GamersInfo.net

GameTap’s $9.95 subscription fee buys you access to tons of great games and video. After downloading the free client, you have access to the entire GameTap library. The interface is intuitive, letting you scroll through the available games as well as providing some editor’s picks in case you can’t decide. When you launch a game, the game is downloaded to your computer so that you can play locally. If you play a game frequently enough, it stays in your cache, but anytime you want to play something new you just have to download it and it’s ready to go. Most games play within the same system requirements as the client itself, but there are a few that have higher requirements. You get a warning when attempting to play these games, so you can decide if your computer will be able to handle it before downloading. The client recognizes over 20 different USB controllers, including the Xbox 360 controller, so you aren’t stuck playing arcade games with your keyboard and mouse.

Most of the video content is 3 to 5 minutes in length. In addition to the game promos that are produced in-house, GameTap also features animated shorts from publishers and will soon be featuring some original animated content. You can also watch rock, hip hop, and country music videos. They are currently streaming live E3 coverage to their subscribers, in case you want to see what’s going on at the big show.

Periodically, GameTap will highlight certain games and video content, perhaps to coincide with a launch of a new title by one of their publishers. A current feature is Street Fighter 2, and there is also some Capcom video content to go with it.

GameTap is not positioned to feature the newest games and are specifically not competing with current console offerings. Instead, they provide a post-retail revenue stream for publishers who aren’t marketing older games, while making those games available for their subscriber base. Having just reached the 500 mark in the number of available games, there is something for everyone. There are a number of recent titles as well – Tropico 2 sticks in my mind for some reason, but there are others like Splinter Cell and a number of recent tycoon-style games.

GameTap’s future direction includes getting even more content, some from publishers and some original. The recently announced Sam & Max, produced with TellTale Games, is an original game that they are very excited about. They will coordinate with publishers to release new content in conjunction with a major new game launch.

While they won’t reveal how many subscribers they have, GameTap did tell me that they have been seeing a 70% conversion rate from their free trial. That is, 70% of people who sign up for the free trial end up becoming paying customers. In a time when everyone from MMORPGs to game rental services want a monthly fee, they must be doing something right to keep so many customers. It isn’t just the nostalgia factor of playing those old Atari and Commodore 64 games that keeps people hooked – it’s the variety and sheer amount of content.