Archive for November, 2010

A Special Thanks to OnLive Founding Members

Posted in OnLive 2010 with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 24, 2010 by Steve Perlman

After last week’s OnLive Game System announcement, we’ve seen the biggest surge of new users in OnLive’s history. I’m pleased to say that OnLive’s systems handled the load without a hitch and continued to deliver a great experience to everyone simultaneously.

Certainly, the OnLive team deserves a lot of credit for building such a solid service offering, despite the immense technical and practical challenges.

But, today I’d like to thank another group of people who also deserve credit for OnLive becoming what it is. These are people who took a chance on OnLive during its early days, at a time when there was far greater uncertainty—and outright skepticism—about OnLive’s future: OnLive’s Founding Members.

The following is a Big Thanks from us to you:

It takes a certain kind of person to try out something that is an entirely new concept, and beyond that, spend hard-earned money on it, believing that it has a future. Because Founding Members like you believed in OnLive, you made it possible for us to analyze OnLive usage patterns, for us to be able to test millions of Internet connections throughout the US, and for us to understand what users like and don’t like. Without your help, we could not have gotten to where we are today.

We are very grateful for your help, and we thank you.

We’d like to give something back to the people who took a chance on us, as very special Thanksgiving weekend gifts*:

  • If you bought 1 or more OnLive PlayPasses, we will email you a promo code for a FREE Full PlayPass (up to $49.99 value), good till November 30, 2010!
  • If you’ve bought 2 or more OnLive PlayPasses, then you can pre-order a FREE OnLive Game System ($99 value)! Nope, I’m not kidding. It’s our gift to you. You just have to pre-order by November 30, 2010, and you only have to pay for shipping.

If you qualify and haven’t yet ordered an OnLive Game System, it’s easy to get your FREE OnLive Game System: Just sign in here and then proceed with the order. If you qualify and have already ordered an OnLive Game System, don’t worry, you don’t have to do anything: Your bill will be discounted automatically when it ships so that your OnLive Game System is free.

In addition, we’re making sure Founding Members have first dibs on OnLive Game Systems.

The first boxes that ship out on December 2 will start with Founding Member pre-orders, in the order received. So, if you are a Founding Member who has already put in a pre-order, you’ve got a great place in line. If not, it would be a good idea to get your order in soon.

And, to top it all off, we have INCREDIBLE game deals in our Thanksgiving Sale this weekend. Great time to load up for games to play on your brand new OnLive Game System!

From all of us at OnLive, we wish you a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving. And, once again, a sincere and heartfelt THANK YOU. What you’ve seen so far is just the tip of the iceberg. Amazing stuff is yet to come. But, YOU made it possible for us to get to where we are.

—Steve Perlman, Founder & CEO

*Only PlayPass purchases made through November 23, 2010, 11:59 PM PST (the “Qualifying Date”) are considered in qualifying for these promotions. OnLive members who have purchased one or more PlayPasses by the Qualifying Date will be sent an email with a promo code for a free Full PlayPass that must be used by November 30, 2010, 11:59 PM PST while connected to the OnLive Game Service. OnLive members who have purchased two or more PlayPasses by the Qualifying Date that pre-order an OnLive Game System (“OGS”) by November 30, 2010, 11:59 PM PST will purchase the OGS for free. Sales tax (where applicable) and shipping costs apply. Optional OnLive Component Video Cable is extra. ALL SALES ARE FINAL. NO REFUNDS. NO RETROACTIVE DISCOUNTS. SUPPLIES ARE LIMITED. OGS purchase includes a promo code for a free Full PlayPass that must be used by December 31, 2010 (11:59PM PST), while connected to the OnLive Game Service. OnLive is not responsible for any inability to take advantage of these offers, including but not limited to delivery delays, limited supplies or inability to connect to the OnLive Game Service. Offers only valid within the contiguous United States. PlayPass promo codes and purchases are not transferable and are available only for the OnLive Game System, PC and Mac® platforms. No cash value. This is a special, limited-time offer. For more details go to onlive.com.

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Introducing the OnLive Game System

Posted in OnLive 2010 with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 17, 2010 by Steve Perlman

I’m pleased…no, I’m utterly ECSTATIC…to announce the OnLive Game System is available for pre-order with shipments starting on December 2! We’ll send you a box with everything you need to get the OnLive Game Service on your HDTV with awesome quality and state-of-the-art specs.

