In a calculated move to make any strategic gamer proud, BT has expanded its service offering to gamers by securing exclusive rights to cloud-based gaming service OnLive, which is due to hit the UK later this year.
OnLive doesn't require any game installation, but provides gaming access through PCs, Macs, or using a special MicroConsole that you can plug into your HDTV.
When it was announced earlier this year, OnLive was hailed as marking the end for video games consoles. PS3 fans may have something to say about that though.
BT will bundle an OnLive MicroConsole with its broadband plans, but for people on another broadband service, OnLive can be purchased directly from the organisation.
Players can rent or buy games after sampling short free trials online.
OnLive founder Steve Perlman said on the organisation's official blog that OnLive testing in Europe had already begun via stealth.
"Secretly OnLive has been operating a test site in Europe from a BT (British Telecommunications plc) data center in Wales since 2009. And I'm happy to report, that over the European Internet infrastructure, OnLive is AWESOME," he said.
"From the day we opened up sign-ups for OnLive's US Beta testing--making it very clear the sign-ups are for US-only testing by gamers with a US zip code--a huge percentage of the sign-up requests came from gamers from European locations who used popular US zip codes to try to get into the US Beta (indeed, we had more sign-ups using zip code 90210 than the actual population there)."
OnLive looks to differentiate itself from other online game communities by having addressed latency issues.
The organisation has used proprietary technology to end the gaming woes of a lag time between your fast-finger button moves and the system actually displaying your sword-wielding skills.
BT purchased a 2.6 per cent stake in OnLive for an undisclosed sum.
Will you expand your online gaming to OnLive? Leave us a comment and let us know.
2 thoughts on “BT Packages OnLive Games with Broadband”
Awesome!! I can’t wait for this to get over here!!!
I belong to a gaming clan and it is hosted in the USA i heard about onlive a long while ago ,but as it is not available in the uk i was waiting for it .
Our gaming clan leader has it an got the free year as a tester ,so he told me that when it comes to the uk it will be on the same deal .
I have 5 kids ,10 computers and a real want to be a tester on this ,also have 2 phone lines in my hous with BT ,so if BT are listening i want the freeyear of ONLIVE to be a tester …..any one out there who knows a more direct way to get this , please contact me at ,fixer14@hotmail.com