Entrance fee is... free. Pay $10 bucks a month to unlimited access to 40 or so games. You can pay for your games. There's no monthly charge. Games, IMO, are at a reasonable rate.

So why still buy a PSx or Xboxyyy or Nintendo Z? Do you think that consoles will go the way of the 8-track? Or is there something that a console can provide that a OnLive game box cannot?

Yes... the very very very distant future. There are two major obstacles for OnLive right now.

(1) Super fast Internet does not yet cover the planet. Much of USA has broadband, but there are still many places where sufficiently fast Internet simply does not exist yet. There will be a large market for local hardware for years to come.

(2) Even where the Internet DOES exist, it is still not equipped to handle that kind of bandwidth overload, and the Internet in general is not very reliable. Even at places where I work (with awesome corporate Internet lines), there are days where the Internet is congested or broken.



With that said, OnLive is spreading like wildfire. It is clearly a successful service so far, but it seems to fill the role that Netflix does for movies: it's great for games you want to sample or just flat out don't care to own, but there is still great value in going out and physically obtaining the game (or obtaining the bits over something like Steam).

Quote:Original post by ChurchSkiz
The better question is, why should I replace my computer or console, with a laggy, internet only experience for the same price ($50/game).

If OnLive had a subscription feature where you play unlimited amount for one price or cheaper games (say $35/game), then I can see it taking root.

I think it's good for demos but I would never purchase a game on it for full price.

Granted I did a quick scans of the available games, but I didn't see a game priced over $40.

OnLive Game Prices


note: I stand corrected there are a few games that are $50.

I too will never purchase a game from OnLive. As neat as it is to see the "play high end games on a netbook" sales pitch, I like it when my games function without Internet. It's one thing to lose multiplayer support as the Internet goes down; it's another thing to lose ALL MY GAMES when it goes down.

I tested OnLive out on my new 20 Mbps connection. The games definitely are playable (and will appeal to a wide market of casual gamers), but the experience is nothing like playing it locally. It goes way beyond the latency comparisons. Graphics quality, the ability to manage my own save files, the ability to cheat when I feel like it, etc. all thoroughly smash OnLive into the ground. While the latency certainly isn't as bad as pessimists prophesied, it's still there, and it's noticeable. On top of that, even on a good day, there are still blatant/random lag spikes that ruin my day. It lasts only half a second or so, but it's enough to break the experience and throw me off.

Again, OnLive will continue to latch onto curious gamers who really don't care for the "perfect experience". Just being able to play these big games is enough for them. That market is big enough to appeal to that demographic. For the rest of us who take gaming a bit more seriously, no dice. I like having control over my assets.