Play Console Games on Your iPad, iPhone & Android with Onlive

Gaming on your iPhone, iPad and Android devices is about to get a lot more fun and a lot more amazing thanks to the launch of Onlive gaming for mobile devices.

Onlive is a new type of gaming service that essentially streams the game to your device. This allows machines that don’t have awesome graphics capabilities to play console and PC quality games as long as they have a speedy Internet connection.

The new Onlive iPad app will allow gamers to play a number of high-end console titles on their phones and tablets, much like the current service allows you to play games on underpowered (graphically) computers.

Check out our Onlive Review

The new Onlive app for iPad, iPhone and Android phones and tablets isn’t yet on the market, but according to the company it should be there soon with over 200 games able to be played on your iPad. While smartphones are exciting, the big news here is for tablets.

Controls

You might wonder how you’re going to play LA Noire on your iPad. The good news is that at launch, there are 25 console class games such as LA Noire and Lego Batman which have been specifically adapted to the touchscreen.

If you want to play other games, like Assassin’s Creed Revelations and 200 other Onlive games, you can use the built-in Cloud Touch controls on your screen, or you can purchase a $50 Onlive controller that will pair with your tablet for a more full-fledged gaming experience. The controller will be available on Friday December 9th, and will also work with your PC and Mac.

You can see a demo of the controller in use from TUAW, where they play Batman Arkham City. The blurriness is a result fo the camera, not the actual game.

This is a game changer. For $50 you can turn your iPad or Android tablet into a portable game console. As long as you have a fast enough internet connection you can prop up your tablet, pair your controller and start playing. We’ll be testing the app shortly to see if you can use AirPlay or mirroring to play on your big screen as well.

Games

While there are only 25 games that include specific touch screen controls. Most of the Onlive game catalog will play on your iPad and mobile devices. Browse the Onlive game catalog to check out the titles and prices. Most console games are $49.99, but this allows you top play on your phone, your tablet, your computer and with the MicroConsole — on your HDTV.

Here is a demo of the Onlive Mobile gaming service from Onlive:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Gbt799xIRJk

The app and the online service are free to sign up for, and most games come with a free demo that lasts at least half an hour, so if you are dubious, you can check out the service.

For the time being, not every game is available on the Onlive iPad app, but with more than 200 games available, we are off to a good start.

If you are playing a game on your computer, you don’t have to start over on your iPad. The game saves travel with you as well.

Performance

We’ll be testing out the app as soon as possible, but in the past as long as you have a solid connection, you could play games very easily.

I have always played games at home, with a decent Time Warner connection, but the app is set up to work over 4G LTE. Onlive mentions the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the Xoom as good mobile gaming tablets, but you could probably also use the service with an iPad connected to a 4G LTE hotspot or a 4G LTE phone as a hotspot. This means you can forget about that PSP Vita and Nintendo 3DS.

Stay tuned for a closer look at this new mobile gaming service.