OnLive goes live for PC June 17, free membership offered

It's been a long time coming but it's finally ready to go public: OnLive makes its PC and Mac debut tomorrow and it's set to serve high-end game titles with just a high-speed connection.

OnLive is a "games on demand" platform where games are streamed over the internet so even low-end PC users can enjoy the latest releases.  How it works is that OnLive hosts the game at its servers and streams a video feed of gameplay while players need to only worry about controller input and having a connection to receive the feed at a decent rate (1.5Mbps for standard visuals, 4-5Mbps for HD video).  Ambitious as it may be, the service has had its own share of skepticism but OnLive has done real-world tests where performance was reported to be pretty good.

Those who are interested in a free one-year OnLive membership must hit up the source link between now and July 15 as availability is being offered on a first-come, first-serve basis.  You'll get access to demos and community features but still need to pay for purchased content; however, those who do sign up can nab a free game so see what's available and make the plunge.