E3: OnLive Provides Wii U Alternative

The biggest headlines this week at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) were reserved for Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft - but that didn't stop OnLive from trying to steal the show.

Palo Alto, Calif. based OnLive Inc. announced this week its introducing an iPad and Android based app that will be able to integrate games onto tablets. The company, which offers instant cloud gaming, stores the games on a server and makes them available for game play on its app.

Similar to the Wii U, the tablet app can also work in conjunction with the HDTV OnLive platform as a touch or motion-based controller. OnLive, which can also run on cell phones, blu-ray players, computers and set-top boxes, is pushing for a world without consoles. The cloud gaming company offers consumers a selection of popular titles, such as Duke Nukem Forever and Deus Ex.

The power of the cloud is definitely the theme this week, displacing what had been assumed to be platforms that could never be displaced, Steve Perlman, founder and chief executive, of OnLive said in a statement. The OnLive Player App for iPad and Android shows how with the power of the cloud, the question is not whether cloud gaming will be able to catch up to consoles, it will be whether consoles will be able to catch up to cloud gaming.

The OnLive app is free itself, but there are costs for the entire system itself. It costs $99 for the TV adapter and one controller and $120 for a year of unlimited access to 50+ games. Plus, you need an HDTV and a tablet.

In addition, full voice chat-enabled multiplayer is supported through the OnLive App. Essentially OnLive is doing what Nintendo will be doing in a year with the Wii U. However, it has a head start.

Naturally as with any gaming done through a server, there are some concerns about latency. OnLive told TechCrunch that it has addressed latency through hardcore engineering.

Follow Gabriel Perna on Twitter at @GabrielSPerna