At the 2012 CES, Onlive introduced the Onlive Desktop. Onlive is a service that allows anyone to play Windows Games on any device by using cloud gaming technology. Users are able to buy games and then play it anywhere, anytime, and on any device by using the Onlive service. This works because the games are stored in the cloud, and the games are streamed, like video, on the device the user is playing on. This allows users to play games on devices it wasn’t meant to be compatible on, like the iPad, android, TV, and unsupported PC OS. Another advantage of Onlive is that because games run in the cloud, the PC’s specs do not need to match the game’s minimum requirements for the game to run. With a fast internet connection, one is good to go!

Onlive is now beginning to extend its service beyond games. At CES, Onlive announced the Onlive Desktop, an app that allows users to run a Windows 7 desktop and Microsoft Office on the iPad. This service will be free and will be available in the Apple App Store soon. With this app, as long as you are connected to the internet, you can use Windows 7 and Office 2010 for free on your iPad.

Onlive plans to extend the service by providing this app on PCs, Macs, Android tablets, and smartphones. You can sign up now by going here: desktop.onlive.com. It will be interesting to see how this plays out!