OnLive Dropping Monthly Fee from Service

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OnLive will be dropping the monthly fee from its service model, though it has yet to actually levy any monthly fees from its users. All existing subscribers were operating under the Founder's Program, which waived the previously planned monthly fee for a full year.

This means that anyone will be able to download the OnLive application for access to "free Instant-play Demos, Free Massive Spectating, Free Brag Clip videos, messaging, friending" and a credit card will only be required to purchase game passes.

Although we wish we could have confirmed no monthly fee from the get-go, pioneering a major new video game paradigm is hard: we had to first grow to a large base of regular users before we could understand usage patterns and operating costs. Now that we've reached that stage, we can confidently say a monthly fee is not needed, which deserves a double WOOT! WOOT!

More updates are promised in the future, including details on the planned MicroConsole--which will hook up to a television--and more international announcements. Dropping the monthly fee is definitely a step in the right direction, but I still wish I was able to use the games I already own elsewhere with the service. I'd probably pay a monthly fee for that...

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From The Chatty
  • reply
    October 4, 2010 2:43 PM

    Translation:We're dicking you guys over so hard on the price of games, we realized we didn't even need to bother with the subscription thing. Enjoy paying 50$ for things that are 20$ in steam!

    • reply
      October 4, 2010 2:48 PM

      Wait wait wait.. is it still all rentals or do I actually get to own the game now?

      • reply
        October 4, 2010 2:52 PM

        Don't you pay full cost and then can play the game anytime you want on their OnLive system? But then when it shuts down in 2011 you are stuck payed for a bunch of shit you can't play anymore.

      • reply
        October 4, 2010 2:56 PM

        You can't own these games any more than you can adopt a kid in Africa. You buy access to a game, not a copy of the game.

        • reply
          October 4, 2010 3:04 PM

          Considering what a judge just deemed on ToS/ToA, all games we "bought" are only licences to play the game and not an actual purchase.

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          October 4, 2010 4:50 PM

          With Steam I can't loan, give, or sell it. Thus, I don't own it.

    • reply
      October 4, 2010 3:07 PM

      Translation: no one was interested in using our service so we're going to give it away for free now in hopes of getting more users

    • reply
      October 4, 2010 11:54 PM

      You don't know what you're talking about. Below is a list of every game priced above $9.99 through OnLive and a comparison price of the same game on Steam. In point of fact, AC2 and SAW are both cheaper through OnLive while only Prince of Persia is cheaper on Steam. Every other game is priced exactly the same. (though this really does emphasize how few games are available through OnLive atm!)

      OnLive:
      AC2 - $29.99
      Batman:AA - $39.99
      Borderlands - $29.99
      Darksiders - $39.99
      FEAR 2 - $19.99
      Just Cause 2 - $49.99
      Kane & Lynch 2 - $49.99
      LEGO Harry Potter - $29.99
      LEGO Batman - $19.99
      Mafia II - $49.99
      Major League 2K10 - $29.99
      NBA 2K10 - $19.99
      Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands - $49.99
      Red Faction: Guerilla - $19.99
      SAW - $39.99
      Splinter Cell Conviction - $39.99
      Trine - $19.99
      UT3 - $19.99
      Virtua Tennis 2009 - $29.99
      World of Goo - $19.99

      Steam:
      AC2 - $39.99
      Batman:AA - $39.99
      Borderlands - $29.99
      Darksiders - $39.99
      FEAR 2 - $19.99
      Just Cause 2 - $49.99
      Kane & Lync 2 - $49.99
      LEGO Harry Potter - $29.99
      LEGO Batman - $29.99
      Mafia II - $49.99
      NBA 2K10 - $19.99
      Major League 2K10 - unavailable
      Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands - $29.99
      Red Faction: Guerilla - $19.99
      SAW - $49.99
      Splinter Cell Conviction - $39.99
      Trine - $19.99
      UT3 - $19.99
      Virtua Tennis 2009 - $29.99
      World of Goo - $19.99

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