E3 2011: OnLive coming to iPad, Android tablets this fall

LOS ANGELES--OnLive has been steadily marching its on-demand game-streaming service to new platforms since it first launched in 2010. Last week, that effort resulted in the release of an OnLive application for Facebook, whereby gamers can launch games directly from the ubiquitous social-networking site. Soon, OnLive will also be bringing its service to a variety of portable devices.

Today, OnLive said that it would be integrating iPad and Android tablet operability into its game-streaming service beginning this fall in the US and Europe. The OnLive Player App will let on-the-go gamers access "virtually all" of OnLive's more than 100 games on the tablet devices through either touch controls or its new Universal Wireless controller. The App will also be compatible with iPhones and Android-enabled smartphones.

With the App, gamers will also be able to engage in chat-enabled local or wireless multiplayer. Other features include spectating of live gameplay and Facebook integration for sharing video clips. The App also turns the tablets into a second controller a la Nintendo's just-announced Wii U gamepad, integrating with HDTVs, PCs, or Macs.

OnLive gives gamers access to its library of games--including Homefront, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, and Borderlands--in a variety of ways. Customers can purchase the games outright, rent them for up to five days, or get unlimited access to about half the service's catalog for a $10 monthly subscription fee.