OnLive MicroConsole Priced & Dated, Optional 'Unlimited Access' Subscription Announced

15
Streaming video games service OnLive has announced that its standalone set-top box the MicroConsole will begin shipping on December 12, priced at $99 with one free game.

Plugged directly into a display and hooked up to a broadband connection, the MicroConsole allows players to play games from OnLive's library as if it were a regular games console. OnLive, if you're not in the loop, allows users to play demanding games on low-spec hardware by actually running the game on a remote server, transmitting video back to the player over the Internet.

Your $99 will net you the MicroConsole TV adapter, a wireless controller with media controls, one full game of your choice, batteries and HDMI, Ethernet and USB cables.

OnLive also announced plans to launch a flat-rate subscription with unlimited access to "a growing library of big studio games and indie titles" later this year, though newer releases will only be available to users who outright purchase the full version. It's yet to be revealed how much this subscription will cost and how limited the library will be.

Last month, OnLive revealed that it no longer intended to charge a monthly subscription simply to use the service--though no user had been charged yet, as the sub was waived for the first year. This would have left it relying purely on full game purchases, so an optional flat-rate subscription service makes good sense for both OnLive and its users.

Filed Under
From The Chatty
  • reply
    November 18, 2010 5:52 AM

    That controller doesn't look very comfortable and they fucked up the d-pad placement. Anyone using the service? How is it?

    • reply
      November 18, 2010 6:25 AM

      What I've seen reported on the Shack is that it's impressive for what it tries to achieve and works decently well, but quality wise it is in no way a substitute for a good PC or even a console, and the fact that you never really possess the game (it's essentially a long term rental until at least 2013) make it not an option for serious gamers.

    • reply
      November 18, 2010 9:22 AM

      Yea, just looking at it makes my hands hurt... I wonder how many millions Sony and Microsoft spend on controller design and ergonomics? I'm sure these guys didn't spend much.

    • reply
      November 18, 2010 9:36 AM

      I've had the service for several months now, since they first let the founder's club people in. If you have a decent connection this is a pretty cool service. The graphic guality isn't as clear as playing it local but really.. it's good enough for the most part. The control lag is so small (at least for me) that it's a non-issue. I really enjoy the arena stuff where you can just watch people play the game. It is surprisingly enjoyable to just.. watch random people play games. Sometimes I watch other people play the game instead of try to demo the game myself. I search for somebody who is deep into the game and see what it looks like. It's a really cool service actualy and works better than I ever imagined it would. I will tell you that it came in REALLY handy when I was between my old 360 and the Elite Slim... becuase I had a few weeks there in between. I mostly played demos and Just Cause 2 with my wireless 360 controller... and honestly.. it was just about on part with the 360. Not many complaints. Looked good and played well. It's a great service to demoing games.

      • reply
        November 18, 2010 9:42 AM

        You can use a 360/PS3 controller? Thats pretty cool! Gotta give them points for that!

        • reply
          November 18, 2010 10:44 AM

          Yeah, it almost looks like it was designed for the 360 controller. Once you connect the thing all the games use the A, B, X, Y buttons etc of the controller mapped to the button descriptions etc. As far as I know... the 360 wired and wireless controllers are the only ones which are supported so far I think. But it works great. Just Cause 2 with a 360 controller was almost exactly the same as playing it on the 360.

    • reply
      November 18, 2010 2:48 PM

      You mean they put the thumbstick in the sensible spot like on a playstation. XBOX has weird controllers. Who knows, it might feel good in your hands. Its hard to tell form a picture.

      • reply
        November 18, 2010 7:24 PM

        I feel the opposite, I prefer the current XBox controller layout over the default PS one (which works fine, just not my preference). There's going to be people on both sides of the layout-fence. :P

Hello, Meet Lola