OnLive, the pioneer of on-demand cloud gaming, is creating a huge buzz at E3 as they released major updates, showcased new games, new features, and their effort to dominate SmartTVs.

Instant Play

OnLive release a major update to their In-Browser Gaming capabilities which enables publishers/retailers to offer one-click, instant play of hundreds of games from their top-tier library or any partner-provided game, in nearly any PC or Mac® browser, and soon, from browsers of OnLive-enabled TVs, tablets and phones.

This doesn’t require signup or login – just one click and gamers jump into a white-label gaming experience completely defined by the retailer or publisher’s website, from startup to return dialogs to window skinning, utilizing any OnLive features, including OnLive MultiView in-game live spectating, multiplayer, voice chat, touch support and secure transaction interfaces.

“One-click OnLive In-Browser Cloud Gaming finally gives publishers and retailers a full-featured gaming and transaction solution, together with complete control of the user experience,” said Steve Perlman, OnLive Founder and CEO. “A single click instantly launches a user through a partner-defined interface into any of the hundreds of games in OnLive’s top-tier library or into any partner-provided game via almost any PC or Mac browser, and soon via OnLive-enabled TVs, tablets and phones. Gamers enjoy a full gameplay experience with multiplayer, voice chat and even OnLive-exclusive features such as MultiView in-game live spectating, with seamless instant-purchase opportunities.”

OnLive In-Browser Gaming is live today in North America, Europe and soon worldwide.

New games

The cloud gaming platform will be adding a slew of new video games this year such as the SEGA® Official Video Game of the Olympic Games London 2012, which allows gamers to create their own moments of sporting history while competing in more than 30 Olympic events.  They’re also showcasing 2 Dawn Games’ online multiplayer shooter, Ravaged, which features the new OnLive MultiView which I’ll go into detail in a bit.  Aside from the the aforementioned games, their E3 booth (#535) at the South Hall will also showcase THQ’s eagerly awaited Darksiders® II and 2K Games’ highly anticipated Sid Meier’s Civilization® V: Gods and Kings.  All the games will be playable on demand on PCs, Macs®, tablets, smartphones and TVs enabled with the OnLive Game System.

OnLive MultiView

As mentioned earlier, OnLive is intorducing a new feature called MultiView which revolutionizes social gameplay as it empowers players, for the first time ever, to both spectate and voice chat with other gamers while playing their own game.  Gamers can now pursue their own game while at the same time having a 3-window “picture-in-picture” experience spectating other OnLive games in play with voice and text chat.  Co-op or multiplayer games take on an entirely new dimension as players can virtually look over teammates’ shoulders to witness the exact same visual experience, no longer limited to describing scenes through chat. Teammates automatically appear as soon as OnLive MultiView is activated, updating as players come and go, taking cooperative tactics to completely new levels.

“Gaming is increasingly social, and OnLive MultiView builds upon OnLive’s exclusive massive spectating Arena to bring spectating right into your own gameplay, whether multiplayer or single player, with teammates or friends,” said Perlman. “What’s more, because of the power of the OnLive Game Service platform, game developers have no additional work to enable their games for this unique and exciting capability.”

OnLive MultiView is available with OnLive’s One-Click In-Browser Cloud Gaming, enabling retailers and publishers to showcase live gameplay of advanced levels and to provide context to multiplayer demos through voice chat.

OnLive gaming for SmartTVs

Since OnLive wants you to play when you want it, wherever you want to, they’re expanding their reach via SmartTVs.  They’re demonstrating the OnLive® Game Service on the next-generation LG Smart TV with Google TV (G2 Series) from LG Electronics.

Gamers will no longer need a console or a PC to enjoy playing online when the service becomes available.  Also,  LG G2 TV owners will also enjoy free instant access to exclusive OnLive social features such as worldwide massive spectating, the brand-new OnLive MultiView spectating capability, Brag Clip™ video recording and Facebook sharing.
Gamers will only need the Universal OnLive Wireless Controller or any compatible game controller to turn their LG G2 TV into the ultimate gaming platform.

“It’s always been our mission to make top-quality gaming accessible to everyone, everywhere,” said Perlman. “OnLive adds no cost to LG Smart TVs, but delivers a full console-class experience. We’re excited to make on-demand top-tier gaming an integral part of the living room entertainment system on LG’s state-of-the-art TVs.”

The LG G2 Series combines the power of the Google TV platform with the speed of LG’s new L9 dual-core chipset and a user-friendly interface snd is expected to be the first SmartTV powered by GoogleTV to make OnLive on-demand gameplay an integral part of the consumer experience.

OnLive’s plan to dominate the living room was announced back in January when they announced the partnership with Google to make OnLive a part of GoogleTV