OnLive adds beta Wi-Fi support

Addressing one of the many criticisms leveled at its cloud-gaming service, OnLive today announced beta support for using to its service over a wireless network connection.

According to the OnLive Wi-Fi FAQ, you simply need to get your system online via your wireless connection, log in to OnLive, and then select the Wi-Fi Beta option. I can't try this myself at the moment, unfortunately, as the various wireless networks in the CNET New York office aren't fast enough. OnLive recommends a sustained 3Mbps wireless connection; the best I can get here is just under 1.5Mbps. Hopefully I'll have better luck at home and can report back on the experience later this weekend.

OnLive also states in its FAQ that you'll need to disable your bridged wireless connection if you've been using that as an unofficial workaround to connect to the previously wired-only service. The FAQ also provides a few useful tips for troubleshooting your connection.

Dan Ackerman and I both professed our early appreciation for OnLive when it launched at the end of June, but the service is not without its issues. Even Wi-Fi support won't assuage those who want to play games at resolutions higher than 720p, or those who prefer owning physical game media. And though public and commercial wireless networks with many concurrent users won't likely be fast enough to support ubiquitous OnLive gaming, untethering the service for those with adequate Wi-Fi connections will only help OnLive win over more customers.