OnLive coming to iPad, Android, has potential beyond gaming

[Matthew DeCarlo]

OnLive has announced the availability of a new application called "OnLive Viewer" for Apple's iPad. The free software allows users to spectate games being played on the service, but it won't actually let iPad users play games -- at least not yet anyway.

The company said its new app is just a taste of what's to come. Most games aren't optimized for touch controls yet, but full game capabilities will be supported in the future. For now, OnLive has kicked things off by focusing on spectating and social features.

OnLive Viewer isn't limited to Apple's platform mind you, a version is also being developed for Android devices such as the recently launched Samsung Galaxy Tab. That project is currently in beta, but we haven't seen an official release projection.

What's possibly more exciting, however, is OnLive Viewer's potential beyond gaming. Just as OnLive allows you to stream high-end video games on low-end hardware, it could be used to access intensive desktop software from mobile devices.

During a conference today, OnLive CEO Steve Perlman showed how the OnLive Viewer could be used to access powerful enterprise software such as Autodesk Maya. The viewer was also shown running Flash web pages as well as Windows 7 Touch.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/41473-onlive-coming-to-ipad-android-has-potential-beyond-gaming.html

 

[Cota]

So you can stream the game as a video to your iPad so you can send back the commands to your desktop?, like pcAnywhere or other remote desktop app's?
Sounds great if it can be used via online, but i woulnt use it for gaming

 

[mario]

@Cota currently the iPad version is only a viewer, game playing is supposed to be supported on a future release. OnLive renders their games/content on their own servers and they stream the video to your device, it is not like PCAnywhere or other remove desktop apps.

 

[lawfer]

OnLive has so much potential. But not actually owning the games to a certain degree (at least like Steam does), it's big no for me, and most likely to 90% of the PC Gaming community too.

 

[MrAnderson]

Smart move... they could become facebook for remote gaming. They should try and get on PS3, Xbox Live, and Wii... I'm sure the big 3 might not want to, but why shouldn't they. Keep potential enemies close. MS does it all the time with their products. Let them integrate, which how the market evolves and then develop your own and release it at the right time. Allowing OnLive to build a downloadable app for PSN, Xbox Live, and Wii Channel would be a win win situation for Gamers and Publishers. Heck, the setop boxes and cable companies in their next iteration of set top boxes really need to jump on the apps bandwagon before "Smart" TVs snatch the carpet right out from under them. I mean add some app dev and a RF/Bluetooth connection for controllers and you have something that could explode. Heck I should get in on this.