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Assassin's Creed, LA Noire and Batman: Arkham City available as OnLive rolls out to iPad and Android tablets

Selected titles optimised for touchscreen controls

Assassin's Creed, LA Noire and Batman: Arkham City available as OnLive rolls out to iPad and Android tablets
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| OnLive news

Branching out beyond its initial 'viewer' app, game streaming service OnLive is currently in the process of rolling out on iPad and high-end Android tablets, allowing players to play some of the biggest titles to hit PC and console on a portable device.

Included from day one are Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed: Revelations, Warner's Batman: Arkham City, and Rockstar's LA Noire, all playable on mobile devices for the first time.

OnLive and kicking

The tech allows players to enjoy the releases with the game processing handled via a server farm.

As such, a video of the action is thus streamed to the device allowing players to enjoy console-quality graphics on their tablets despite the lack of GPU horsepower.

A selection of the launch titles have been optimised for touchscreen play including LA Noire, though the rest require an official Bluetooth OnLive controller, which can be purchased from the service's online store.

In all, 25 "console class" games have been adapted to play on touchscreens at launch, with 250 controller-based titles also on offer.

A changing game

"Tablets and smartphones, the fastest-growing consumer product categories in history, are now capable of running the hottest, highest-end games," said founder and CEO Steve Perlman.

"Gaming and mobile devices will never be the same."

While play will be limited to wi-fi on UK shores, OnLive has revealed it's partnered with both AT&T and Verizon in the US to enable play over both firm's 4G LTE cellular service on the HTC Jetstream, Samsung Galaxy Tab and Motorola Xoom.

The app itself, meanwhile, can be downloaded without charge, but players are limited to a 30 minute free trial before they're then asked to pay, either via a subscription model, or per title.

More details on OnLive's tablet debut can be found on the firm's website.

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Keith Andrew
Keith Andrew
With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font. He's also Pocket Gamer's resident football gaming expert and, thanks to his work on PG.biz, monitors the market share of all mobile OSes on a daily basis.