Archive for September, 2010

OnLive Wi-Fi Hits the Airwaves

Posted in OnLive 2010 with tags , , , , , , , , , , on September 15, 2010 by Steve Perlman

We’re excited to announce that OnLive Wi-Fi Beta, mentioned in my recent post, is now available for all members. Using the new Wi-Fi Beta feature is easy. Start the OnLive Game Service as you normally do. A message will pop up letting you know you are using Wi-Fi. Just select “Wi-Fi Beta” and that’s it.

OnLive’s Wi-Fi technology handles many real-world Wi-Fi scenarios including management of interference, congestion and drop-outs if you get out of range. In fact, you can lose your Internet connection completely for up to five minutes and resume your game where you left off upon re-establishing the connection.

We’ve found that Wi-Fi Beta works well over most wireless networks that can sustain at least 3 Mbps, but if you are having problems, consult our OnLive Wi-Fi FAQ page for tips on how to get the best results with Wi-Fi.

[For those of you who have been “unofficially” using Wi-Fi by using a bridge, you’ll need to turn off the bridge to get the benefits of OnLive’s new Wi-Fi technology.]

As this feature is still in Beta, we’ll constantly be making tweaks and improvements to it. Any feedback you send to support@onlive.com would be appreciated.

Also, if you have been waiting for Wi-Fi to try the OnLive Game Service again, you might notice more has changed than just the availability of Wi-Fi. We’ve been steadily improving the video quality, connection reliability and response time. One of the things I love about OnLive is we get to make improvements without users needing new hardware or big installs. OnLive just keeps getting better.

So, give the Wi-Fi Beta feature a try and let us know what you think!

—Steve Perlman, OnLive Founder & CEO

Celebrating Independent Game Developers

Posted in OnLive 2010 with tags , , , , , , , , on September 15, 2010 by John Spinale
OnLive's Indie Fest Games

OnLive's Indie Fest Games

“Indie” game developers are known for being a creative bunch who push the boundaries of game design, which is why we’ve always made it a point to support them on the OnLive platform. The traditional video game financing and distribution system makes it extremely difficult for these developers to get their games to a mass audience, also making it hard for gamers wanting something fresh and different to find these cool, but perhaps lesser known, games. OnLive is hoping to bridge that divide.

Through our platform, developers can bring their games direct to market, bypassing traditional retail channels in the process. And by using the OnLive SDK, developers can now simultaneously release their games for PC, Mac® and TV with very little additional engineering effort.

The OnLive developer community is growing rapidly, with many, many titles in the works. If you’re an Indie developer interested in accessing our vibrant, growing community, check out our partner page or email us at partners@onlive.com to request the OnLive SDK.

In an effort to celebrate and support our independent developers, we’re hosting Indie Fest on the OnLive Game Service this weekend. Indie Fest—three days of great deals on games developed by independent and casual game developers—runs from Friday, September 17th through Sunday, September 19th and features game prices up to 75% off.

Come demonstrate your support for Indie game developers by checking out their cool games on OnLive!

—John Spinale, VP of Games and Media

Wi-Fi and Netbook Update

Posted in OnLive 2010 with tags , , , , , , , , , on September 2, 2010 by Steve Perlman

The one OnLive feature request near the top of everyone’s list is support for Wi-Fi, and today I’m happy to announce that Wi-Fi Beta (available to all OnLive members) will be enabled starting in mid-September.

We know that a number of OnLive members have been using Wi-Fi “unofficially” since we launched, and many have reported good results. But what will be different with this “official” Wi-Fi release is new technology optimized for various real-world Wi-Fi scenarios including handling interference, congestion and drop out issues. Why a Beta version? Because even though we’ve thoroughly tested Wi-Fi in a wide range of real-world scenarios, there still exist a large number of possible scenarios which require further tuning of the technology to address optimally. We’re looking forward to receiving your valuable feedback when Wi-Fi Beta is released mid-September. Please send any and all comments to support@onlive.com.

Furthermore, and available today, OnLive will be directly supporting lower minimum system requirements, including most netbooks, and connection speeds as low as 3 Mbps. And, for Macs, OS 10.5.8 is now supported. These minimum specs will be suitable for small display devices like netbooks and small laptops, but we continue to recommend at least 5 Mbps, a dual-core CPU and on a Mac, OS 10.6, for larger displays.

Again, we know OnLive members already are experimenting with these low-end systems and many are getting solid results. But, with this “official” low-end support, you should find the video quality to be better and more consistent, and will be able to use a lower speed connection.

And if you’re attending PAX this week, swing by our booth—we’ll be glad to show you a demo of our “official” Wi-Fi Beta and answer any questions you might have. Definitely check out the pre-release MicroConsoles there, too. We have lots of other great contests and events planned for the booth throughout the weekend—so see Rachel’s post for more information.

Have a great Labor Day Weekend!

—Steve Perlman, OnLive Founder & CEO

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