The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and great examples of top notch home video gamer consoles but past that they are so much more. Not only do they allow you to play your favorite video games but thanks to various movie streaming services like Netflix they also allow consumers to watch a whole slew of different content. But, Netflix isn’t the only service that will be making a mark on the Xbox 360 in particular as it’s long been known that Hulu would be bringing their Hulu Plus service to the console but when exactly we haven’t been sure.

Luckily, rumors have just surfaced today that say Hulu Plus may be coming to the Xbox 360 within the next couple of days. Unfortunately we don’t have any official confirmation to support or deny this rumor so we’ll just have to sit tight until more information is made known.

If you’ve been paying attention to pretty much any video game related publication you’ve probably already heard of OnLive. This service allows consumers to literally stream video games straight from the cloud to their PC or to their television utilizing the MicroConsole. This means that the instant you want to play a game, you’re playing it – no wait times, no downloads, no nothing just pure unadulterated gaming.

Another service has been in the works for quite some time that is looking to compete with OnLive known as Gaikai. This service takes the same general concept of OnLive (streaming games from the cloud to the consumer) and puts it all in a web browser. This means that instead of having to download a dedicated client as you do with OnLive, all you need is a compatible game browser and a fast Internet connection and you’re ready to go.

While the final product isn’t out just yet, Gaikai has just launched their beta for all to sign up. However, during the sign up process the company announces that they are “restricting game demos to a subset of users with the very best network connections”. In other words, if your broadband has been slackin’ as of late you may not make the cut.

In terms of content, Gaikai doesn’t currently offer much instead just a few game demos from EA incluing Mass Effect 2, Dead Space 2, The Sims 3 and for good measure, they also decided to throw Second life in there.

Unfortunately we haven’t gotten a chance to try out the game service but if you get a chance to do so please do share with us your experience.

OnLive is an interesting service because instead of featuring a video game console that actually requires physical media (or even locally stored media) it does away with that and streams everything from remote locations. This means if your Internet connection is strong enough you will be able to play a whole slew of different titles in all of their high definition glory instantly with no downloading or heading to your local GameStop.

However, in order to actually play the games you have to buy them either for the life of the service or with a monthly surcharge. Luckily, the company has just outed a new plan dubbed the PlayPack that will run you $9.99 per month. This plan will give you unlimited access to a catalog of 38 different itles including BioShock, NBA2K10, Prince of Persia and much more.

I’ve yet to try the PlayPack plan but I’ve tried OnLive and can definitely vouch for it. Hell, you can ever plug your wired Xbox 360 controller into a spare USB port and you essentially have an Xbox 360. Not to mention the fact that this new PlayPack plan may give mail-order video game rental services like GameFly a run for their money.

Check out the official press release after the break.

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It’s no secret Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo are the three big video game console manufacturers with the Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii, respectively, but one company is looking to give the three a run for their money. This company is none other than OnLive which is working to give consumers the ability to stream games over a high speed broadband connection for a cheap price.

However, in order to actually get the streaming games off your computer and onto your big screen youo’re going to need to pick up the OnLive game console pictured above. Complete with a built-in HDMI port, the OnLive game console is compatbile not only with the standard OnLive controller but any other controller that works through USB including the official Xbox 360 controller.

Normally this device sells for $99 but in lieu of CES 2011, OnLive will be dropping the price of the game console $33 down to just $66. If you’re looking to get down on this deal you better do so fast as it only runs through January 9th.

via joystiq

While the Xbox 360, Wii and Playstation 3 are currently the most talked about home video game consoles, another is coming that is sure to stir things up a bit. OnLive is a home console that does things less traditionally than other game consoles in the sense that no physical media is used. Instead, you hook the MicroConsole up to an ethernet port and are then given the option to stream a whole slew of games.

However, while you’re currently forced to pay for each game you stream, a new option has come from OnLive in the form of an all-you-can-eat $9.99 monthly subscription. Unfortunately, this isn’t going to give you access to the entire line up of OnLive games but instead a pre picked “PlayPack”.

To make things even better, if you’ve already got an OnLive MicroConsole, the service is completely free until it officially launches on January 23rd.

Will services like this prove a threat to the Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii? Let’s wait and see.

Press release after the break.

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Sony has recently announced that they will begin offering their Vidzone service for the PS3 and PSP in Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

If you don’t know what Vidzone is, it’s a free service that allows users to stream pretty much any music video they want to their PS3 and/or PSP through remote play. At launch the service will have 10,000 music videos with more being added regularly. In addition to watching pretty much any music video you want, you can also create a playlist of music videos.

If you are in one of the locations that I listed above you can head over to the Playstation Store and download Vidzone for free.

Read (Kotaku)

A recent job listing over at Neftlix discovered by Gamaustra details the need for an Engineering Leader for Gaming Platforms. The listing states that all who apply should,  ”expect to help build a small technology team to rapidly prototype and iterate on a variety of platforms.”

A variety of platforms, huh? Well, we saw the expansion of Netflix streaming to the Xbox 360 some time ago so who is to say that the Playstation 3, or even the Wii, couldn’t get the same treatment?

Rumors have been floating around that Netflix would be expanding it’s console streaming service to consoles other than the Xbox 360 for some time now. So, it only makes sense that this job listing would point to those rumors and give them a thumbs up.

But wait, maybe they are looking to take on services like OnLive and stream games right to the consoles? We can dream can’t we?

Read (Gamasutra)