Home
PC players have been experimenting with the cloud-based streaming service OnLive since June, but soon console gamers will get to join in the action. On December 2, for $99, OnLive will send you a wireless controller, a voucher for any game on their service, and a microconsole slightly larger than a deck of playing cards that promises to deliver content at 1080p and 60fps on circuitry with less brainpower than your average smartphone.
But let's ignore the technical wizardry for a second and address the most pressing question for console junkies: Can games on the OnLive microconsole really compete with the beefier Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3?
OnLive provided us with a device to find out. I figured the best test would be to compare console gaming's most popular genre: the shooter. If OnLive can deliver a faithful shooter experience, then it can do anything, right? So I picked two shooters currently available on the service, Borderlands and Unreal Tournament 3, and slipped on my lab coat.
Who comes out on top? Let the OnLive Microconsole Comparison Test begin!
Round 1: Borderlands (OnLive vs. 360)
In the interest of fairness, I started up a new game on each console. The OnLive game loaded considerably faster -- not surprising considering it's basically running off a server rack of super-powered PCs. But I did encounter a few technical glitches getting to the title screen: An error message initially prevented me from signing into the service altogether (fixed by restarting), and my controller desynced twice while trying to purchase the game. In fact, this desyncronization issue plagued my entire microconsole experience. I talked to another journalist with the device, and he didn't have any issues, so it could be just my particular setup. Still, it's worrying.
Graphically, the 720p microconsole upscaled over HDMI (full 1080p will be available soon) matched up handsomely against the 1080p 360 over component, arguably even besting it. I did have one minor networking problem that locked my character in a downward-pointing spin for a couple of seconds -- not a major problem in a single-player or cooperative game, but death in competition.
As for the controls themselves, they held their own against the 360's. The controller is the blatant fusion of the 360 and PS3's pads, with the buttons and triggers/buttons of the 360 -- even down to the lettering -- and the d-pad and analog sticks of the PS3. It instantly feels comfortable and familiar in your hands. The analog sticks are particularly divine, merging what I like about the PS3's sticks (horizontal alignment) with what I like about the 360's (concave pads).
But that comfort doesn't translate onscreen. The games on OnLive's service are PC ports, refined for keyboard and mouse, and it shows. Movements feel jittery and overprecise, even with the sensitivity turned down. Sighted weapons in Borderlands were noticeably harder to aim than on the 360, and I couldn't crank out headshots with the same reckless ease -- and that was with aim assist on.
Advantage: 360
Round 2: Unreal Tournament 3 (OnLive vs. PS3)
Next, I moved to Epic's arena shooter, Unreal Tournament 3. I slipped in the PS3 disc, booted it up...and waited through a 93MB mandatory update. Then I tapped my foot through a 100MB mandatory install. It was five minutes before I could start a game.
The OnLive version, on the other hand, brought up the title screen in a matter of seconds. (Impatient console gamers will love OnLive: While load times do still exist, they are markedly reduced compared to what we've grown accustomed to in the disc-based era.)
I chose UT3 because I wanted to experience one of gaming's forbidden fruits: PC/console cross-network play. Since the OnLive platform exists in the cloud, where all of the servers are uniform, the end device you're playing on doesn't matter. PC users can snipe Mac users; Mac users can frag console users; and the keyboard/mouse vs. controller debate can finally be settled for good.
Except I couldn't find any active UT3 servers on a Wednesday afternoon. Oops.
Still, I could get a similar experience playing against bots. I set up identical matches on the PS3 and OnLive. As with Borderlands, I experienced controller issues with the OnLive version. My controller would occasionally desync for a moment, and the overall feel of my movements felt like they were suited more for a keyboard and mouse.
(The microconsole does allow for keyboard/mouse control, by the way. I tried it out and immediately wiped the floor with the bots, going 20-1 -- my only death at the hands of a Redeemer nuclear missile that cleaned out half the map.)
So unless you're a PC user looking for some easy kills, opt out of cross-platform play whenever you can. Unfortunately, developers need to code input device recognition into their OnLive games, which means that without a patch, existing competitive shooters on the service will mercilessly toss you in with PC gamers.
Advantage: PS3
Final Verdict:
At $99, OnLive's microconsole is a great value for families on a budget this holiday season. But if you're a hardcore console player who already owns a PS3 or 360 -- or both -- there's no compelling reason to buy a microconsole at the moment.
Do note that "at the moment" though. I have no doubt that OnLive portends the future of gaming. With a flat-rate service promising legacy titles and indie games at a single monthly rate, and with regular improvements to the technology occurring on the server side, the OnLive pot will only get sweeter. Six months from now may yield an entirely different article.
For now, I absolutely recommend PC and Mac players download the client and take some of the demos for a spin. Console gamers, wait patiently a little bit longer. Your future is coming.
