It's no COD but it's decent.

The controller settings STILL don't save, however. It's been months. That's the reason why I never touch it anymore. It's so simple to fix but so annoying.

 

[Maastricht]

I'm in the Netherlands but I've tried this a few times already over the last six months or so, and last time doing a trial of Lego: Harry Potter 1-4 it actually worked quite well. It's getting close to being unbeatable for trying a game effortlessly, which is probably why Eurogamer.net is integrating with Gaikai to link demos to games they review or preview on their site that should enable you to streamplay them with a single click. Pretty nifty!

 

[thehillissilent]

I'm in the Netherlands but I've tried this a few times already over the last six months or so, and last time doing a trial of Lego: Harry Potter 1-4 it actually worked quite well. It's getting close to being unbeatable for trying a game effortlessly, which is probably why Eurogamer.net is integrating with Gaikai to link demos to games they review or preview on their site that should enable you to streamplay them with a single click. Pretty nifty!

Yeah, they are installing servers in the UK and Luxemborg. The first phase (out of 4) of Luxemborg should be done in July. The UK will officilaly be launching in the fall.

Gaikai has servers everywhere.

 

[thehillissilent]

Indie Games on Sale:
AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! – $2.50
Amnesia: The Dark Descent – $5.00
The Ball – $5.00
Braid – $2.50
Defense Grid Gold – $3.50
Doc Clock: The Toasted Sandwich of Time – $1.25
Fishdom 2 – $5.00
Gene Labs – $2.50
Madballs in Babo: Invasion – $2.50
The Maw – $2.50
Osmos – $2.50
Remington Super Slam Hunting: Africa – $5.00
Trine – $5.00
World of Goo – $2.50

Regular Titles on Sale:
Deus Ex: Human Revolution – $44.99
Just Cause 2 – $19.99
Royal Envoy – $9.99

 

[JesseZao]

Another 7/4 sale for the monthly pass subscribers: You get to pick a free game Tuesday. Works
if you sign up before 12:00 PST July 4th. So basically, at minimum you spend $10 and get a
month of the pass and any released game.

 

[Bboy AJ]

Another 7/4 sale for the monthly pass subscribers: You get to pick a free game Tuesday. Works
if you sign up before 12:00 PST July 4th. So basically, at minimum you spend $10 and get a
month of the pass and any released game.

Sounds like a great deal. $10 and I could have Duke? Worth it.

 

[distrbnce]

Haven't seen another post about this, but I got an email last night with a Free Game code because I've been subscribed to the PlayPack for a while.

I was torn between ACII:Brotherhood and Darkstalkers, both shameful entries in my backlog, so I played the free trial of both... considered, and ended up picking AC basically 'cause it's more expensive.

Anyway, it runs great for me, no controller lag, and often hitting 60fps, but not steady. I like randomly getting free games, and if my coworkers would leave for the day I'll play a bit before I head home. ;D yay @ the cloud

EDIT: lol, errr, missed the two posts above mine by looking at the first page like a noob.

 

[distrbnce]

This will be interesting. The model currently works for streaming movies. I don't see why games have to be different.

Just to clarify, there is a fundamental difference here. For gaming, the network has to handle sending controller data to and from very quickly, and it can't be buffered at all, while for Movies, it just sends the video data, and can be buffered over time, since the rest of the movie doesn't change.

 

[Bboy AJ]

OP updated, thanks to thehillissilent

 

[thehillissilent]

Below is a reply from OnLive community manager Matt Jensen in the OnLivefans forum. It confirms that 2mbps streaming is enabled. He recommends 2mbps for netbooks and tablets, 2.5-3mbps for laptops, and 3 and up for HDTVs. He also revealed the the OnLive Viewer and Player apps will run as low as 1mbps. Users have also confirmed that the service works over 4G.

http://onlivefans.com/showthread.php?9154-2Mbps-Streaming-is-Live&p=87808&viewfull=1#post87808

Hi everyone,

As Steve mentioned in his interview, the latest update was a major one, but now we have a huge number of servers and it takes a while to roll it out, and after that, we are cautious in turning on new features, and even after we do, bear in mind that some of the new features support stuff behind the scenes, like prepping for new games that are about to be released, or support for next-gen servers and new data centers.

I love the fact that everyone in this forum is on the leading edge of OnLive technology, and we know you want to be on top of every new feature. But, please understand that our first priority is making sure OnLive is reliable. One of the great advantages of cloud gaming is that if there is a hiccup with a new feature, it is easy for us to quickly disable it, fix the bug, and roll it out again. This happens very rarely, but the OnLive system is 100s of millions of lines of code deployed globally not only on servers, but to custom hardware, and to a wide range of local devices, all working in real-time with precision often measured in microseconds, and we're human. So, we want to be sure something is solid with many hours of use throughout the world on all devices before we declare it as released. We realize that's not the way most product updates work, but few products are as complex as OnLive, especially products targeted to a mass-market audience that won't understand technical problems.

