OnLive Offering Free Microconsole With Homefront Pre-Order

Streaming games service OnLive announced today a limited time promotion giving away a free OnLive Microconsole to those that pre-order a copy of Kaos Studios' and THQ's upcoming first-person shooter Homefront. The Microconsole -- which plays games run on remote OnLive servers -- is usually sold for $99. But a "limited number" of players that pre-order Homefront on or before March 14 will receive the system for free, excepting shipping & handling and tax charges. The pre-order will also come with a free PlayPass allowing immediate access to THQ's Metro2033 through OnLive. “This is a watershed event: It’s the first time a game system has ever been given away with the purchase of a game,” said OnLive chief executive Steve Perlman. The OnLive Microconsole does very little processing work itself, instead sending controller input to a remote OnLive server over the internet. That server then sends back the game's streaming video and audio output to be displayed on an HDTV or monitor. The Microconsole was first made available last December after the OnLive service was launched on PCs last June. The service is also built into some internet-enabled Vizio TVs and Blu-Ray players. OnLive's library of just over 40 games can be demoed for free, rented for three or five day periods, or purchased directly for unlimited access. Users can also sign up for a Netflix-style subscription that offers unlimited access to most titles for $9.99 a month, with the first month free.