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OnLive Announces iPad Support for Cloud Gaming with Optional Bluetooth Controller

Wednesday June 8, 2011 3:11 pm PDT by Arnold Kim

At E3 this week, OnLive announced the coming of an iPad client App for the OnLive gaming service.
OnLive is pleased to announce the OnLive Player App for iPad and Android. Like the recently announced consoles, the OnLive Player App will enable gameplay of virtually all OnLive games on an iPad and Android tablet with touch or OnLive's new Universal Wireless Controller.
We previously covered OnLive demoing this as a "tech demo" but it seems they've progressed to a final product. OnLive has already delivered a viewer app so iPad users can watch live games. Today's announcement, however, extends that to actual gameplay from your iPad.



OnLive delivers console-quality games to Macs, PCs, your TV (and now your iPad) by remotely streaming the game from their central servers. The customer's home computer need not be fast enough to render high resolution graphics -- instead it simply has to play back what amounts to a video stream of the game, while user controls are sent back to the central server.

We spoke to TouchArcade's Eli Hodapp who had a chance to demo the new system which he said worked "amazingly well". The OnLive iPad client will offer a visual overlay so customers can control games using on-screen touch controls to replace the usual physical controller. They also are giving developers the opportunity to implement actual touch/swipe controls as seen in the video above. Finally, OnLive will be offering a physical game controller (photo above) that communicates directly to the iPad through wireless bluetooth. The physical controller is optional but significantly improves the gaming experience. Hodapp described the entire package as a "game changer". OnLive has not yet announced pricing for the optional controller, and had no comment about an iPhone version in the future.

This app seems like it would be find perfect usage for iOS 5's new AirPlay mirroring that would allow you to display the game on your HDTV.
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ThunderSkunk
41 months ago
Very clever, and potentially really cool in concept...

But the lengths devs have to go to in order to shoehorn their functionality into iOS is getting a little ridiculous. Having to stream video of the game over wifi back from a remote server, because the bluetooth stack is lacking, having to stream video of your macbooks external display because the USB bus is off-limits...

Kick the family off Netflix, make no skype calls, god forbid someone gets on the web or gets an email, all so you can enjoy a low framerate video stream. And now, constant cloud syncing! Wifi is just not that robust.

I really hoped Apple would have this dialed in iOS5.
Rating: 9 Votes
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DustinT
41 months ago
HOLY LAG BATMAN!

Bluetooth to iPad to wireless router to Onlive server back to wireless router to iPad to wireless to Apple TV to actual TV. Rinse and repeat.

WTH? That would be awful!
Rating: 5 Votes
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cRuNcHiE
41 months ago
Considering the lag I get from using vnc to my pc over local wifi, I can't see this being any use surely
Rating: 4 Votes
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KylePowers
41 months ago
I think Apple just needs to come up with a first party controller solution.

I realize they hate buttons, but with all the good games out (and only getting better) and external display options (wired, wireless), I think a sleek controller is the next logical step. It's really only the last thing that separates an iPad from a 360/PS3 (to an extent, of course).
Rating: 3 Votes
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Pman17
41 months ago
I like it! It pulls the middle finger at Nintendo's Wii U.
Rating: 2 Votes
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Dagless
41 months ago



It's all coming together, folks. Stay tuned for more post-PC era goodness.


I trust you know that OnLive is the worst way to play games? It's not considered better than "PC gaming", it's a way for people with older/cheaper hardware to play new games.
Rating: 2 Votes
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Hastings101
41 months ago
That's really neat
Rating: 2 Votes
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aristotle
41 months ago

Those who only believe the words out of Jobs mouth, will be in for a rude awakening as he departs.

History has taught us that without Jerry Garcia & the Grateful Dead...it was mere months as the "Dead Heads" had no where to turn, and no one to think for them.

iFans today, are Google Android Lovers of the future.

How much does Google pay you to come here and astroturf for them?

I will not trade my privacy for "free" services. Android lovers? No thanks, I prefer women.
Rating: 1 Votes
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roadbloc
41 months ago
Impressive. Shame my internet isn't fast enough for OnLive.
Rating: 1 Votes
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Sol
41 months ago

In your opinion. Which fortunately for OnLive is meaningless. Onlive works great for me, my kids play the various lego series all the time with no issues. Sure it won't play Crysis, but last time I checked graphics still weren't everything. This is definitely a step up from Angry Birds.


No reason why it would not play Crysis. The idea is that you don't have to own a great PC to play the latest games, as long as they are available on the service.

Expect anyone who invested hundreds of dollars on their PCs to regard OnLive with derision. These people feel like they have to justify their expenses by dismissing the cheaper alternative.
Rating: 1 Votes

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