OnLive, the world leader in cloud gaming, announced today that they are to form a strategic partnership with TP Vision, the manufacturing arm of Philips, which will involve the OnLive Game Service being pre-installed on all new Android powered Philips Smart TVs released in Europe throughout the rest of 2014 and beyond. The app will be available right out of the box, alongside other notable big-name Android entertainment apps. All the television's owners will need to do to start playing is to connect a wireless bluetooth controller (any USB controller that supports Microsoft's Xinput API, such as the Xbox 360 controller) or keyboard and mouth to their set and they'll be able to sign up to the service and access hundreds of games without a console.
The app will be available right out of the box, alongside other notable big-name Android entertainment apps
This 'Instant On' gaming is intuitive and reliable (if your broadband connection is of sufficient speed), and is thought by many industry insiders to be the future of the gaming industry, in much the same way that services such as Netflix are presumed to be the future of the film and television industries. It's worth noting, however, that like Netflix, users will require a paid account to access OnLive. There are two OnLive services: the buffet selection of 250 video games you can stream-play until your heart's content for £6.95 a month; and the newer CloudLift service that's focused on Steam users. Regardless, it's another USP for Philips Android TVs, which also feature Ambilight, a unique LED lighting technology, which throws a glow of light (matched to the colours on the screen) onto the wall behind the TV creating a more visually dynamic and immersive experience.
An overview of the OnLive gaming service
Rick Sanchez, vice president for product and marketing at OnLive, believes that "Integrating OnLive directly onto Philips TVs powered by Android is a perfect example of how even the most graphically demanding games can be delivered into the living room without the need for dedicated high-end gaming hardware." He feels that OnLive can deliver gaming experiences on par with current generation games consoles, only with “The same instant-on convenience and benefits that is driving consumers' surging interest for on-demand video and music services." Bruce Grove, the company's general manager, is "We're delighted to be partnering with TP Vision in this way," and feels the move is indicative of their device strategy, which is “To be wherever players want to play their games.” He says it also aligns well with their “Imminent expansion in Nordic territories, where the Philips brand continues to be a market leader.”
OnLive has struggled to make much of a dent in the gaming world thus far, but partnering with Philips seems to be something of a legitimising move for the brand
OnLive launched in 2010 and offers cloud streaming of the latest video games on almost all computers, tablets, smart phones and smart TVs. Games can be run at optimum settings, because the processing power is being handled “off site,” meaning the power and memory usually required to play such games at these settings isn't required. OnLive has struggled to make much of a dent in the gaming world thus far, but partnering with Philips (a strong brand in the Nordic region and in the UK) seems to be something of a legitimising move for the brand.
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and musician from Kidderminster in the UK. His broadband connection probably couldn't support OnLive, but it sounds interesting, so he's willing to give it a try.
