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OnLive - a quick test with MBP and Wifi

T

ThomasLund

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 27, 2009
21
0
So - I guess everyone heard about OnLive when they announced it. And I guess most of us also put the idea into the bin right away too.

Yesterday a friend of mine urged me to test it. One can sign up for trial accounts and apparently there is a Mac client.

I was about to say no, but boy am I glad I didnt.

After a super quick install, I went in and played 10-15 minutes of Mafia 2 - a FPS single player game. And it totally blew my socks off.

OnLive might not give you an advantage (especially over wifi) in an online FPS game. But minimum for single player games its perfectly viable solution for Mac players to play PC games. And without compromise even - it runs super smooth.

I've only had time for the quick 15 min play - will test some of the other games in there (30 minute free trial play on most of the games).

How has the experience been for you?

/Thomas
 
Pretty good, Wifi did cause some lag every couple of minutes tho (I only have an 802.11g router at home). Works fine on a 802.11n router or via ethernet to the one at home. I tested Batman and Fear.

Still OnLive is much more expensive when compare to buying the games on PS3/Win etc so I won't use it unless maybe for 3 day passes over a weekend.
 
Hansr said:
Still OnLive is much more expensive when compare to buying the games on PS3/Win etc so I won't use it unless maybe for 3 day passes over a weekend.
Click to expand...

That is how I see it - it is a lousy value prop for buying, but for rentals it is absolutely sweet! Try out the 30 minute demo time, then rent to play and you're all set!

I've been on since the start and while WiFi is still laggy, it has improved greatly, as has the whole experience.
 
I absolutely love it. Been playing on my mid 2007 MBP for a few months while on campus and it's great. Haven't tried it over wifi yet.
 
I've been watching it's progress too. I have tried it and I am surprised with the performance.

I have only played Demos via wifi but seems stable on my end. I do have a fast connection (10 MBps) with a wireless n router but seems nice!

I agree though the prices for the games are a bit steep right now...but a good solution for those not wanting to bootcamp or without the hardware to run games!

I would like to see a better and bigger selection of games though- kind of slim pickens right now. :apple:
 
I don't undertand why their game library isn't slanted more towards games that are less affected by lag and graphics resolution. They have virtually no strategy games, for instance...

I might give them another shot if my old Logitech gamepad ever gets supported...
 
Yeah - noticed that too. FPS and driving games must in general be the worst in that regards.

But maybe its "proof of concept" really. If it can do a FPS online then it can certainly do a TBS or RTS

But more games = better. And they certainly have non-Mac titles which I otherwise wouldnt even be able to play a trial of. So perfect for me :)

/Thomas
 
I tested the Wi-Fi. Was pretty laggy for me. I have a pretty good internet connection and an decent laptop in the gaming department . When I had a ethernet cable in my laptop, OnLive is flawless. Plays like a console. Don't know if I'm going to pay full price for games when I can buy games at Best Buy(for example) and play offline when I'm not around a internet connection.
 
If the wifi doesn't work for you, get a new cable modem.

Tried it with the crappy Motorola modem Charter gave me, lagged to high heaven. Dumped it for a Linksys I got refurbished for $25 on eBay. Flawless. And, I'm not paying Charter's ridiculous $5 a month modem rental to boot.
 
bluebomberman said:
It's clear to me now why Onlive's library steers away from strategy games - they just introduced a streaming box for HDTVs.
Click to expand...

txa1265 said:
That has been part of the deal since the start ... and really it has always been more about console-style games than traditional PC games.
Click to expand...

No, streaming to TVs has not been part of the deal since the start - they may have talked about it and planned it from the start but up until now it was as real as pie in the sky. Heck, if you want to be precise, you still can't OnLive from your TV because the MicroConsole won't ship until December 2.
 
I'm really looking forward to getting it for the iPhone/iPad that may just be enough temptation to buy a iPad.
 
macfan881 said:
yes it has http://www.gadgetreview.com/2010/11...t-rate-phone-apps-coming-soon.html#more-74968
Click to expand...

From your link:

Apps on mobile devices for OnLive will be available shortly, according to the company. For the iPhone and iPad, apps will release before year’s end. For Android and Blackberry, they will release early next year. There are no plans for browser compatibility (for it all to just work through a browser) according to the company. The apps will also require Wi-Fi to connect to OnLive’s servers. Games will not initially be playable through these apps, not until developers make their games playable through touch controls or miniature keyboards.
Click to expand...

That... doesn't sound like fun. What's the point of an OnLive app if games aren't playable?

Given the difficulty of converting controls, I'd lower your expectations.
 
so how many of you guys will buy the console when it comes out. It looks pretty enticing and I was wondering if it would be connectable to my 2010 27" imac since it uses hdmi
 
Sorry for dredging up this old thread but there's news: the $10/month subscription service for their back catalog is in free open beta for the rest of January.

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/01/14/onlive-playback-game-catalog-free-to-all-users-through-jan-31/

My game pad is alas, unsupported, so I was stuck fiddling with Puzzle Chronicles (meh) and King's Bounty (unreadable small text, exasperated by a half-dozen dropped connections and overall crappy network performance over wired Ethernet). Open beta, indeed.
 
On a 15 mb connection I found the service grainy, but I am going to give it a try again basedonypur recommendation.
 
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