When OnLive announced that they were getting ready for launch, one of the items they mentioned was the MicroConsole: A small box that hooks your TV into the OnLive system. In mid-November, they finally announced that they were going to start shipping units at the beginning of this month (renamed the ‘OnLive Game Console’). Interestingly enough, I had some spare cash, so I (as I had planned to do once they became available) ordered one on Friday. Much to my surprise, a review unit that I had not been expecting arrived on my porch that very same evening. Here are some pictures of the packaging and what comes inside:
I was really impressed with the thought that went into packaging the system. Everything was taken into consideration with the idea of showcasing the console and controller when you open the box. There are two boxes below this panel which are positioned and sized just right to hold up the panel.
I was also quite surprised at how small the console actually is. I knew, by the descriptions and marketing information put out by OnLive that it would be small, but it really is amazing how tiny it is considering what it’s built to do. It’s really not that much bigger than a medium-sized cell phone.
Clockwise, starting from the top left: Instruction card and manual (3 pages), HDMI Cable, Ethernet Cable, Power Adapter, OnLive console, AA Battery holder, AA Batteries, OnLive controller (including rechargeable battery pack, clipped into bottom), USB Controller sync cable.
Everything worked perfectly out of the box. I was able to log in to my OnLive account and start playing almost instantly (the console downloaded and installed an update automatically the first time it started).
I have put in about 5 hours of play time in as of the time of this writing, and the unit is functioning just perfectly. A good amount of heat is generated, but nothing excessive or out of the ordinary for a small device with such high-level functionality.
So far, I’m quite impressed. Even my high expectations and excitement for the whole OnLive system have been met and/or exceeded with this handy little device.
To quote one Ferris Bueller “It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up”. And at $99 (includes a full play pass for one game), the means are pretty modest.
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