OnLive's Game-Streaming Service Is Opening New Windows On iPad

As Apple's assault on portable gaming continues, the video game industry's annual E3 convention is becoming more and more of a mobile market show-and-tell.  Case in point, OnLive -- the "console-quality" game-streaming company -- has unveiled an iPad client for its ambitious entertainment service. According to Mac Rumors, who broke the story, OnLive's Player app 

will enable gameplay of virtually all OnLive games on an iPad...with touch or OnLive's new Universal Wireless Controller. ...OnLive has already delivered a viewer app so iPad users can watch live games. Today's announcement, however, extends that to actual gameplay from your iPad. 

Surprisingly, the app is said to work "amazingly well," and users can employ either OnLive's specially-made Bluetooth controller or play directly on their touchscreens via a custom interface. Developers are also being given access to an SDK that allows them to offer native swipe and tap gestures coded within the games themselves. Check out the video below to see what we mean: Everything looks exciting enough, and the potential for OnLive to succeed on iPad is quite high. Still, the service does require a fast internet connection with a fast wireless router and an ISP that's not hell-bent on gouging subscribers' pocketbooks. Pricing for the system is TBA, though we assume it'll be less than the original $99 OnCloud television system.