So, yes, I can confirm that OnLive will now allow connections to PC, Mac and MicroConsoles down to 2Mbps, and that update is complete and solid worldwide. Because we've been steadily improving the compression algorithms (there are different ones used for different situations), on a small screen (say a netbook) 2Mbps will be okay. We recommend 2.5 to 3 Mbps for a laptop screen, and recommend 3 Mbps and up for monitors and TVs. The bigger the screen and the closer you are to it, the higher speed we recommend. For example, while 2Mbps looks great on a netbook or tablet, it will not look good on a TV or monitor.

Also, note that bandwidth is just one factor. When Internet connections (especially wireless ones) have impairments (e.g. packet loss, jitter, congestion, etc.), it can impact video quality. Also, if we can't get enough processing power from your computer (e.g. if it is in power save mode, or if other processes are bogging it down), that can also impact video quality. Lastly, be sure you adjust the Brightness and Contrast using Settings:Video in the OnLive Dashboard. You'd be amazed how much that can improve the video quality.

You will continue to see OnLive video quality get better, but it will be gradual, and sometimes the improvements we make only affect certain types of connections or certain game video sequences, so some people will be blown away by the change, and others won't see it. So, don't be surprised if some people wake up one morning and see a big change, but you don't see any difference. The people that usually are surprised the most are ones who haven't used OnLive for a few months and then try it again.

We expect that lowering the minimum bandwidth to 2 Mbps will open the door for a lot more people to try OnLive, and in a pinch, it will allow you to play in more places, like hotels and public Wi-Fi hotspots. But bear in mind that we still recommend higher bandwidth for larger screens or monitors you are sitting up close to.

(Note also, that the OnLive Viewer and Player on tablets will run down to 1 Mbps, although we recommend 2 Mbps.)

Yes, there are other features in this release that are not yet visible to users. We have a lot of stuff rolling out through the summer, so please hang tight!

Finally, I'll reveal the answer to one OnLive's deepest mysteries that has been also pondered by this forum: why is Steve Perlman always demoing Virtua Tennis? Well, the reason is he usually has very limited demo time and it launches through the title screen and into gameplay very quickly, it's rated E for "Everyone" and won't offend anyone in the audience or require an age gate if posted as a video, and it's very easy to play in case he hands it to someone who wants to try it. When there is a particularly feature to demonstrate, he'll use other games, like the touch features in "From Dust".

I know this is a long post, but I hope this helps shed some light onto your questions!

-OnLive MJ

 

[thehillissilent]

You can play more than 60 games in the Playpack for 99 cent for the first month and $9.99 a month afterwards. The offer ends July 31st. They just added the orginal Deus Ex Game of the Year edition to it. Enjoy.

 

[Tarin02543]

a year ago we were all laughing at this but now I see people already buying the microconsole and getting nice experiences.

This thing will only get better! I live in Belgium which has a very high bandwith network so i'll buy it at launch.

 

[JesseZao]

You can play more than 60 games in the Playpack for 99 cent for the first month and $9.99 a month afterwards. The offer ends July 31st. They just added the orginal Deus Ex Game of the Year edition to it. Enjoy.

I hope the keep up the aggressive playpack deals so more publishers get on board. I did the 7/4 deal, but if they keep adding quality stuff I'll probably stay on. (Edit: I think they are supposed to get Thief sometime soon. It's the last one from the Eidos deal to show up apparently)

As much as Pathologic is a cult PC game, I'm having a hard time getting very far or enjoying it. It probably just takes a few plays to know what possible things you can and need to do. After three deaths from having to run away from muggers, I finally figured out how to put my fists up...but they aren't very good at defending myself with.

 

[ultim8p00]

Kids and their fucking clouds. I like my goddamn CDs and xboxes in my possession thank you.

 

[wormstrangler]

Pre-Order Saints Row 3 by the 3rd August and you get a free game or a free Onlive Game System: http://www.onlive.com/go/sr3?

 

[TheNatural]

Pre-Order Saints Row 3 by the 3rd August and you get a free game or a free Onlive Game System: http://www.onlive.com/go/sr3?

Hmm, interesting. I had OnLive with a free game or two last year and I cancelled it, because I didn't like the blurriness or lag. I have a 10 MBps connection - does it matter if you up your connection higher, would it get any better? This is a nice deal, but it says you have to use it by the end of August, so that's pretty lame I think, because you can't use it on some of the big games like Batman Arkham City or anything.

I think this is an innovative system, I may or may not retry it again come holiday, do they have any infrastructure upgrades on the way to drop latency a little bit though?

 

[Bboy AJ]

Try it out for yourself. No one can really say how well it will run for you.

 

[syko de4d]

when it comes out in Europe? I want to test it ^^

 

[Bboy AJ]

when it comes out in Europe? I want to test it ^^

From the OP: OnLive will officially launch in the fall in the UK and servers will also be located in Luxemborg for access throughout Europe.

