My micro-console for this arrived yesterday.

I've been running the PC client for a week or so and was quite impressed at how well it all ran on my paltry 2mb connection (that's 2mb tested, according to my provider I can get 10mb!!)

The micro-console is, well, tiny. It's a big bigger than a cassette case. The controller (very similar to the xbox 360) dwarves the console.

I got about an hour on it last night playing Duke Nukem Forever (cost me a whole pound) and had no issues at all. No lag, no glitches, no graphics problems.

All in all I'm impressed, and can't wait for the new Batman game so I can try that on it! (The preorder of this meant I got the console for free instead of paying the £70).

Cool.

Been looking at this for a while.

Wanting to play PC games on the TV downstairs and was thinking along the lines of HDMI cable runs etc but this could be a viable alternative.

Could run it on my media centre too so wouldn't even need the micro console thingy.

Phil

Indeed it would run quite happily on a media centre PC. The client seems to be able to run on pretty much anything, I've tried it on SWMBO's eeePC and it worked with no probs.

Apprently they're working on Andriod and iOS clients as well...

Just installing on my Ideapad S12 to try it out.

Phil

I got a free console on launch day along with about 4000 other people over the course of a weekend. Honestly, I like the idea, but I find it horrific. Some of the games are very badly ported too; Flatout 2 springs to mind, I have that on my PC so I tried it on OnLive only to find a driving game with no analogue control. The PC version has analogue, the console version has analogue, but for some inexplicable reason it doesn't on OnLive.

Then there's the input lag, as a fairly keen PC FPS gamer I'm probably more sensitive than most to lag, I even find full consoles like the 360 laggy during online play, but as this is streaming the whole gameplay from a remote server, it's twice as bad. There's lag when you move the controller and it goes to the datacentre, then there's lag when the picture comes back. I generally find it unplayable even for single player games, I haven't tried anything multiplayer yet but I'm guessing that adds yet another level of lag while the network games are played, particularly for games where the publishers retain control of the servers rather than OnLive being able to at least run them in the same datacentre.

tl;dr - it's a nice idea for casual gamers, but if you're anything like experienced it'll drive you mad IMO.

I would consider myself an experienced gamer (started on an Atari 2600, then NES, Megadrive, PS1, PS2, Xbox, Xbox 360, PS3 and gaming PC) and have been playing games since I was tiny (thanks Dad!).

To me, the lag hasn't been an issue. I'm not keen on FPS though, although I do prefer keyboard/mouse combo for most games (I've now got a USB keyboard and mouse plugged into the micro console).

Some of the ports do look "interesting". However, the majority of the games appear fine. I tried Shawn White's Skateboarding last night (certainly a port) and it played fine, but it was much easier to control with the wired xbox pad on the PC.

Multiplayer certainly won't be an issue for me, I very rarely do any form of network multiplayer (I sometimes might do some splitscreen with my mates).

Maybe the lag is down to the internet connection? I certainly had no issues and in theory, I've got a rubbish, slow connection as I'm in the middle of nowhere in the darkest, inbred depths of Cornwall...

BTW, they've got a THQ sale on for the weekend (NBA2K10 and Mafia 2 bought!)

It could be my Internet connection, but then it's generally fine (I play quite a lot of fast FPS, Quake 3 and QuakeWorld which are both VERY sensitive to lag, whereas newer stuff that's ported from consoles seems to be more tolerant). I don't have lag issues playing stuff on my PC, whereas I do with OnLive. It could be a peering issue or similar somewhere on the network between me and the OnLive data centre that I'm not seeing when I connect to a "normal" gameserver. I haven't looked into it a great deal really.

I'll check the sale out, I'm not buying anything full price at the moment as I'm really not convinced it's going to work for me, some of the games seem fun but then I'll get a bit of lag, or the graphics will suddenly render really badly, and it just makes me think it's a sub-par experience compared to the PC I've got sat upstairs. Still got a free month of the Playpack thing as well which I got from EuroGamer, so I'm waiting till the last possible minute to activate it when all the other casual people have got bored and moved on. Then there should be less load on the datacentre (both processing and network-wise) so I'll see how it plays then.

The graphics certainly are sub-par to pretty much anything else at the minute, but I can see them improving as the service improves (and the UK's cables are sorted out properly).

I'm impressed with it, but maybe it's wiht rose tinted glasses as I can see all gaming drifting towards this idea..

I've just found out that despite signing up:

On the UK website

At the national UK launch event

With a UK address and billing card

I could still have ended up with an account which talks to US datacentres. God knows how, but I plan to find out tonight and see if I've been unfairly attributing the crappy lag and blocky graphics to the fact I've been attached to the wrong datacentre. Bloody silly mistake if so, as this hasn't been publicised anywhere as a possibility so I'm sure there could be people like me thinking it's total rubbish when in fact it's just trans-Atlantic connections to blame.

Hmm this looks pretty good , but i dont have a lead long enough to reach the router, would it work ok with a wireless usb adaptor fitted instead of a usb cable to the router.

The micro-console itself doesn't support wireless. Try it on you pc/laptop though!

Plays fine over wifi on my netbook.

I'm with virgin media 10mb so no real lag to speak of.

Just trialled a couple of games up to now.

Will buy one for £1 some time and install it on my media centre and plug my 360 wireless controller in.

Phil