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OnLive MicroConsole torn down, Marvell Armada found lurking within
When Marvell was still teasing its Armada processor company co-founder Sehat Sutardja said it would be showing up in "a new gaming platform" -- but he kinda left us hanging after that. Four months later it's looking like we might have found it. Reader David Fisher was kind enough to tear his OnLive Microconsole down to its requisite bits, spreading them upon his kitchen countertop and exposing the Marvell Armada lurking within. Other specs include 512MB of RAM, an unknown quantity of Samsung ROM, and networking chips also from Marvell. There you have it: another mystery of the world solved thanks to your friend the screwdriver. %Gallery-110533% [Thanks, David]
OnLive ushers in the MicroConsole with all-you-can-eat game plan for $10 a month
OnLive wants to be the Netflix of video games, that much is clear, and today it's rolling out a flat-rate monthly pricing plan called PlayPack to help seal the deal. It'll cost $9.99 a month when it launches January 15th, giving subscribers access to a back catalog of forty retired and indie titles, including a number of games entirely new to the OnLive service. What's more, if you bought the company's $99 MicroConsole, you'll get access to that entire flat-rate catalog free until the formal launch, meaning you'll have fourteen full games instantly ready to play the moment you boot it up. OnLive founder Steve Perlman tells us you can pay month-to-month and cancel PlayPack anytime you want, and OnLive will still store your savegames for a full year in case you decide to rejoin -- or if you want to mix and match flat-rate and a la carte titles without losing your precious progress. So, when are those MicroConsoles going to arrive? If you were among the first to buy, you could get yours this very afternoon, and Perlman says there are "thousands and thousands of boxes" shipping right now. PR after the break.
OnLive giving thanks to its Founding Members with free MicroConsoles
Have you been riding the OnLive bangwagon from the start? If so, you'll want to heed this little Thanksgiving note from the company, which is offering a free MicroConsole to its early cloud gaming service users -- whom it dubs Founding Members -- provided they've bought licenses for at least two games in their time. The diminutive TV adapter typically costs $99, but qualifying Members will be able to get it for free if they pre-order it now, though they will have to spring for covering delivery costs. As to the more timid among you who only ever bought the one PlayPass, OnLive will let you have a free Full PlayPass (equivalent to a free game) in the place of the hardware. So, whichever way you slice it, it's good to be first.
OnLive MicroConsole official at $99, we go hands-on and bombard you with details
Everybody's favorite instant streaming video game service just came into its own: OnLive is launching the MicroConsole right now, a tiny box that turns your Speedy Gonzales internet connection into a virtual game console. Sure, the company's cloud computing service already lets you do the same from any old netbook -- that's kind of the point -- but the $99 OnLive Game System gives you the leanback HDTV experience complete with a custom wireless gamepad, and (assuming you use HDMI) it'll come with all the wires too when it ships December 2nd. We sat down with OnLive VP of Engineering Joe Bentley to get a handle on the hardware within, and learn about the budding ecosystem you'll be dealing with if you buy in. See what the long-awaited system looks like below, and get the full scoop after the break! %Gallery-107700%
OnLive MicroConsole review: The hardware and experience
While we've been using the OnLive service since it debuted for PC and Mac this past June -- whose client we've already put through its paces -- for the past 10 days I've been gaming on the OnLive MicroConsole (the "TV Adapter," as it is also referred to by the company). Now that the pricing and release date have been announced I can finally share with you, dear Readers, my experience with this teeny-tiny (truly micro!) console. Read on for the full review, and check out some photos I took of the final hardware in the gallery below.%Gallery-107697%
OnLive MicroConsole available for pre-order, launches Dec. 2 for $99
First shown at E3 2009, the OnLive MicroConsole -- the "cloud gaming" company's pocket-sized means of streaming games to HDTVs -- is finally in production and will begin shipping on December 2 directly from OnLive. Pre-orders are being taken via its site as of ... right now. $99 gets you the MicroConsole, one wireless controller and a voucher redeemable for one free game from the service's library. The first major advertising push for OnLive is going to hit the airwaves in the run-up to the early December launch. Company CEO Steve Perlman told Joystiq during a recent Q&A -- the highlights of which we'll be posting later today -- that the console will be available exclusively from OnLive's site until sometime next year and is, for now, offered in "limited quantities." We have a review of the hardware coming right up.%Gallery-107655%
OnLive MicroConsole TV Adapter clears FCC with ZigBee surprise
Well, well, look at what we've got here. It's the promised OnLive MicroConsole TV adapter courtesy of the FCC. The MicroConsole itself, isn't a surprise -- the little box that replaces the PC or Mac and brings the streaming game service to the living room TV courtesy of an HDMI-out jack was first announced back in March with plans for a late 2010 retail delivery. What is a surprise is the discovery of an FCC test report for ZigBee 802.15.4 in addition to Bluetooth. The ZigBee mesh networking standard is most often targeted at RF applications requiring a low data rate like lighting, sensor, and power socket control nodes in home automation networks. So why the hell would OnLive be dabbling in ZigBee? OnLive's site says that the MicroConsole uses Bluetooth to connect multiple wireless headsets. So maybe ZigBee is for the four wireless controllers (something we've seen before) the MicroConsole supports. We can't say for sure, but a quick search of ZigBee's product certification database turns up an ETRI VoZ (Voice over ZigBee) prototype capable of facilitating a ZigBee headset, microphone, and speaker. Perhaps OnLive is just doing some future proofing here or maybe they've got plans for some ZigBee enhanced gameplay. Unfortunately, the FCC test unit is listed as a pre-production "Pre-DV Sample" meaning it could still be awhile before the MicroConsole launches. FCC wireframe and label pictured after the break.
