When speaking about OnLive to friends and other gamers, one of the first things an OnLive user will bring up is the savings. Sure, it’s easy to talk about the great deals OnLive has – along with the seemingly endless sales that are always going on like the current week-long Ubisoft promotion. Often times it doesn’t fully sink in until someone sees the savings and perks of being with OnLive written out in plain English for them to understand. I have taken the liberty of compiling a comparison which demonstrates the savings available to an OnLive user as compared to the average gamer, playing on one of the leading home gaming consoles.
In this example, I have decided to use three hot game titles, that are coming soon to both OnLive and these consoles, that are currently available for pre-order: Saints Row the Third, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, and Deus Ex: Human Revolution (I have chosen to go with the Augmented Edition in this example for maximum value).
Before we even get into the games themselves though, let’s first take a look at the price point-of-entry.
*All prices listed are in USD for NEW hardware. Console and game prices & pre-order offers from GameStop.
Xbox 360 4GB Console: $199.99
Playstation 3 120GB Console: $299.99
OnLive App: FREE
OnLive PlayPack (optional): $9.99/month (also gives you 30% off of ANY purchases while subscribed)
OnLive MicroConsole (optional): $99 ($69.30 if PlayPack subscriber)
Straight away, the cost to use OnLive is significantly less than that of getting started with a console. In fact, it’s FREE. The PC/Mac OnLive app costs nothing to download and there are no costs associated with creating an account. Optionally, you may choose to purchase an OnLive MicroConsole for $99, which will allow you to hook your HDTV into OnLive, for the comfort of playing from your favorite couch or lazy chair. However, as you’ll soon see, purchasing your first MicroConsole isn’t necessary. Additionally, the OnLive PlayPack subscription gives you access to nearly 80 games (at the time of writing this) and a 30% discount on all future purchases made with OnLive, as long as you’re subscribed for a monthly fee of $9.99. For the purposes of this article, I’ll be comparing the totals spent both with and without the PlayPack option.
Now let’s move on to actually comparing game pricing and pre-order bonuses.
*All prices listed are in USD. Game prices & pre-order offers from GameStop.
* (PP) indicates price with PlayPack subscription discount
Saints Row The Third
Xbox 360:
$59.99 - includes Professor Genki’s Hyper-Extraordinary Pre-Order Pack
Playstation 3:
$59.99 - includes Professor Genki’s Hyper-Extraordinary Pre-Order Pack
OnLive:
$49.99 / (PP) $34.99 - includes Professor Genki’s Hyper-Extraordinary Pre-Order Pack + FREE OnLive MicroConsole or Game Coupon Code
Warhammer 40,000 - Space Marine
Xbox 360:
$59.99 - includes The Emperor’s Elite Pre-Order Pack
Playstation 3:
$59.99 - includes The Emperor’s Elite Pre-Order Pack
OnLive:
$49.99 / (PP) $34.99 - includes Darksiders FREE + FREE OnLive MicroConsole
Deus Ex Human Revolution
Xbox 360:
$69.99 - includes 40-page Art Book, Exclusive Bonus DVD, Premium Packaging, Motion Graphic Novel
Playstation 3:
$69.99 - includes 40-page Art Book, Exclusive Bonus DVD, Premium Packaging, Motion Graphic Novel
OnLive:
$59.99 / (PP) $37.79 - includes as downloadables: Art Book, 40-minute “Making Of” video, Motion Graphic Novel, Soundtrack, and E3 Trailer & Animated Storyboard + FREE Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition + FREE OnLive MicroConsole
I know, I know, that’s a whole lot of numbers and text. If you were paying attention, you could see that OnLive likes to give away freebies in addition to whatever the publisher is offering with their pre-order offer. The MicroConsole is a great value, and by pre-ordering often you’re sure to amass a decent collection of them for your home or as gifts to your friends. Now we get to the fun part; the totals! This is where the proof of OnLive’s value lies.
Xbox 360:
Hardware costs – $199.99
Pre-Order costs – $179.97
Games acquired (3) : Saints Row the Third, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, and Deus Ex: Human Revolution
TOTAL COST: $379.96
Playstation 3:
Hardware costs – $299.99
Pre-Order costs – $179.97
Games acquired (3) : Saints Row the Third, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, and Deus Ex: Human Revolution
TOTAL COST: $479.96
OnLive (no PlayPack):
Hardware costs – 3 FREE MicroConsoles w/ pre-orders
Pre-Order costs – $159.97
Games acquired (5) : Saints Row the Third, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Darksiders, and Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition
TOTAL COST: $159.97
OnLive (w/ 1 month PlayPack):
Hardware costs – 3 FREE MicroConsoles w/ pre-orders
Pre-Order costs – $107.77
PlayPack Subscription – $9.99
Games acquired (83) : Saints Row the Third, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Darksiders, Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition + 78 PlayPack bundle titles including Homefront Multiplayer and F.3.A.R. Multiplayer
TOTAL COST: $117.76
I don’t know what more could be said, other than saying to simply look at these figures. Being a PlayPack subscribed OnLive gamer, in this example, gives you a 222% savings over an Xbox 360 gamer or 307% savings over a PS3 gamer. I don’t think with these numbers staring you right in the face, you can make any kind of financially sound argument against simply giving OnLive a try. Let us know what you think of this article on the OnLiveFans.com forums and feel free to share this with your friends. Nothing makes more sense to most people than saving money, especially in today’s economy with money tighter than ever.