OnLive, the theoretically revolutionary online streaming service for PC games, has entered (almost) open beta.
In case you missed the hype when OnLive was first announced, here’s the gist: By linking thousands of high-powered PCs at data centers across the country, OnLive allows gamers to play the latest, most graphically intensive games without lengthy installs or having to shell out cash for a fancy computer. Crysis can be enjoyed on a $200 netbook, if OnLive’s press materials are to be believed.
Are you sitting there agape at just how mind-blowingly awesome this might be, while simultaneously wondering how in the hell it could possibly be real?
Wonder no more! According to a post on the official OnLive blog, the service has entered semi-open beta testing, offering anyone who signed up on the website a chance to see if everything is as amazing as it sounds.
Even if you didn’t sign up already, the post claims there are still a few beta slots open, so head over to the official website and drop your name in the virtual hat.
You better believe I signed up, hoping against hope that there is really something to this OnLive concept and that I’ll never again have to cringe at a $3,000 price tag while solemnly handing over my debit card.
If any of you are in the beta, let us know how it works for you. I’ve only seen the service operating in extremely controlled conditions (read: at conferences in front of half drunk gaming journalists), and while it seemed to work, I’m very interested to hear how it works in the real world.
