OnLive is an amazing service on paper. You install a simple little client on your computer; doesn't matter how beefed up or ancient it is, as long as it can roll with a high-speed Internet connection. You get yourself a subscription, run the client and are immediately connected to a platform where you can purchase or rent from a selection of video games, from popular indies to the latest AAA to hit store shelves. You can then run, say, "Batman: Arkham Asylum" on your 5-year-old PC because all of the heavy graphics processing is done in a centralized location. Gameplay is streamed out to you while controller or mouse/keyboard inputs are sent back, all instantaneously.
That's the theory anyway. In practice... well... in practice that's really how it works for the most part. The service isn't perfect yet, and the selection is rather limited, but OnLive's promise of high-end gaming on low-end systems manages to deliver.
The Good
It Works
Pretty simple, really. OnLive works. You load up "Batman: Arkham Asylum" or "Assassin's Creed II" or "World of Goo" or "LEGO Harry Potter," and it's like you're playing them on your console of choice.
Slick, Non-Taxing Interface
The OnLive client not only looks good, it won't put a heavy drag on your computer. The memory footprint is somewhere in the 50-100MB range. That's a sizable number for a single program, but considerably less than your average installed PC game. The client itself offers up an easy-to-navigate interface that bears no small resemblance to the likes of an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 dashboard. Compatible with wired 360 gamepads, pressing the Guide button in-game will even bring up a dashboard-style menu, allowing access to a range of features.
Buy Or Rent, Your Choice
Most games are available with multiple purchase options. For starters, any game can be demoed for 30 minutes. Players can also purchase 3- or 5-day PlayPasses for some games, or purchase them outright. Prices vary, and appear to be publisher-selected. For example, "Borderlands" can be rented for $5.99/$8.99 (3 and 5 day pass, respectively) or purchased outright for $29.99. "Splinter Cell: Conviction" can ONLY be purchased, for $59.99. "Batman: Arkham Asylum," on the other hand, can only be rented, $4.99 and $6.99 for 3- and 5-day passes, respectively.
The Bad
Fees And More Fees This is a debatable strike against. OnLive is running a promotion until July 15 that allows some users to sign up for the service for a year with no fees. That doesn't mean free games though; you'll still have to shell out for individual game FunPasses. But OnLive members are also subject to a $4.95 monthly fee to stick with the service. This includes access to all community features, online play, etc.
Occasional Visual Glitchery
While there was no serious lag during any of our playtesting sessions, there were occasional visual distortions. Not enough to distract from the gameplay, but definitely noticeable.
Soft Controls
There's a tiny, tiny lag between inputting gamepad or mouse/keyboard commands and getting an in-game response. It's virtually undetectable, but competitive online gamers will probably want to look elsewhere to fulfill their human vs. human bloodlust.
The Price Is Almost Right
While $4.95/month for access to the service is perfectly reasonable, many of the games available seem overpriced. Even a Full FunPass doesn't grant you ownership of the game; the service informs you at the point of purchase how long you'll have access to it, which is three years in the samples we looked at. That's going to be plenty of time for most people, but it's simply not right to charge $59.99 for what ultimately amounts to a a temporary -- if long-term -- purchase when spending the same amount of money for a console release or proper PC installation gives you the thing permanently.
Limited Selection
There's not much to be had from OnLive yet, no more than a handful of games. Good ones to be sure, but this is a service that is going to depend on a growing community to keep running. The play anywhere gaming is certainly an alluring prospect, but a wider range of options will be needed to convince the mainstream that this is a viable alternative to console gaming.
The Verdict
OnLive is a remarkable technical achievement. Things like price and selection still need to be worked out, but the service delivers as promised and things will likely only improve with time. Of course, time is the big factor here. OnLive is essentially competing with the console market, offering an exceptionally low-cost alternative to console gaming. If it catches on and continues to work this well as the network is strained by greater numbers, it could be huge.