The technology behind online gaming is forever adapting, evolving and ultimately changing. This new decade promises new and better gaming experiences for avid gamers, with many new technologies enabling their improvement. The way we live our lives, and the way we wish to consume games is different now to how things were even a ten years ago. We want constant access to media and our favourite online games. From multiplayer games, to arcade games, and even to slot sites and strategy games; enthusiasts want to enjoy better quality games, wherever and whenever they happen to find themselves.
The Death of The Console?
At CES 2020, many leading industry figures were suggesting that the old gaming console is on its way out, and that gaming will soon, in the not too distant future, belong to the cloud. However, some of the biggest gaming news from this year’s CES was the unveiling of the new PlayStation 5 logo by Sony, alongside confirmation that the console would ship by the end of 2020.
There has been a great deal of hype from the gaming community around the launch of the PlayStation 5. It promises improved graphics and performance, and unique elements which will make it stand out against PlayStation’s past consoles. And, Sony teases that the PS5 still has big surprises to come as they slowly drip feed fans pieces of exciting information about the launch. It seems for now at least, that the console is safe from total extinction, as many avid gamers continue to support consoles over options for cloud-based gaming.
However, whilst we still seem to love our consoles, cloud-based tech can bring some great benefits to the online gaming world, as it can be operated remotely. This of course makes games far more accessible for gamers as the trends of global travel continue. Cloud-based gaming boasts the benefit of quick and easy access no matter where in world you might be, provided you have internet connection and the right gaming equipment to hand.
As speakers at CES 2020 suggested, it seems that over time there will be a gradual but increasing shift towards cloud-based gaming, as the benefits it offers are obvious. However, it seems for now that the beloved console is safe, and so long as demand for the console remains, so will the console itself.
Virtual and Augmented Reality
Pioneered by Sony, there has been a leap forward for virtual reality (VR) in the online gaming world. Both VR and augmented reality (AR) are transforming the gaming experience and the way we play. In past years, virtual headsets have been fairly pricey, but with the market expanding and competition increasing, they are already starting to become more affordable to the average consumer.
VR and AR of course boast the huge benefit of making the gaming experience more realistic and exciting than just great graphics alone ever could. Sony’s PlayStation has really led the way in past years. The PlayStation VR offers players the ability to explore their virtual surroundings in 360 degrees, whilst the PlayStation 3DRudder has again contributed a further sense of reality to gaming and also a greater level of practicality as players can spin, tilt and apply pressure with their feet in order to work their way around PlayStation VR games.
As time goes on, the benefits of VR and AR to the gaming world will only become more apparent, as developers put them to greater use and consumers are more readily able to afford the relevant equipment.
The Introduction Of 5G
The introduction of 5G will undoubtedly bring some fantastic benefits to the online gaming world, allowing for faster download times and greater on-the-go accessibility.
5G speeds will be around ten times faster than current 4G speeds, and on top of this 5G speeds will even beat most home broadband transfer rates. Not only will this latest technology allow its user much quicker mobile internet, but it will also result in less congested networks on the whole.
As many brilliant online gamers can rapidly eat up 1GB, a lot of online games aren’t currently suitable to be played on the go under 4G plans. However, the introduction of 5G will of course change this. The size of data plans is also set to increase under 5G, with EE offering their customers up to 60GB of data each month on 5G packages as opposed to just up to 50GB per month on 4G packages.
There are a lot of great things in store for gaming in the new decade, and undoubtedly as time goes on, our gaming experiences will only continue to improve. Online gaming has come a very long way since 2010, and it will surely have gone a very long way by 2030.