Tuesday was the day that Deus Ex: Human Revolution was shipped to stores for the Xbox 360 and PS3 consoles. The cyberpunk-themed action-RPG from developer Eidos Montreal and publisher Square Enix was also released on the PC via download and also in retail stores. But people who bought the retail box version of the PC port got a pleasant surprise. The box contained not just the game disk but also a code that can be used to claim a free copy of Deus Ex: Human Revolution that can be played on OnLive"s streaming PC game service.
OnLive confirmed that the free code for the game is in the game box via a picture on its Twitter page as well as in an email press release. It"s the first time that a OnLive streaming game copy has been offered as a free extra for purchasing a retail version of the same game. That means that players can get the full PC game experience of Deus Ex: Human Revolution (including DirectX 11 graphics modes) by installing the disk copy on their local gaming PC rig. The OnLive code allows players to also play the same game on nearly any PC or Mac while connected to the OnLive service. The visuals will, of course, not look nearly as good as the local hard drive based PC version but if you are on the road you can still play the game even on a netbook or MacBook Air. There"s no word if this same kind of extra will be used on upcoming OnLive supported games.