OnLive launches Thursday

Game streaming service OnLive finally comes to market this Thursday. In just two days' time, the much anticipated cloud gaming system will roll out to its first American customers.

Sign-ups will be reopened later today, and will grant initial takers a free year of subscription, extending an offer previously only available to pre-order customers.

Games much be purchased or rented separately, and the second year of subscription will cost $4.95 per month, down from the original estimate of $14.95.

"This launch is just the beginning for the OnLive platform," said CEO Steve Perlman. "We'll be rolling out new features, capabilities and performance improvements, continually adding new content along with the latest releases, and extending the service to more people."

OnLive's ambitious promise is that gamers with low-spec PCs and Macs will be able to play high-end titles running remotely on powerful servers, streamed to the client via high-speed internet connections. While few have seen it in action, the launch line-up at least seems to bear out its claims:

• Assassin's Creed II (Ubisoft)
• Batman: Arkham Asylum (Square Enix / Warner Bros)
• Borderlands (2K)
• Dragon Age: Origins (Electronic Arts)
• Just Cause 2 (Square Enix)
• Mass Effect 2 (Electronic Arts)
• NBA 2K10 (2K)
• Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (Ubisoft)
• Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Conviction (Ubisoft)

OnLive is also promising further triple-A recent and forthcoming titles for the service later in the year. It will confirm these as they approach release, but so far the roster constitutes:

• Alpha Protocol (SEGA)
• Assassin's Creed Brotherhood (Ubisoft)
• Darksiders (THQ)
• Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Square Enix)
• DRIVER San Francisco (Ubisoft)
• F.E.A.R.3 (Warner Bros)
• Homefront (THQ)
• Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days (Square Enix)
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 (Warner Bros)
• MLB 2K10 (2K)
• Red Faction: Armageddon (THQ)
• Shaun White Skateboarding (Ubisoft)

The launch will open to US customers only. A UK release date has yet to be revealed, but will be at least partially in partnership with BT.