I got to try out OnLive for about 15 minutes at E3 last week, and I have to say it didn’t suck.  The video resolution was a bit low but I was completely surprised when I switched from playing Batman: Arkham Asylum to Unreal Tournament 3 in about two seconds flat.  I was looking forward to getting some more hands-on time with the program from home, but those plans have been completely spoiled.  OnLive currently does not allow you to connect to the service if you are using a WiFi connection.  This seriously blew my mind.

OnLive explains why wireless isn’t allowed in the FAQs on their website; here is what they have to say:

OnLive technology does indeed work well with good quality Wi-Fi connections, and in the future OnLive will support wireless. But OnLive is a very new technology that uses the Internet in ways it has never been used before. During initial stages of the rollout of the OnLive service, we need to be able to understand and address Internet connection issues as they arise. Since wireless connections are subject to interference and drop-outs, when users are connected to OnLive through wireless, it adds another layer of network issues that are hard for us to separate out from Internet issues. Once OnLive is better established, we will be able to allow wireless connections. Bear in mind that at such time as wireless is supported, OnLive will require a good quality Wi-Fi connection to provide a steady gaming experience.

I get that wireless CAN be unreliable, but what about all the people that have a good wireless router like I do?  I honestly haven’t had my PC or laptop plugged into a router in over 2 years, except on very rare occasions.  We have a total of three PCs, a few laptops, two Xbox 360s, one PS3 and other various devices in our household.  With the exception of one of the Xbox 360s, everything is running on wireless.

I really think that OnLive is shooting themselves straight in the foot and then in the testicles with this decision.  The entire reason for people to use OnLive is because they don’t have a computer that can run games like Assassin’s Creed II, Left 4 Dead, and Crysis.  Most people that might be interested in the service will probably be using netbooks, laptops, or run-of-the-mill PCs.  If they are using a PC they’ll probably have it plugged in, but if they are using a netbook or laptop I can only imagine that a vast majority of them will be using wireless.  By not allowing WiFi, OnLive is seriously limiting their already small potential audience.

I really don’t want to, but I am going to have to dig through my closet to find a 25-50′ CAT5 cable so I can give OnLive a test run.