Cloud-based gaming service OnLive released its microconsole unit this week, and Bitmob editor Brett Bates was all over it. After reading his thoughts, we turned to our gallant Facebook and Twitter followers to get their opinions on the subject. We also asked you to sound off on the future of 2D side-scrolling platformers, as Bitmob writer Rus McLaughlin has done.

And this week we have a new wrinkle to the Tweetbook formula: more staff responses! So check out the answers below, and see how your view stacks up with ours. And don't forget to follow our Facebook and Twitter accounts to get a heads-up on news, articles, and contests. We do these Tweetbook Q&A articles every Friday, so if you want to be featured, keep an eye out and respond!

What are your thoughts on OnLive? Do you think it has a future?

Via Twitter:

@demian_linn: Heck yeah. Someone will get it right...probably multiple companies. Build that stuff into TVs!

@Chasmang (Chas Guidry): OnLive has a future, but for me, it's a distant one. I'm gonna' need a more diverse library of games before I play in the clouds.

@akwinters (Chris Winters): I think it's part of a bigger picture in the future of gaming. It's not THE future, just one option from a long (and varied) list.

@bbretterson (Brett Bates): I'm still on the fence whether OnLive itself has a future, but cloud-based gaming definitely does. Future consoles won't use discs.

@bitmobshoe (Dan Hsu): Maybe it'll do well with the Walgreens crowd. That's right, Walgreens, not Wal-Mart. It's so cheap! That's serious budget gaming.

@TheStoryboard: I actually really enjoy subscription-based product models. But minor tech issues and major game library issues worry me.

@logicalmoron (Matt Lynley): I love me some OnLive. That probably has to do with me being on a Mac more than anything else, but it's a huge boon for Mac gamers.

Via Facebook:

Cecelie Keys: It seems interesting. Perhaps it'll bring in players who can't afford all the PC upgrades.

Kyle Anijo: Having played a few of the games they allowed you to play in the beta, I can safely say that I am not interested in the full product. All the games I played had that tiny little bit of lag, which really started to get on my nerves.

I feel that there just isn't a market for this sort of thing right now. The people that want to play the games that this service offers most likely already own the hardware necessary to play them in the first place.

Matt Swain: No console, no deal. Also, the day I can no longer buy physical media, is the day I stop buying and stick to the classics.

Writer Rus McLaughin says 2D platformers are still important. Do you want new side-scrollers? Why or why not?

Via Twitter:

@CHoadley (Chris Hoadley): Of course 2D platformers are still important. Do I need to remind you of Mega Man X7?

@Bryan_Glynn: We haven't had a bigger increase in innovation than what 2D side-scrollers have done over the last three years. Keep 'em coming!

@bbretterson (Brett Bates): Hell yes! Next-gen graphics aren't just about polygons. People have produced some absolutely beautiful platformers recently (Braid).

@acronkyoung (Alex Cronk-Young): I would love more side-scrollers, but I'm not entirely sure why. It's probably a nostalgia thing. They just click with me perfectly.

@bitmobshoe (Dan Hsu): Only if they star Italian plumbers, ghostly black & white little boys, or exploding 'splosion men!

@MikeRousseau: Yes! I love them because I prefer tight, controlled narrative over exploration.