I received my OnLive MicroConsole yesterday and thought I would document the set up / usage of their product and system. We have a whopper of a flat screen and I have been wanting to set up some kind of IPTV/HTPC configuration for testing with Phantom Lapboard. We use Verizon as our ISP & Cable service and also have a very cool stereo/digital receiver which has be vastly underused…plus my kids keep asking what do those funny looking keyboards we have everywhere really do.
So I unboxed the OnLive MicroConsole and was pleasantly surprised how small and basic the components were. When I walked into Best Buy to look at the GTV Revue I was a little worried about the setting up of a second Set-Top Box for a average consumer. We now have all invested in large flat screen that may not have the easy access to the HDMI inputs and worse now have the long HDMI cables running thru the walls back to the Cable Box. For us techies or even enthusiasts we will figure out a way to hook up the new technology however the average (80%) consumer will not adopt this new IPTV service if they can’t set it up easily. The point I am making; the OnLive MicroConsole is VERY easy to set up and the instructions are printed on a double sided flash card which is a diagram NOT 30 pages of text.
If your house is not rigged with a built in LAN as most of us have our wireless routed you will definitely need to run a wire from the router or have the ISP do it for you at a cost. Using a Wireless Bridge would work for just fine for browsing but add Gaming / Movies might stress a standard wireless router during the evening internet rush hours. I follow with what I set up; our receiver has 3 HMDI Inputs so I have Cable, OnLive & a computer linked with the single Outgoing HDMI headed to the flat screen which is already running thru the walls.
The Phantom Lapboard synced immediately as did the Onlive Gaming Controller. Now as I have been saying for years, the consumer needs a fully functional KBM combo on the couch for IPTV. Many of the Games (PC Games) on the OnLive system need a keyboard & mouse and using the coffee table just aint gonna cut it. I was able to use the Phantom Lapboard in any position especially putting my feet up & sitting back. Now, OnLive will evolve to an IPTV connector too which makes the Phantom Lapboard even more appealing.
My kids sat eagerly waiting for the Games to begin, once we had everything set up they were off and running; a nice feature was the Free Trial period on each game. So far I am truly enjoying the OnLive MicroConsole and super happy to finally get my flat screen to function as an IPTV with the Lapboard.