OnLive

Pros

• OnLive has many different games to choose from.
• The interface is easy to use.
• OnLive is supported on older computers.

Cons

• The OnLive client requires a constant internet connection.
• Quality in gameplay could vary from time to time.

OnLive is a service dedicated to allowing gamers to play their favorite titles in the cloud without needing the actual game installed on their computers.

Getting set up to play with OnLive is quite simple. Ensuring that you have a constant, high-speed connection to the internet and a Windows machine will instantly qualify you to begin enjoying all the great services that OnLive provides. This service is great for those that want to try out games before they actually buy them, as well as those that don't want to spend hundreds upgrading their computers only to meet minimum technical requirements.

Setting up OnLive on your computer is rather easy. The process starts with downloading the installation file and allowing it to install OnLive's files on your system. Within a few moments, a world of countless video game titles will only be a click away. Keep in mind that the use of OnLive's service requires an account registration. Once logged in, you'll see that there are an array of various games to choose from. Some games are free to play for limited amounts of time, whether it be three days, five days, or even ten days. Some games allow full, unlimited access as well. Titles that offer limited trials are comparable to rentals that you would find in a store. In contrast, the full access games are comparable to titles that you outright buy as your own.

OnLive works by streaming video games through the Windows client after it installs on your computer. Your computer is not running the game; you are streaming it from a server that has the specs to run it. This eliminates the need to buy expensive hardware that is often recommended by game developers to play their games. Based on your internet connection, the quality of the game play will vary. After extensive testing with many games, it was found that most games performed at an exceptional quality.

OnLive's streamed games control via a gamepad or a keyboard and mouse combination. After trying out different games, you'll find that some games work better with a keyboard/mouse combination, while other work better with a gamepad.

Many of those with decent internet connection speeds will find that lag is extremely minimal during gameplay. After testing online multiplayer modes in some of the gaming titles, it was found that lag was minimal there as well.

For those that want to neither invest money in expensive gaming computers or outright buy a PC game title before testing it out with a trial, OnLive is the perfect solution. With OnLive installed, games can be played from virtually anywhere there is an internet connection and a desktop Windows computer.

Pros

• OnLive has many different games to choose from.
• The interface is easy to use.
• OnLive is supported on older computers.

Cons

• The OnLive client requires a constant internet connection.
• Quality in gameplay could vary from time to time.