Sony's Google TV Box will Support OnLive

Google TV needs all the help it can get. That's why Sean Hollister was happy to see Sony explicitly mention that the box will support OnLive's streaming game service. Now, though, it appears there's some confusion about whether that's actually true. Sony told VentureBeat that the media player will no longer support the OnLive controller, and seemingly the OnLive service along with it. Logically, that makes a lot of sense, since Sony just bought OnLive rival Gaikai in a $380 million deal, and obviously Sony would prefer not to directly promote a competitor.

OnLive support has nothing to do with Sony, the firm claims, because compatibility with the OnLive controller is baked right into Google TV, and the streaming service will be available as a app that should work on any Google TV regardless of manufacturer. Even so, that app isn't available yet, as OnLive claims it is working with individual partners one by one to build custom versions for the different silicon inside.