And, I think you’ll like the price: $99 plus a FREE game of your choice1.

Here’s what you get: The MicroConsole™ TV adapter (the “MC”), an OnLive Wireless Controller and all the cables you’ll need for a current HDTV. Literally, you plug in power, TV and Internet, sync your Wireless Controller and log in. Beta testers have reported going from opening the box to playing a game in under 3 minutes. I kid you not. And after that first installation, from power-on to game start is as little as 15 seconds. Once connected to OnLive, most games start in less than 2 seconds.

This is OnLive gaming, where you spend your time playing instead of waiting.

  • Play games instantly. No discs, no giant downloads, no game updates.
  • Test-drive games instantly. And if you like the game, convert the trial into a rental or Full PlayPass instantly without having to start from the beginning.
  • Watch live gameplay instantly. Spectate live games played from everywhere. Cheer them on. Check out player profiles and “Friend” them.

Because your game performance is defined by OnLive’s constantly upgraded data centers—not by your local hardware—it keeps getting better the longer you own it. Since you’ll probably be keeping your OnLive MC for a long time, we designed it with state-of-the-art specs2:

  • 1080p60, 3D TV-compatible. HDMI or component video.
  • Digital audio, surround sound. HDMI or optical.
  • Ultra-low latency wireless or wired controllers. Up to 4 controllers at once.
  • Bluetooth® or USB headset-compatible. Both in-game and out-of-game voice chat.
  • Silent and fan-free. High-octane gaming at just 6 watts.

We’ve crafted the OnLive Wireless Controller based on feedback and testing with all kinds of gamers (and all sizes of hands). It’s ergonomically designed to minimize fatigue and carefully weighted for comfort and performance. Exclusive media controls give you direct control of video, including snapping Brag Clip™ videos at the touch of a button. Variable-rate rumble gives you the feel of the game as you play.

Pre-order the OnLive Game System, and check out all the detailed specs here.

Of course, if you have PlayPasses for OnLive games on your PC and Mac, you can play those games on your MC and vice-versa. Some games require a keyboard or mouse, which you can hook up to the MC if you want to. And there are a LOT more games coming.

In fact, we’re pretty excited to announce one more thing: OnLive will be offering a flat-rate plan for unlimited access to a growing library of big studio games and indie titles. We’ll have more details about this later this year when it is available. The combination of OnLive’s 3-day or 5-day rentals and Full PlayPasses for the latest new-release titles, together with the new flat-rate plan means there are great game options for players with any budget.

This is a big day for OnLive. It’s the culmination of more than 8 years of hard work by many people, both at OnLive and at our partners, to realize a dream that so many people said was impossible. My hat’s off to the team for their dedication and sacrifice to reach this incredible achievement. It has been an honor to work with everyone who made this dream a reality.

On behalf of the OnLive team and our partners, it is our great pleasure to share our work with you. It’s our sincere hope that it BLOWS YOU AWAY.

—Steve Perlman, Founder & CEO

1ALL SALES ARE FINAL. NO REFUNDS. NO RETROACTIVE DISCOUNTS. Sales tax (where applicable) and shipping & handling charges apply. Purchase the OnLive Game System and receive a promo code via email for one Full PlayPass after the OnLive Game System ships. Promo code must be used by December 31, 2010 (11:59PM PST), while connected to the OnLive Game Service. OnLive is not responsible for any inability to take advantage of this offer, including but not limited to delivery delays, limited supplies or inability to connect to the OnLive Game Service. Offer only valid within the contiguous United States. Game purchases and promo codes are not transferable and are available only for the OnLive Game System, PC and Mac® platforms. No cash value. This is a special, limited-time offer.  For more details, go to onlive.com.

23D TV capability subject to availability of 3D content. 3D TV standards are rapidly evolving. May not be compatible with final 3D TV standards. OnLive Component Video Adapter optional and not compatible with other products. Surround sound, Bluetooth support, USB headset and voice chat features are coming soon through automatic updates. Compatible with most Xinput wired USB controllers. Availability and specifications subject to change without notice.

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