The "Founding Members" of OnLive--the eager participants who have signed up for the program during an ongoing promotional period--will have free access to the streaming service for a year and will additionally be given the option to renew the service month-to-month at $4.95. Not bad, but free or low-cost membership doesn't mean OnLive's cloud-based games are free. They are, in fact, most definitely not.
Here's a taste of what Eurogamer gathered.
== TEASER ==
Game Name | Pay Options | Duration |
---|---|---|
Assassin's Creed II | $39.99 | Until June 17, 2013 |
Borderlands | $29.99 / $8.99 / $5.99 | Until June 17, 2013 / 5-day rental / 3-day rental |
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands | $49.99 | Until June 17, 2013 |
Unreal Tournament 3: Titan Pack | $19.99 / $6.99 / $4.99 | Until June 17, 2013 / 5-day rental / 3-day rental |
More games will inevitably launch, including a much-needed Riddick title, so maybe a more exact idea of what to expect in terms of cost will crop up. As of right now, it seems like rental options are only being extended to older titles--but even that doesn't stand up too well.
I gave OnLive a short spin the other afternoon. You're required to have a wired connection--which is a silly hassle--but I was impressed with how Batman: Arkham Asylum's demo ran on my Macintosh. The visuals were decent and the action didn't have noticeable combat lag. This isn't an endorsement, by the way. I just had a few minutes to spare. Surely, some of you have given it a spin for longer stretches, right? How is it?