By now, the OnLive service has launched and is already streaming a selection of top-notch launch titles to subscribers including Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, Assassin’s Creed II and Batman: Arkham Asylum. You may even be one of the service’s first year subscribers.

I’ll admit I was really skeptical of OnLive when it was first announced and could you really blame me? In the last few years, we’ve seen a number of console and game service announcements. As far as I was concerned, OnLive was another promising concept that would likely go the way of the Phantom or Zodiac. As evident by last week’s launch, I was wrong.

For anyone out of the loop, OnLive is a new videogame service promising the ability to play games from virtually anywhere, regardless of platform. Unlike other services, like Steam, OnLive utilizes cloud-based servers to stream high-definition games through your Internet connection. There’s no need for high-end hardware or long installs.

The actual process behind OnLive is really cool. You begin by creating an OnLive account at the service’s website. The service runs at $5 a month, though early adopters can enjoy their first year of service for free. The monthly charge gives you access to the game servers, as well as a user profile and other social features similar to Xbox Live.

Once you have an account, you can purchase games from the service for a fee set by publishers. Several major publishers have already signed on with service, including a number of indie developers. Most games will include 30-minute demos, and several are available for 3 – 5 day rentals for anywhere from $5 – 10 dollars. If you decide to purchase a game, it is yours until the game is pulled from the servers. Games are guaranteed to be on servers for at least 3 years after release, and popular games will receive continued support as long as people are still playing.

One issue surrounding OnLive is the possibility of lag. Based on the show floor demo, it didn’t seem to be that big of a concern. According to reps, most home broadband connections should be enough to run the service.

Currently, OnLive is available for both PC and Mac. Playing on either system requires an account and a small software download to gain access to the “cloud.” A set-top box will be available in the near future, though no price has been announced. OnLive reps hinted other platforms might be available in the future.

For the curious, now is the best time to give OnLive a try. Head on over to OnLive's website and sign up.