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OnLive’s Cloud Video Game Service Launches in the UK on 22nd September
By: Ed Krassenstein
OnLive UKFor quite some time, we have been hearing about cloud video game service, OnLive coming to the United Kingdom this summer. Until today, we have not had an official launch date. However, OnLive announced today, that their service will be launching in Europe on the 22nd of September, 2011. It will be launched at the opening of the 2011 Eurogamer Expo in London, England, and will include over 100 top-tier games.
OnLive currently has over 100 games on its service, including F.E.A.R. 3, Homefront, Duke Nukem Forever, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Red Faction: Armageddon, and many more. They also have a PlayPack subscription plan that gives gamers unlimited access to 70+ games at a $9.99/month price. All of this will be available to OnLive UK members as well. The Playpack includes games such as F.E.A.R. 3 Multiplayer, Homefront Large-Scale Warfare Multiplayer, Advent Rising, Borderlands, BioShock, Just Cause 2, LEGO Batman, SAW, Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X., Wheelman, Unreal Tournament Titan Pack, and much more. While it is not certain if all the current PlayPack titles will be available in the UK, there will certainly be over 70 PlayPack games to choose from, with new games added weekly.
OnLive will be available to play on almost any broadband internet connection in the United Kingdom, whether it is a PC, MAC, iPad, Android Table, Set-Top Box, OnLive Game System, or HDTV. Once it is officially launched in the UK on the 22nd of September, it is expected to expand into other European nations, as well as other continents, including Asia.
OnLive has been working very closely with BT plc, which is their exclusive broadband partner in the UK. British Telecommunications is one of OnLive’s largest investors, along with HTC, Juniper Networks, Maverick Capital, AT&T, Warner Brothers, and Autodesk. The OnLive service will be made available to customers of British Telecommunications who have BT Total Broadband or BT Infinity.
OnLive BT
OnLive Founder and CEO, Steve Perlman, had the following to say about the OnLive UK launch:
“OnLive will utterly transform gaming in the UK. No discs, big downloads or specialised hardware needed. OnLive gives you the latest games instantly, anytime, anywhere on HDTV, PC, Mac, as well as iPad, Android tablets. High-performance gaming as accessible as streaming
video, with unique social features such as massive spectating with voice chat and
Facebook integration.”
OnLive has been out of beta testing in the United States for well over a year, and once it launches in the UK, the service will be fully integrated. This means that gamers in North America, and in the United Kingdom will be able to partake in multiplayer gaming, voice chat, spectating, and more with each other. Gamers will also have the ability to create short Brag Clips™ (highlight reels) of their action, and post it to their Facebook profiles, or send it to their friends on the service.
If you are in the United Kingdom, and wish to get priority access to OnLive, you may sign up at OnLive.co.uk. Gamers in the UK must sign up for an OnLive Player Tag, which is a username that you use on the service. These Player Tags will be used to access your account from anywhere in the world that OnLive is available.
If you can make it to the 2011 Eurogamer Expo London on the 22nd – 26th of September, you will have the chance to preview many upcoming OnLive games and OnLive technology, as well as get your hands on one of many promotional giveaways. The giveaways will include thousands of OnLive Game Systems, which allow you to play games on any HDTV. The OnLive Game System includes a MicroConsole, 1 OnLive Gamepad, and all the required cables for connecting the MicroConsole to your HDTV. Other gamepads that work with the OnLive Microconsle, or your PC include the following:
Logitech® ChillStream™
Saitek® P3200 Rumble Pad
MadCatz® GamePad
Microsoft® Xbox 360® Wired Controller
Microsoft Xbox 360 Wireless Controller (requires the Microsoft Wireless Gaming Receiver)