I looked all over Destructoid, but I have not been able to find a post on this. I was surprised that no one has posted about this yet, so I thought I might as well be the first. If someone has already posted on this, please link me, and I will edit this post.



The OnLive is a new console/service coming this Winter. It has a starting roster of many games, including "Mirrors Edge", "Unreal Tournament 3", and "F.E.A.R. 2". According to the official website of OnLive, many publishers have already partnered with them.


Not a bad start

Now, you may be asking: "So? Whats the difference that is supposed to revolutionize things?". Well, let me put it this way. You know those Video on Demand services, the ones that stream movies instantly to your TV or your PC without a download? Well, Imagine that, just with games. The website puts it like this:


"OnLive is Games on Demand. Play the hottest current titles instantly on your TV, PC or Mac through your broadband Internet connections."

it goes on to say


"OnLive works over nearly any broadband connection (DSL, cable modem, fiber, or through the LAN at your college or office). For Standard-Definition TV resolution, OnLive needs a 1.5 Mbps connection. For HDTV resolution (720p60), OnLive needs 5 Mbps."

Think of the possibilities. No more midnight launch lines, just a comfortable wait on your couch for the clock to hit 12, and the game to be available. No boxes, no disk, just downloady goodness.

As mentioned above, the service can be used on PC, Mac, or a TV. If you play on the TV, you play through something called the Micro Console.





As for the controller, well, it sorta resembles a PS2/3 controller.



But notice, there are buttons allowing you to record your gaming sessions, and upload them. Think of what this would mean for people making machinema. No more need for an external capture device, it would be built in. Saving time and money. Or you could just save your sessions as proof that you have teh 1337 skillz. Either way, it could be a handy little feature. I myself used to use a VCR to record boss fights that I couldn't beat, so I could study my mistakes. But that was back in the PS1 days, and I haven't done that in years. Still, I would not turn down the ability to do it again.



But will this really beat the current Gen Consoles? Sure, it has a few new ideas, but I don't think Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo, will just lie down and die. Can they compare? According to the OnLive founder, the consoles won't be able to compete until the year 2022. Saying "The first patents expire in 2022, so we have at least 11 years to establish our business before there is a clone." Thats a far way off.

Now lets take a look at how it matches toe to toe:

Graphics:
The OnLive claims to be able to stream in HD as well as standard Def, and it has many of the same games coming to it that current consoles already have. So I think they will be very close in visuals.

Speed and Load time:
The disk consoles are pretty damn fast. Hardly any large load times anymore. The OnLive claims it wont have any lag and that It will stream incredibly fast, pretty much instantly. If that holds to be true, I don't see a problem.

Cost:
As of Today, there is no official cost set on the Service, the Games, or the Micro Console, but in an interview the founder said: "Sure, there is no question that the OnLive platform will have the lowest cost of entry for a new user. But, to be clear, OnLive also will certainly be catering to gamers who are less price sensitive, and are seeking the highest performance games, and also it will be opening up a universe of games to Mac users who, before OnLive, have had a very limited selection." Continuing with "With OnLive, there is no upfront cost or hassle: you can try out a demo of any game with the PC or Mac you already by just downloading a browser plug-in that is smaller than Flash, and if you like OnLive and sign up, then we’ll send you an inexpensive MicroConsole for your TV.".

This all sounds well and good, but I am not quite sold on that. I won't settle on this issue until at least an estimate is released later this year. But so far, it does sound to be cheaper then at least the PS3 and 360.

Menus and Interface:
I like the menus of all the current console. Each has their pros and cons. When looking at the menu for the OnLive, I like what I see.






It seems sleek and simple. It appeals to me for reasons unknown, but I do like the looks of it. No better or worse then the current menus.

Exclusive Content:
The website states that publishers can develop games specifically for the OnLive, so we can probably assume that there will be exclusive content.

But think about this:
Will this cause us to loose our "ownership" of games. Sure, we'll still be able to play them, but we will have no box. No disk. No manual. Nothing. Just a stream of data that we don't even save. So we won't own it. We will just pay to play. I don't know if I'm quite on board with that concept as of yet, but it sure as hell would stop more piracy.

So what should we do?
Should we embrace this new piece of tech? Should we shun it? Will it ruin games or revolutionize them? Will it put those bastards at Gamestop out of buisness? Only time will tell. We'll know more this summer, when the Beta test comes out, and we can all try it this Winter. Until then, heres a video or two that offers a glimpse.




-Spike