The OnLive streaming game service decided not to wait until E3 2011 next week to make a number of major announcements. The service, which officially launched here in the US close to a year ago, announced tonight that the service will finally be coming across the pond and will offered in the UK sometime this fall. People in that country who are interested in the service and want to be selected for its upcoming beta test can sign up on June 7 at 8 pm local UK time at onlive.co.uk.
When the UK version of OnLive does launch this fall, UK players will be able to play online with their US counterparts along with sharing chat, spectating and Brag Clip sharing features. The exact launch date for the UK version of OnLive along with its launch library of game titles and game pricing will be revealed in the coming months.
That"s not all OnLive had to announce tonight. The company also revealed that it will be integrating its service with the Facebook social networking web site. OnLive members can, for example, create a game Brag Clip and instantly post it to their Facebook account if they have one. You can also watch your friends play OnLive games via their Facebook wall and then jump into the game instantly via the Facebook web site.
OnLive also announced today that any device that runs Intel"s CE4100 embedded processor will be able to access and stream the games on the OnLive service. The Intel processor will be used in a number of upcoming devices such as DVD and Blu-Ray players, Internet-based televisions, set-top boxes and more. The first devices with that processor will ship to stores this fall.
And yes, there is more. Check out the bullet points:
- OnLive will add games from Disney Interactive Studios to its game line up. The first two games that will be added from the publisher will be the racing games Pure and Split/Second. When you purchase either game from OnLive in June you will get a coupon that will take 50 percent off your next OnLive game purchase. Other games from the publisher will be added in the coming weeks including the recent release Lego Pirates of the Caribbean.
- OnLive will add the multiplayer portion of THQ"s recent first person shooter Homefront to its list of games available on its $9.99 a month "all-you-can-play" PlayBack service. The PlayBack portion of OnLive already has over 60 titles to choose from.
- OnLive says that Red Faction: Armageddon, the upcoming sci-fi shooter, will be OnLive"s 100th game title when it is released on June 7. OnLive started out a year ago with just 19 games to choose from.
- OnLive will launch a universal controller that will allow players to control games from any OnLive enabled device