OnLive Announces iPad Support for Cloud Gaming with Optional Bluetooth Controller

D340F6BD E148 4E65 A33F 0F31879A91FA
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.

Popular Stories

ios 19 messages app

Apple Sues Jon Prosser Over iOS 26 Leaks

Thursday July 17, 2025 8:40 pm PDT by
Earlier this year, YouTuber Jon Prosser shared multiple videos showing off what he claimed to be re-created renderings of what was then presumed to be called iOS 19 and which was eventually unveiled by Apple as iOS 26 at WWDC in June. In his first video back in January, Prosser showed off a Camera app redesign with a simpler set of buttons for moving between photo and video modes, and he...
iPhone 17 Colors

All 15 New iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro Colors Revealed in Latest Leak

Wednesday July 16, 2025 6:50 am PDT by
We may finally have a definitive list of all color options for the iPhone 17 series, ahead of the devices launching in September. MacRumors concept In a report for Macworld today, Filipe Espósito said he obtained an "internal document" that allegedly reveals all of the color options for the upcoming iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max models. The report includes ...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Here's When to Expect the iOS 26 Public Beta

Tuesday July 15, 2025 11:07 am PDT by
Apple previously announced that a public beta of iOS 26 would be available in July, and now a more specific timeframe has surfaced. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said that Apple's public betas should be released on or around Wednesday, July 23. In other words, expect the public betas of iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, and more to be available at some point next week. Apple will be releasing...
iPhone 17 Pro Dark Blue and Orange

Ranked: The Best Features Rumored for the iPhone 17 Lineup

Wednesday July 16, 2025 4:17 pm PDT by
We have just under two months to go until the debut of Apple's iPhone 17 models, and rumors have been ramping up in recent weeks. We went through everything we know so far, pulling out the most exciting rumors and highlighting some other changes that aren't going to be so great. Top Tier Ultra Thin iPhone 17 Air - The iPhone 17 Air is 2025's most exciting iPhone rumor, because it's the...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Foldable iPhone's Thickness and Price Range Detailed in New Reports

Wednesday July 16, 2025 11:31 am PDT by
Apple's long-rumored foldable iPhone will likely have a starting price between $1,800 and $2,000 in the U.S., analysts at investment banking firm UBS said this week. If so, the foldable iPhone would cost more than a MacBook Pro, which starts at $1,599. With a starting price of at least $1,800, the foldable iPhone would be the most expensive iPhone model ever released, topping the Pro Max at...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 16 New Features

Friday July 11, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are only two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:A redesigned Dynamic Island: It has been rumored that all iPhone 17 models will have a redesigned Dynamic Island interface — it might ...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Ultra 3: What to Expect

Sunday July 13, 2025 10:30 am PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 is nearly over, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the Apple Watch Ultra 3:Satellite connectivity for sending and receiving text messages when Wi-Fi and cellular coverage is unavailable 5G support, up from LTE on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Likely a wide-angle OLED display that ...

Top Rated Comments

gorgeousninja Avatar
184 months ago
Well contrary to the doom-mongers and naysayers...this looks (in theory).. fantastic.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DustinT Avatar
184 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!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KylePowers Avatar
184 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).
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cRuNcHiE Avatar
184 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
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Hastings101 Avatar
184 months ago
That's really neat
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fswmacguy Avatar
184 months ago
Wouldn't this service require a very high fidelity connection? I couldn't imagine playing something like this on DSL. Seems like users would need a very fast connection at all times.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)