OnLive - Get the Facts
By Saieno 48 Comments
So there seems to be a lot of out-dated information, misconceptions, and poorly made assumptions about OnLive.
First-off everyone seems to think I'm a corporate plant, marketing shill, or some under-cover agency trying to market OnLive. First off, I love technology and I'm very excited about OnLive, I just can't stand it when people post out-dated information or assumptions as fact. I've written reviews for Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, Terminator Salvation, AION: Tower of Eternity, Runes of Magic, and Perfect World International, two of which became video reviews (AION and Perfect World). I'm a Linux user mostly, and I've done a couple videos and blog posts on that as well. I also run a Final Fantasy XIV podcast called Lodestone Radio, but after a situation with Creative Labs and a sound card my computer is currently fried. But no, I must be some marketing plant because nothing about OnLive can be good!
After the November 17th announcement of the OnLive Micro-Console the user base for OnLive skyrocketed. In that week since the announcement, there have been more users than the entire history of OnLive...and it's still growing. They give promotions and discounts all the time, and the entire company and service is still in its infancy. Hell the main component for the entire service, the Micro-Console, isn't even out yet! The service is completely free (no monthly fees), you never have to upgrade your hardware, games and add-ons purchased load instantly and kept forever, theres no installing or waiting for downloads, many games on OnLive are half the price of stores, new releases are usually $10-$20 below stores, they have low-cost options to rent games for 3 to 5 days, and they constantly have promotions such as 75% off and game giveaways.
Oh but that doesn't matter right? Cause the service sucks, it needs a crazy amazing internet connection, if the company goes under you can't keep the games, theres lag, the video looks shitty, theres no games, its too expensive, etc etc. That's all I hear anytime someone has something to say about OnLive, and I'm going to clear-up every single one right now.
1. The service sucks.
Most likely you've tried the service back in June and haven't looked again, are outside of USA or Canada and are attempting to play, or you've never tried the service because you're scared of change and need to justify the money you've put into your PC and/or Consoles.
The OnLive service does exactly what it says it does. You can play any game on the service and try it for yourself free! www.onlive.com you can go right now and just download it, try it out, you'll be amazed if you stop for a moment and realize its not running on your computer at all. There are such great community features, such as the messaging, spectating, brag clips, and the zero latency multiplayer.
Unlike other games you play online where you can see players jittering around on the screen, people using hacks and exploits, and other latency related issues, OnLive is completely devoid of these things. OnLive is basically run like a giant LAN network, so when you're spectating someone or playing a multiplayer game with them, there is no latency/lag/pause/jitter. It is instantaneous. What they see is EXACTLY what you see, and it's amazing.
2. It needs a crazy amazing internet connection
When people see or hear "FIVE MEGABIT CONNECTION" they turn the other way and can't fathom an internet connection so glorious and amazing as 5MB/s. But does MB equal Megabit? No, it doesn't. MB and Mb are two very different things, MB is known as Megabyte and Mb is known as Megabit. So what are the differences? Well Megabyte (or MB) is usually a measurement of size, you can see it when looking over files on your computer. Files like music which are 3MB, or movies which are 600MB, are all every day normal things and we don't question it.
However, Megabit (or Mb) is not the same thing, in fact its much LOWER than MB. This is usually a measurment of internet speed, but only really used in the marketing of the internet service. Why would they use Mb over MB though when marketing a connection? Well 1MB is equal to 8Mb, and initially that 8 looks bigger than that 1 even though they mean the same thing. One Megabyte = Eight Megabit, which can be confusing but its true and thats just how things are.
So lets go back to OnLive which requires at maximum a connection of 5Mb/s. Well that's not bad at all! I basically need a download speed of 0.610MB/s, or more commonly seen as 625KB/s. What exactly is the difference between 5Mb and 5MB, and why does it matter? If I say you're getting a 5Mb connection, majority of the population instantly assumes you will be downloading at 5MB a second. However, to download 5 Megabytes would take you around a minute on a 5 Megabit connection.
What's better is the micro-console takes even less bandwidth than your PC or Mac does. Depending on your TV size you'll require a different amount of bandwidth. 52" is 5Mb/s, 42" is 4Mb/s, 32" is 3Mb/s etc. So it's safe to assume that if you have a 22" TV that you'll need 2Mb/s, that's the idea anyway.
And for those waiting to shout about bandwidth caps, OnLive has partnered with many ISPs to not only re-route your connection to give you the best experience, but if rumors are true then OnLive doesn't affect your bandwidth cap. And even if it did, Comcast for example has a 250GB bandwidth cap which would give you 150 to 300 hours of gameplay a month. So no, you don't need some amazing internet connection.
3. If the company goes under you can't keep the games
This is somewhat of an odd statement, especially from people who just blindly attack the service without understanding it at all. First off, I don't think the games will be lost if the company goes under, since they are just sitting in a database somewhere which can be scaled to any size. Secondly, the company would only go under if you aren't buy or renting games, and if you aren't doing that anyway then you wouldn't have any games to keep regardless.
