OnLive has finally launched in the UK, but a tie-up with telecoms giant BT could give the cloud gaming service a flying start as it looks to compete with the major players in videogames.
OnLive offers streamed gaming to a television or device, meaning that – with a decent broadband connection – you can play the latest games instantly.
BT is UK launch partner and shareholder in the US company, and will offer all of its broadband customers three months free and unlimited payback of more than 100 video games to mark its arrival.
Check out our hands on: OnLive video to see what we think of the service:
No strings attached
Warren Buckley, managing director, BT Retail's Customer Service, said: "This is a fantastic new service for the UK.
"The three months free PlayPack subscription is a great offer for BT broadband customers and there are no strings attached.
"It's not part of a contract and we're waiving usage allowances until the New Year. We just want to give our customers the chance to try it, and with more than 100 premium games available, choosing what to play will be the hardest part."
"This is yet another reason for customers to choose BT for their broadband. Of course, our superfast, up to 40Mb, BT Infinity fibre broadband, is ideal for something like OnLive gaming."
BT customers will also get to enjoy OnLive's promotions, including their special launch offer of a first individual OnLive game for just £1, worth up to £39.99. When the three months are up, the price of the 100 game package will be £6.99 a month. New games are close to full price.
TechRadar will be putting up its early hands on: OnLive UK review later in the day, and you can also check out what founder Steve Perlman told us about competition with the Xbox 360 and PS3 and just how much of a problem latency is to a streaming gaming service.
