OnLive has announced that its streaming gaming service for Mac and PC will launch on June 17, 2010 for $14.95 a month. Publishing partners include Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, 2K Games, THQ, and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. There will be up to 25 launch titles including Mass Effect 2, Borderlands, Metro 2033, Prince Of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, and Assassin’s Creed II.
In addition to the all-you-can-eat games, OnLive customers will be able to create custom clips of their gaming exploits and watch other gamers play games. The OnLive micro-console is still being worked on, but it will come after the Mac and PC versions of the service.
I know that several of you are Netflix and/or GameFly customers. Is there room in your life for another monthly subscription? Anyone leaning towards giving OnLive a shot? Why or why not?!?
Nope don't need another monthly fee to pay already paying for cable internet Netflix and my cell phone
I'll have to check it out
@rpad
Will they have a free trial period?
That has potential to save me a crap ton of money on games actually.
@Sandrock323 So far it's just the one flat fee, ergo all-you-can-eat. I don't think OnLive wants to complicate things. I agree that keeping it simple is the best way to go, but I can see there being premium services later.
@R-Pad
That's what I was thinking they would do. One fee for now, but when they get a bigger install base and more games they can introduce a tiered plan for new releases and old games. Logically, the new games are going to take more power to play so eventually their are going to want to start charging users for it. I'll give OnLive a try and see how it turns out.
@iceman
it has to do with revenue recognition principles in accounting. They can't recognize the revenue until it is earned. If you paid for one year upfront then they would have to have a liability on the ledger and adjust it every month. Some companies fo the exact opposite. Depends on their actual cashflow.
@OnLive
seems overpriced for PC and Mac. Are they going to cripple the ability to pipe out to a TV? I only call it overpriced since PC games get cheap very fast. I'd prefer to buy the $15-$30 game instead of subbing it.
However if console games appear on the Mac and PC service then I'd consider it more of a value.
@ Smartguy;
Yes, but if they get paid up front on a yearly basis, then it should be better for yearly financial planning because they already have a number so now it becomes a matter of controlling costs. Think of it, you have your entire cash outlays for the whole year. Yes, you have to debit goods or services from that, but that would be cost of goods, right? Why did you say it is a liability? Factor in your overhead, insurance, utilities, payroll, etc., and now you have a much better outlook on how much the company would be making by the end of the fiscial year.
-M
P.S.- Did the code work?
@Iceman
That is the terminology used in accounting. A liability is something you owe and unearned revenue is considered a "contra liability". It's done that way so companies don't overstate their revenues…thereby misleading users of financial statements. Lowers your taxable income as well.
If you paid 120 up front for a service that lasts one year then it would look like this:
Jan 1
Unearned Revenue 110
Revenue 10
Feb 1
Unearned Revenue 100
Revenue 20
etc.
P.S. Will be able to see if the code works in an hour or so
@ Redtailman;
I hear you. I hate monthly fees/payments. I would much rather pay once a year and get it over with… you know, like taxes. Unfortunately, a lot of these companies feel that they can get away with charging us more if we see a smaller amount at the end of the month instead of a bigger number at the end of the year. After all, $80 per month for internet and TV sounds more palitable to people than $960 per year, which is exactly why these companies charge us $80.95.
-M
@R-Pad
So do we get to play any game in their library for that price, pay tiered prices for old/new games, or buy the games in addition to the monthly price?
Here's another article on this service. Sounds like it will suck. Rentals and purchases? According to the article your sub fee will just be a connection. Entertainment comes at additional costs.
http://dvice.com/archives/2010/03/onlive-streamin…
@Tokz
Not only that, but what if this company goes bellu up? How will you access your content then? It isn't like you are just authenticating ownership with the connection but you are actually using the bandwidth to play the game.
I would like to go on record and say I was right about this service a year ago on TheFeed when I bashed it. I predicted this very same price model for it. The spin will be that you can play your purchased or rented title on multiple platforms….for a fee. Piss on that.
Honestly, if it was a monthly subscription that included the rental price, I might consider it. But it doesn't. Rentals and purchases are separate costs. Says so right on their website's FAQ.
http://www.onlive.com/service/faq.html
So no thanks, I'll pass.
Honestly, the only way I'd try something like this would be on a rental basis. I don't like the idea of "buying" for a product that's kept on someone else's servers somewhere and my access to is is completely at the whims of this internet gods. People are having enough problems with Ubisoft's new DRM and that requires an internet connection for a game where you actually have the disc in your hands. If this "Cloud" model is the future of digital distribution, then count me out.
@smartguy
Yes I was asking the same thing but everyone kept saying or the rumor was that it was going to be unlimited rentals for a monthly fee. It's almost the same rate as Gamefly, i might as well have kept my gamefly subscription then if I'm going to pay the same price. I wish gamefly would get more distribution centers though.
Hmm, I hadn't read their FAQ yet. No support for Wifi? I may be in the minority here…but all of my machines in my home are wireless. We only have one desktop and it is a few years old. We are laptop people.
Requires 5mb for HD gaming? That eliminates a lot of ppl. Last mile copper subscribers will have to deal with SD res only. If you are lucky enough to have Docsis 3.0 tech or Fiber in your area then you could enjoy HD. I'm lucky that I can get Charter which has a base speed of 8mbps. Goodluck to legacy Verizon and Qwest subscribers who have 1.5 bonded pairs coming out of a DSLam.
@Tokz
I'm also wondering if the client will cripple your ability to use your TV as an output? Whenever I plug my XBR or G10 into my Mac, it knows it is a television.
@Tokz
I bet that adapter will have a rental fee as well as a security deposit. I see it like a DVR from an MSO.
@smartguy
I wouldn't put it past them. As more information keeps coming out about their service; the more and more i see this being an Epic Fail.
@smartguy
True. another question: what happens to XBL? Are you able to play online without XBL? Wouldn't this be a cheaper alternative to XBL? I don't think MS is going to support this as much as they are saying. They may be supporting it just to avoid having a lawsuit being thrust upon them.
@smartguy
good article, if this is true then it will be a big blow to OnLive. I was wondering how they were going to pay the publishers for the games if it was going to be unlimited, i guess this article answers my question.
@smartguy
I believe so. I’m sure they want to make some money selling their TV adapter.
@Tokz
One positive is that it could make MS and Sony cut prices on games faster. I wouldn’t mind that.
(*cue the music the Price is Right plays when someone loses a game*)
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/120036-Bankruptcy-Letter-Reveals-OnLives-Deaths-Door-Price
Sure, the company is still up and ticking, but you have to admit that it is going in the wrong direction and who is going to start a monthly subscription service with a company that is super insolvent? Make sure you read the part about investors getting back $0.26 on the dollar that they invested because this is the future of Ouya as well.
Even though the service is not DEAD dead, it’s pretty much on life support with terminal cancer. I’m going to call it now:
OnLive
2010-2012
-M