Basically its a moot point, especially since they just seem to be getting bigger and bigger which is strange for a 'failing' company.
4. Theres lag
If there's lag its not because of OnLive thats for sure. Your internet is the issue at that point, and speaks more to the service of your ISP rather than the service of OnLive. Oh, you're saying the game itself is lagging? Again, not the fault of OnLive. Just Cause 2 is the only game on the service that runs at a sluggish pace, but this is because its running the PC version of the software. I ran Just Cause 2 on my PC as well, and it had that same sluggish feel as it did in OnLive. The PS3 version didn't have this issue though, so I would only assume that the Just Cause 2 engine isn't very optimized for PC hardware.
5. The video looks shitty
The current output for OnLive on PC and Mac is 1280x720, which is more commonly referred to as 720p. They are releasing 1080p output once the micro-console arrives, but I'll just use the current 720p resolution for this arguement. When you play OnLive on a monitor with the resolution at 1920x1080, which is more commonly referred to as 1080p, you are scaling the image which causes blurring. There are two video streams that OnLive uses while a game is being played. One is the media stream, which is used when spectating someone or when a brag clip is taken. This stream is usually lower in quality, more akin to a YouTube video. The second stream is the gaming stream, which is used when you're actually playing a game. The gaming stream is optimized for playing the game and looks crisp and clear. Of course you may see some compression if you look for it or take a screenshot, but OnLive is made to look great in motion and not in a still frame.
6. Theres no games
Of course the game selection is limited, the console isn't even out yet. However, they have 35 games right now and hope to have 50 games total before the end of the year. Not to mention another 100 games are currently in the pipeline for release in 2011, many of which are day-in-date with the console releases as well.
Still, for a new console launch it has more games than Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 launched with. Xbox 360 launched with 18 titles, six of which were exclusive to the system. PlayStation 3 launched with 15 titles, six of which were exclusive to the system. OnLive has 35 games right at this moment, and may get more on the December 2nd launch of the micro-console, however that is more than Xbox 360 and PS3 had combined. Of course there are no exclusive titles yet, but given time I'm sure we'll see some interesting software come to OnLive.
7. Its too expensive
The Micro-Console pre-order announcement was made on the 17th, stating it costs $99 (keep in mind it never has to be upgraded). What do you get with this $99? Well you get the micro-console itself (never has to be upgraded), an extremely high-quality wireless controller, HDMI Cable, Ethernet Cable, and a Promo Code good for any game on the service. The OnLive controller has been praised by reviewers, many stating that its higher quality than first party controllers for Xbox 360 and PS3. Controllers for Xbox 360 and PS3 are usually $50, so lets assume that the controller is half the package price. The Promo Code is worth $50 as well, so there's your $99 right there. Basically you get the Console, HDMI Cable, and Ethernet cable all for free, its one of the best deals out there.
When the Xbox 360 launched it was between $299 and $399, and curently sells between $299 and $399. When the PlayStation 3 launched it was between $499 and $599, and currently sells between $299 and $399. Usually these do not come with a game, and if they do you don't have a choice over what game it is. All you get is the system, component cables (so if you have an HDMI TV you need to buy it seperately), power cable and a controller. If you're just looking to play games and enjoy them with your friends, $99 is a much smaller pill to swallow.
8. If the internet goes down you can't play games.
Well thats true, but just like on Xbox 360 or PS3 if your internet is down you won't be playing games online. Sure you could play a single-player game, but gaming with others is generally more fun, even if they are just watching you play like on OnLive. Yes you could have your friends come over and play games with you, but you could also go over to your friends house and play OnLive there.
9. I already have a Xbox 360/PS3, OnLive is pointless...
Sure it might be pointless for you right now, but wait until the next generation consoles come out. OnLive will be running those next-gen games just as well as Xbox 720 or PS4 without any other fees. When your 360 red rings or your PS3 yellow lights you want to be sitting there for weeks waiting for it to come back from being repaired? Or even worse, your console is out of warrenty so not you have to pay even MORE to get it back. $99 or a basic computer and you can be on your games playing online.
10. I already have a PC, OnLive is pointless...
Of course we have the PC gamers who like their expensive parts, piracy, and being able to modify the games as they see it. That's all fine and dandy, but because you paid $800 to $1,500 for a computer to do all of that doesn't make the OnLive service or its console any less impressive or useful. OnLive supports user add-ons which we'll see when their official forums launch, and also supports Keyboard & Mouse along with Controller.
However, this doesn't mean OnLive is trying to replace your computer. It is its own platform, but it's a console first and formost even if they have a PC and Mac client. Soon they'll have OnLive on the iPad and iPhone, but that doesn't mean OnLive is a mobile gaming service. And just because majority of the games on OnLive are the PC versions doesn't mean its a PC completely maxed out. The PC versions of the game are just easier to port and are scaled to compete with console versions. Again, its a service to compete with consoles, which is why they are releasing the micro-console.