 

[TheNatural]

Try it out for yourself. No one can really say how well it will run for you.

I have tried it, just wondering if anyone with it has noticed any improvements since like last year or so. I played a little Just Cause 2 with it, it seemed slow though. I don't know if the experience improves with more bandwidth either - I already have 10 mbps. Even so, I may jump on again just to get Saints Row The Third, even if it's a laggy mess. I don't want to spend money on a console or a processor/mobo/GC upgrade to get it to play decently. I can upgrade my connection to 20 MBps for another $10, but I don't know if that would necessarily improve anything.

 

[Bboy AJ]

I have tried it, just wondering if anyone with it has noticed any improvements since like last year or so. I played a little Just Cause 2 with it, it seemed slow though. I don't know if the experience improves with more bandwidth either - I already have 10 mbps. Even so, I may jump on again just to get Saints Row The Third, even if it's a laggy mess. I don't want to spend money on a console or a processor/mobo/GC upgrade to get it to play decently. I can upgrade my connection to 20 MBps for another $10, but I don't know if that would necessarily improve anything.

I doubt it will. Should run pretty well on 10 mbps.

 

[TheNatural]

I doubt it will. Should run pretty well on 10 mbps.

Thanks. The technology is interesting, if they could get it right completely it could be big.

 

[19Kilo]

Looks like playpack subscribers now get 30% off everything, including hardware, pre-orders and new releases for as long as they're subscribed. The 30% works in conjunction with any other discounts too. Not bad!

 

[thehillissilent]

Looks like playpack subscribers now get 30% off everything, including hardware, pre-orders and new releases for as long as they're subscribed. The 30% works in conjunction with any other discounts too. Not bad!

That's a really smart move. A definate way to expand the userbase.

 

[Bboy AJ]

They're really pushing the Play Pack lately. Wonder why.

edit: It's probably because it's a subscription model. They have income continually coming in.

 

[thehillissilent]

They're really pushing the Play Pack lately. Wonder why.

edit: It's probably because it's a subscription model. They have income continually coming in.

Yeah, they need it. Now, they need to keep cranking out some more games.

 

[Smokey]

I did a presentation on OnLive in my college networking class a few years ago. People in the class were pretty interested in it back then and that was in the very early stages. Good to see it taking off.

 

[JetBlackPanda]

I just tried Onlive for the first time and I am blown away everything works great! sure its not perfectly clear but it still looks damn good and for someone like me that can't afford a high end gaming pc this is bliss!

I am going to buy a wired 360 pad tomorrow and jump into mafia II

 

[Makoto]

Just remembered to try out OnLive after getting better internet and the spectating options are as awesome as I thought they would be.

 

[ErbilT]

I have a friend at who works at OnLive and and he hooked me up with a console and a handful of game codes. I used one to purchase F.E.A.R. 3. So far, I have really no issues with how the game is running and I am giving serious thought as to making it my main PC gaming platform, as it seems like they are quite serious as far as adding content and becoming a viable gaming option. Since my gaming PC died a few months ago, I have been running on a netbook and my wife’s laptop, which although powerful enough, is limited as far as hard drive space is concerned. The OnLive client progam is about 8 megs installed, which is much, much smaller than my Steam collection.

The last time I gave OnLive a shot before F.E.A.R. 3 came along, I was playing Unreal Tournament III and I was trying to play it with a mouse and keyboard. Playing the game with a mouse and keyboard was strange, as the input lag was really noticeable. However, once I switched to an Xbox 360 controller, it felt like the controller hid some of the lag and the game became much more playable. I have played F.E.A.R. 3 with both a controller and a mouse/keyboard combo and did not notice much of a difference. They were both very playable either way. The video looks at times compressed and the game is most likely running in 720p, but it still looks decent and probably better than it would if it was running natively on a non-gaming PC with a poor video card. When I play on the micro-console, it outputs in 1080p, but it looks like the games are running in 720p still. The games still look better on the HDTV than when I run the game on the laptops.

Now, I’ll let it be known that I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, so I am sure I am near one of their data centers. This is probably why I’m not running into any of the lag issues that the other people on this board are. I have Comcast cable that currently tests at 15.0 Mbps. When I use my wife’s laptop over Wi-Fi, I think I have only ran into a communication problem once and I don’t think there has been a time in which she was not streaming Netflix at the same time that I was playing. I can also run this on my Netbook, which I wouldn’t even think of running either of the listed games on. Plus, since it’s a cloud service, everything saves to the service itself, which is nice when I start playing again on my breaks on my work PC and pick up where I left off.

So I guess my suggestion to you would be to sign up and play around with a few of the demos that they have available. If the game feels weird with a keyboard/mouse combo, try using an Xbox 360 controller and see if that helps. Depending on if you are comfortable with making a few sacrifices in regards to visual fidelity and controls; this could be as viable of an option as any.