The iPad will not need to play to help in one way: the game IOS is a thousand times and is selling like hotcakes, which makes the tablet from Apple already rich platform for games of all kinds. Yet I (and many others) had a dream: if you could add a Bluetooth controller and play for real, PC / console quality games on the iPad? Would it be a game changer?
Short answer: Yes, it could be, especially if those games, he said, are still stored in the device. OnLive, we’ve written about many times, is a service of cloud-based games in the U.S. transmitting saved PC games, while the local user controls the game via keyboard or controller. Sounds like magic, but OnLive actually works, creating a viable option for laptop owners that low-power Netbooks, or through the TV connected to MicroConsole last year, an alternate console. Games are saved in the cloud, and titles can be played through a subscription or individual purchase of a license.
Now, here’s the long answer.
OnLive published an IPAD application last year which enabled the visualization of OnLive games played, but could not activate the gameplay. IPads support OnLive and tablets Android was announced at E3, but I finally had the chance to play with the service at the CEA Line Show in New York. And thanks to our brief encounter, you can certainly color us daunted.
The beta demo didn’t have physical controller support, but when OnLive’s tablet service goes live in the fall, a Bluetooth controller will be available for both iPad and some Android tablets (the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 was OnLive’s onsite tablet of choice, but the device’s charger was unfortunately misplaced). I had to use the onscreen virtual control pad, which provided a pretty acceptable alternative in one game I played, Virtua Tennis.
OnLive games can be browsed via a store portal or one’s own game library (if you’re curious which games are available on OnLive, check here). The game started and loaded just like a PC title, complete with launch animations and start screen. I virtual D-padded our way to the one-player game and started a match. Streaming onto the iPad, the game resolution was definitely lower than a locally stored-and-played game, but the stream stayed continuous and didn’t break up. More importantly, I could read screen text and identify player details and ball icons.
After the first serve, control had a slight lag but be completely playable. I won my first point after a heated volley back-and-forth. I could chase the ball and lob or slam my shot. After a while, I forgot the game was streaming remotely. I also saw Red Faction: Guerrilla playing, and I could control the character and move around, with some difficulty using the virtual pad. Still, the game was definitely running on the iPad.
One problem I had was the bandwidth needed to play OnLive success. OnLive requirements, you will need a minimum of 3 Mbps downstream, the demo was played on a wireless connection with other computers 5MBps two, after the person I spoke. However, the games could get risky during “crunch” hours. If your Netflix slows to a crawl in the night, your ISP will not like OnLive.
We have tons more questions, including the price of stand-alone controller, how many controllers iPad / Android tablet configuration will be supported and will support HDMI or if OnLive AirPlay mirror of the game on a widescreen TV. If so, and you can use a controller that could also OnLive + iPad just a killer PC / console? Let us know what you think, but from what I saw, it’s certainly something to be reckoned with.
