Vizio Co-Star Google TV set-top-box features OnLive gaming for $99 in July

Vizio has announced the Co-Star, its Google TV set-top-box that sets itself apart with two key bulletpoints:

1. The Co-Star comes with OnLive steaming gaming built-in as an app. Just launch the app, and as long as you have decent broadband, you can play a ton of video games.
2. Price: Vizio has priced the Co-Star at just $99. That matches it up nicely with higher-end Roku boxes and the Apple TV, and is half the cost of competing Google TV boxes that don't offer OnLive gaming out of the box.

Google TV has certainly had a rough time getting off the ground, and the Co-Star may be the product that offers it the boost that it needs, although we highly doubt it. If you're interested, Vizio starts taking Co-Star preorders next month.

Read More | Vizio

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OnLive introduces monthly gaming plan for $9.99

Cloud-based gaming service OnLive announced today their intent to offer a Netflix-like package for gaming. Dubbed “PlayPack,” the $9.99/month flat-rate plan beta is immediately available to OnLive MicroConsole owners, and available to all OnLive subscribers on January 15, 2011.

The OnLive press release reads:

"OnLive's PlayPass and PlayPack plans give players maximum flexibility to try or buy video games. Top-tier titles are available as individual rentals and purchases, while everything else is available at a flat rate. With these programs, OnLive is effectively offering the equivalent of an iTunes/Netflix combo for gaming."

OnLive Game Systems began shipping today as well, and the PlayPack beta option is available today free of charge for MicroConsole owners. Though, after January 15^th the PlayPack flat-rate plan of $9.99 takes effect. PlayPack’s library of games will grow steadily to house 40 games through January 15^th, and much more in the future. The current PlayPack beta library includes:

• Prince of Persia, Ubisoft
• NBA 2K10, 2K Sports
• Tomb Raider: Underworld, Square-Enix
• F.E.A.R. 2, Warner Bros
• Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X., Ubisoft
• Unreal Tournamentv3, Epic
• Vin Diesel Wheelman, Ubisoft
• LEGO® Batman, Warner Bros
• Defense Grid Gold, Hidden Path
• Saw, Konami
• Puzzle Chronicles, Konami
• King's Bounty: Armored Princess, Katauri Interactive
• Ninja Blade, From Software

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OnLive Microconsole ships December 2nd

The future of video games isn't in your home at all, it's in the clouds. At least that's what OnLive wants you to believe. The service actually launched over the summer with a little over 20 games, allowing gamers to stream full blown video games straight from their PC or Mac. As of now, OnLive offers about 40 games, but with the promise of more to come, specifically 100 more by the end of 2011. Speaking of more to come, OnLive is toying with the prospect of potential services like Netflix, an app store in the vein of Apple's, and 3D gaming capabilities. Also, the system currently only supports stereo audio over a 3.5mm minijack, optical S/PDIF or HDMI, but 5.1 sound is promised soon. The OnLive service works by large servers that do all of the power processing from far away, and sending rendered compressed images to your Microconsole which then upscales the images up to 1080p by way of a custom SOC. The result is an image rendered over 60fps over HDMI 1.3.

Click to continue reading OnLive Microconsole ships December 2nd

Read More | Engadget

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