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Are we ready for Cloud Gaming? Review on OnLive

You’ve heard of cloud storage, but what about cloud gaming? OnLive lets you play 20-some games--including Windows-only titles--running on servers in data centers up to 1,000 miles away, streaming HD video to your PC or Mac while you control the action with your mouse, keyboard, or Xbox 360 gamepad. Launched at this year’s E3, the service is free for one year to the first wave of members, with an optional second year for $4.95/month (OnLive just released in Oct "No monthly subscription fee for end users"). OnLive is letting players into the service gradually, to make sure its data centers can handle the load, but you can sign up for the waiting list at onlive.com and you’ll get an invite when they’re ready for you.

Of course, once you’re in, you still have to pay for the games you want to play. Prices range from $4.99 for Brain Challenge and $9.99 for Puzzle Chronicles, to $39.99 and higher for marquee titles such as Batman: Arkham Asylum ($39.99), Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands ($49.99), and Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction ($59.99). Alongside the unlimited Full PlayPass, many games have 3-day and 5-day rentals for $4.99 to $8.99. Free demos let you try before you buy, which is crucial, since once you pull the trigger on a PlayPass there are no refunds. OnLive offers sales (Batman: Arkham Asylum was 50 percent off for a day) as well as contests to keep the community engaged.

Speaking of community, OnLive rolled out several social features at launch, beyond the ubiquitous profile page and friends list. The Brag Clip feature lets you post videos of your best gaming moments--just press Option-B, or the center and B buttons on your gamepad, to save the last 10 seconds of gameplay. These can be public or private, and the Brag Clips section of the OnLive Dashboard is crammed with shining moments of glory. Also appealing to the voyeuristic is the Arena section, where you can peek in on other players’ games in real time--it’s cool if you want to check out a game’s eye candy, or find out how to solve a tricky puzzle. If you like what you see, give the player a thumbs-up or send a friend request. But in our time with the service, the community features didn’t hold our attention for long. The games did.

We tested with two plastic MacBooks from 2008 and earlier, as well as a workhorse of a 2.4GHz mid-2007 MacBook Pro, all running Snow Leopard as required, and sure enough, the hardware we were using didn’t affect performance. OnLive says any Intel Mac works, except the first-generation MacBook Air, which sometimes overheats. Your Internet connection is far more important than which Mac you’re using--OnLive requires 5Mbps broadband, and for now it’s got to be a wired Ethernet hookup, so prepare to be tethered to your router. (Wi-Fi access is coming eventually).

We saw reliably lag-free performance on our mighty office network, and only experienced a few hiccups when playing on home DSL and cable-powered networks. We noticed a little stuttering video during some Lego Harry Potter cut-scenes (along with OnLive’s subtle “Network” pop-up warning) although not enough to hamper our enjoyment of the game. However, we had some problems with network latency when playing games with twitchier controls, striking out swinging in MLB 2K10 even though we’re sure we pressed the button in time. Results will vary based on your network’s performance, your ISP’s congestion level, whether you’ve got other internet-hogging applications running, and so on. But if you’re worried about latency in a high-priced, fast-paced game, check out the demo before you buy a PlayPass.

Still, the majority of the time, the compressed HD video (1280x720, or 720p) looked like it was running right on our Mac, once the display was bright enough. And the stereo sound only suffered a little stuttering here and there when the Network message popped up. We used a wired Xbox 360 controller with no drivers required, just plug and play. You can even connect more than one controller for games with multiplayer modes. Bluetooth keyboards and mice can introduce additional latency (although we didn’t notice any when using them at the office), so a wired keyboard and mouse are recommended. A list of supported Xbox 360–compatible gamepads is at onlive.com/support/gameplay.

The Games:

OnLive includes many titles that are new to the PC and Mac. So we’ve turned to our pals at GamesRadar (Future’s one-stop shop for gaming reviews) to handicap them, starting with these three must-haves.

Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4

What It Is: Family-friendly action with single-player and co-op, Harry hit OnLive the second it went on sale on other platforms--no waiting for the Mac port.

What They Said: “Lego Harry Potter gets it. The first four Potter books/films are condensed, Lego-ized and parodied, albeit in a hugely affectionate and knowledgeable manner.” --NGamer UK (9 out of 10)

PlayPass Price: $29.99 Full, $6.99 5-day, $4.99 3-day

Batman: Arkham Asylum

What It Is: A single-player, third-person action romp that blew away PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 gamers in September 2009.

What They Said: “Would Batman: Arkham Asylum have been as good if it was riding the back of a big movie license? We’re not sure, but we’re glad it isn’t, because, freed from any restrictive release schedule, Rocksteady have been able to craft what is perhaps the greatest superhero game ever made.” --PC Zone UK (9 out of 10)

PlayPass Price: $39.99 Full, $6.99 5-day, $4.99 3-day

Unreal Tournament III

What It Is: First-person shooters rarely get as good as this 2007 gem, with 32-player online battles and gore galore.

What They Said: “Hurling yourself on the enemy Orb like it’s a live grenade, dodging bullets on the hoverboard as you escape with the flag, bailing from an explosive bike aimed at the enemy’s star player, and yeah, hanging from a flying metal octopus. That’s why the game’s a must-have.” --PC Gamer (9 out of 10)

PlayPass Price: $19.99 Full, $6.99 5-day, $4.99 3-day

The Bottom Line:

Cross-platform OnLive puts the Mac on par with PC gaming like nothing else, even Steam, which requires you to download the games--the Mac-compatible games, that is. OnLive offers true parity, letting us play Windows-only games against Windows players, without needing Boot Camp, virtualization, or even a top-end gaming machine. We did most of our testing with a 2.16GHz MacBook with integrated Intel GMA 950 graphics--a 3-year-old Mac that would choke on virtually any of today’s hottest Mac games--and it worked the same as all the other, newer Macs we used. You don’t get any physical copy of your purchased games (which is the entire point of a streaming service, after all), even with prices comparable to boxed software. But the convenience factor of instant-on play and cross-platform portability add plenty of value. No downloads, no patches, no watching your hardware race toward obsolescence. Hopefully, as the service grows and the game roster expands, the performance will remain solid, but so far OnLive is off to a great start.

Pros:

Cross-platform. Brings Windows-only games to the Mac. No downloads. Demos and rentals are attractive alongside pricier Full PlayPass option.

Cons:

Doesn’t work over Wi-Fi yet. New players invited into the service gradually, so be patient. Occasional latency with network stutters, but at acceptable levels.

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