OnLive's mobile app brings sophisticated games to smartphones

That's the premise behind OnLive's new smartphone and tablet app. In the past, you could play games only through the company's online game service on computers and big-screen televisions. Now, thanks to the app OnLive released before this month, you can as well play them on Android devices just as Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the Motorola Razr.

There is something undeniably awesome about OnLive's innovation, which gives clients access to many of the latest high-end games without needing an expensive console or gaming PC. During users have to pay to play OnLive's games, they can access its basic service for free, whether on a computer, TV or mobile device.

The games on banks of computers in its data centers

OnLive's service at heart runs the games on banks of computers in its data centers, at the time streams the images to users over the Internet. Because near all of the complex processing and graphics rendering is done by OnLive's computers, consumers can access the service with relatively low-power devices.

OnLive has redesigned its interface so users can interact with it using the touch screens found on most tablets and smartphones. It has as well added touch-screen controls to about 25 of the 200 titles it offers. To play other games on the service on a mobile device, you'll need to buy one of OnLive new $50 wireless game controllers.

The virtual on-screen controls is not as enjoyable

Playing OnLive's games using the virtual on-screen controls is not as enjoyable, nevertheless still fun. The games work much like many of the before available smartphone games. You typically use virtual joysticks to move a character around and virtual buttons to jump or attack.

"Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7," for instance, has seven virtual buttons plus two virtual joy sticks. That's just too much to easily keep track of, even on a big-screen tablet. It's moreover difficult in the cramped confines of a smartphone screen.

Games designed for smartphones and tablets typically allow users to stop them at any point and for all that be able to pick up where they left off. By contrast, console games normally take returning players back to the last save point they passed. It's not unusual for there to be dozens of minutes worth of game play between those save points. During playing "Lego Harry Potter," I found myself frustrated because I wanted to stop playing nevertheless knew I would lose much of my progress and have to replay a portion.

OnLive's mobile app has other shortcomings. Right now, it's only for Android devices. OnLive has versions in the works for Apple's iPad and Amazon's Kindle Fire, nevertheless those haven't been released but.

Also, the service doesn't work if you're not online and doesn't work so then with slow Internet connections, which can cause the service to cut out or to deliver very low-resolution images.