By Silva

If you don't know by now, there is a new service that is trying to empty your wallets out there in the gaming world. OnLive believes that you don't need a powerful console or a $4000 800W-powered gaming rig to have fun with the latest games, and still bring a well rounded experience outside of playing the games themselves. Using the latest tech in cloud computing, their server farms do all the hard work your computer more than likely can't do. This is new, radical stuff, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. Jump in to read more.


I decided to take the plunge into OnLive first because I was so intrigued by all of their claims of lag-free, high-def gaming using a regular desktop/laptop setup. The other major reason is the deal they have going on right now where the first batch of people to sign up for their service gets free access for a year. Now this does not include games, just think of it as the XBox Live service we're all pretty used to. I had to be put on a waiting list of sorts before I could join up, but the "wait" was about a half day, thankfully.

So here's my setup for these couple of runs: a stock unibody MacBook from about a year ago, Mighty Mouse, wired 360 controller, 2.1 desktop speakers and my 52" LCD TV. First and foremost, I had to have a wired connection, along with other requirements, listed on the site. So I plugged my Macbook up, and started up the app.

All of those videos surrounding the menu are playing at once.

Immediately I was impressed by the style of the main menu. The OnLive team really wanted to show what this system was all about, and in my opinion, I was blown away. In the picture on the left, you can see that it's a very simple menu with a lot of visual flair surrounding it. It's also complete with a dashboard system, similar to hitting the XMB or Guide Button. Browsing through the menus was very exciting, because all of the videos playing everywhere were either trailers or actual people playing at that time.

Speaking of other people, the Arena is a game voyeur's dream. Here you are presented with an endless grid of people playing games from the service. At any point you can select a player from the grid, and you're taken right to their game at full screen. From here, you can send a cheer or jeer, depending on how well you think they are playing, and this could attract more spectators. It's not much, but it's a very interesting and socially-oriented aspect of the service.

Also centered on showing off your skills is something called Brag Clips. It's basically you being able to capture the last 10 seconds of play at any time to show everyone that cool moment or that horrible fall. Browsing thorough them was satisfactory and you can sort by different factors. Viewing them also allows a rating system, so you can always find the cream of the crop.

My first test was just to see how well my laptop (and OnLive) could keep up with Just Cause 2. To my surprise, OnLive offers timed demos for every game, so no money given just yet. I started up the game, and once again, I was very impressed and surprised by the smoothness of everything. I really felt as if I was playing the game from the hard drive, yet I was basically only downloading a streaming video. Graphics were a spot on 720p running at least 30fps. Sound quality was great as well. The true test, however, was the gameplay. It exceeded my expectations. There was no noticeable lag at all when I was playing.

Crude, yes, but effective.

After that 30 minute demo was done, I decided to really ramp up the test. First off, I traded in my mouse and keyboard for a wired XBox 360 controller. Unfortunately on Mac, if you have ANY third party drivers installed for controller, you need to be rid of them. I also decided to use my 52" LCD for it's 1080p capabilities. Now, I'm not sure if the game ever ran at 1080p after hooking it up, but it definitely held its own. Just for good measure, I plugged some 2.1 Logitech desktop speakers to see how it sounded with a little more push behind it. I tried out DiRT2 and was impressed once again at now much potential this technology really has going for it. The graphics were just as stunning, the sound was spot on, and there was very little video noise from the connection throughout my session. The controls did have a tiny bit of lag, though, and that threw me off my game a little bit.

All in all, my first hour with the service was really mind-blowing. I can't wait to try out more games, and maybe add a friend or two to see how the product as a whole holds up. For you achievement junkies, sorry, but no dice. I will say if you can get your hands on a free year of OnLive, really give this a go. It's a glimpse of a company's vision for the future of gaming, and they mostly deliver on their promises.

P.S. There will also be a micro-console and OnLive controller coming soon, so that may be even more incentive to try it out.