Video games online streaming service OnLive, which is expected to pose a significant threat to traditional games retailing, has revealed it will launch in the US on June 17.

OnLive allows players to stream high quality on-demand games to the PC, Mac or TV. Games do not have to be downloaded and no specific console hardware is needed.

OnLive has been conducting beta trials of the digital streaming service since last year, but it was unclear until now exactly when it would launch fully to the public in the US.

When the beta trials were revealed last year, KBC Peel Hunt analyst John Stevenson said OnLive represents a “material threat” to traditional games retailers such as Game and HMV.

OnLive chief operating officer Mike McGarvey said: “We want to take your dollars from hardware and let you spend it on software. We are a new platform and we’re building a network and infrastructure to last for the next 30 years of gaming, not the next five years.”

The service is available for a monthly rental fee of $14.95 (£9.99) for subscribers to then buy or rent games over the internet.

OnLive did not reveal when the service would be launched in the UK.