OnLive ditching monthly charge, goes free; MicroConsole in manufacturing
"Although we wish we could have confirmed no monthly free from the get-go, pioneering a major new video game paradigm is hard," OnLive CEO Steve Perlman writes in a blog post, continuing, "we had to first grow to a large base of regular users before we could understand usage patterns and operating costs." And just like that, the formerly $14.95 per month service -- which, through its Founding Members program, has offered a year of free service since its launch earlier this year (meaning it never actually collected any monthly fees) -- is free, greatly reducing the mostly psychological barrier many gamers had regarding OnLive. To capitalize on that lower barrier of entry, OnLive is "kicking off this change with the introduction of its Free Trial program for new users to its service," giving curious gamers quick access to the service sans credit card. With no monthly cost, no credit card needed for sign-up, and plenty of free demos, we're not sure why someone would elect to not at least try the service. Here's how it works: You push buttons and those go to a server somewhere, and then it sends you back video of your game. It's freaky. Not interested until you can get the service on your telly? Perlman notes that "MicroConsole TV Adapters are in manufacturing," giving us hope the device will make its planned 2010 release. %Poll-53720%
OnLive's MicroConsole coming by end of 2010
Now that OnLive's beta is (kind of) out the door -- a "bumpy takeoff" as coined by founder Steve Perlman -- the company is talking about its future plans. One of those happens to be a piece of hardware dubbed the MicroConsole that'll serve as the link from the service to your TV. Talking with Joystiq at E3, Perlman said it expects to push the device out "by the end of 2010" and that beta users are already using it. So, when can we get in on that beta?
OnLive's Perlman says Microconsole coming by end of 2010
Speaking with OnLive company head Steve Perlman at E3 2010, Joystiq learned that the TV-based version of OnLive should be widely available by the end of 2010. "When we get to what we call 'cruising altitude' -- this is the bumpy takeoff -- we can introduce the Microconsole. It's a walk before you run sorta thing. Frankly, this is the quietest -- well, it's not the quietest, but it's one of the quieter times of the year for gaming -- the fourth quarter is the really big ramp up." It's his hope that the service will have a chance to become completely stable before going live with the home console. "So between now and the fourth quarter gives us an opportunity to sort of get our legs underneath us without being at huge risk of disappointing people." When asked to elaborate on whether that meant the Microconsole would be arriving by the end of 2010, Perlman responded. "Oh yeah yeah yeah. They're working ... We have beta users who are using it." Additionally, Perlman pointed out that the service is already up and running (for beta users) on "the iPad or on the iPhone as well -- or on Android now." Our full interview with Perlman and OnLive's Joe Bentley will be up in the coming days.
OnLive shows off UI and iPhone use in marathon tech demo (video)
Sure, OnLive has already done live demos of its "cloud gaming" service, but it never hurts to get another comprehensive 48-minute video on the subject. In a presentation at Columbia University, CEO Steve Perlman goes over the nitty gritty of how game streaming works, the OnLive user interface (11:53), an inevitable Crysis Wars demo (16:35), Brag Clips (17:49), and of course the iPhone app (19:31). Though cellphone integration is still limited to primarily spectating and social networking functions, PCs and Macs can get gaming via a 1MB browser plugin, or you can grab the microconsole streaming box for your TV, which Steve suggests might be given away for free with OnLive subscriptions. If you have any more unanswered questions, check out the audience Q&A at 33:14, and the full vid awaits after the break.
OnLive demonstrates iPhone app, set to redefine mobile gaming?
Okay, we admit to still being a little bit unsure about OnLive's pledges for high-end, high-resolution, lag-free gaming on any 'ol device with bandwidth, but we want to believe, and so it's with skeptical optimism that we report on news of mobile implementations. The company has demonstrated an iPhone app in which users are able to play against gamers on a PC or on the company's MicroConsole -- despite not having a single button to press. It's interesting stuff but, according to OnLive's CEO Steve Perlman, it'll be awhile before we see this in the wild, as plans for initial mobile apps will be limited to checking game stats and watching live gameplay. However, we presume it'll be a small step from there to flip the switch and two-way communications, meaning that perhaps by the time Modern Warfare 3 hits the wires you can keep gaming even while you're commuting.
GDC09: Rearden Studios introduces OnLive game service and 'microconsole'
click to enlarge Rearden Studios introduced a gaming service and "microconsole," called OnLive, at GDC today, and we're still trying to wrap our heads around everything. If we had to describe it in one sentence, we'd call it a new way of playing games online without having to buy titles, but that sounds a bit too much like the vaporware Phantom console. Plus, there's another new "console" called Zeebo making a debut at GDC, which adds more confusion to the issue. Luckily, we have more than a sentence to work with here, so bear with us.OnLive, as a company, a service, and a console, is being spun off from Rearden, and is run by Steve Perlman (founder & CEO) and Mike McGarvey (COO). The entire company is structured around a new way to stream video that the company has created -- "interactive video compression" -- which, according to the official line, has extremely low latency, and brings video lag down to "about a millisecond." Using that technology, the complany plans to have five servers across the country that will host your games completely, and it'll be streaming the video from the game to your Mac, PC, or television. Sound ambitious? It is. Read on to find out more. If you're at GDC, you can check out the press conference on Tuesday evening at 7:15 p.m. PST, or give the system a spin at Booth #5128. We'd been working on this story after getting a sneak peek earlier along with a scant few other journos, but Variety broke a major embargo. Translation: you get it early.%Gallery-48395%
