Gaming hardware has always been a major obstacle for many players to fully immerse themselves in the experience, especially if they are eager to try the latest titles, with all the possible features and the best FPS available. It requires constant investments and gamers are always on the lookout for the most advanced possible gear they can use to amplify their performance and to make sure there’s nothing preventing them from growing their skills.
Let’s not forget that in addition to causal players, you’ll find a growing number of competitive as well as professional gamers in the industry, rising to popularity precisely because they have all the necessary gear to bring all of their talent to light. Naturally, technology is rapidly evolving, bringing new solutions to the table, one of which is the cloud. This tech has completely revolutionized how people work in every single industry out there, so the gaming industry is keeping up with the trend.
Talk about game-changing tech! Cloud infrastructures for developers paired with a vast selection of globally positioned servers, as well as the perk of game streaming are quickly turning the tables in favor of the cloud as opposed to hardware-based games. Here’s how this tech is changing the course of gaming for good.
No more hardware-related setbacks
A major roadblock for entry into the world of gaming has finally met its end – with cloud tech available, gamers no longer have to spend hundreds, even thousands of dollars to purchase and upgrade their gaming rigs. The cloud helps eliminate this obstacle as it doesn’t require you to download anything, so you don’t need a powerful PC to make sure you’ll be able to play.
This instantly makes many top-tier, expensive games more available to consumers. Without having to buy cutting-edge hardware, they can easily invest in the game itself, which makes games far more profitable, and the experience superior in every way.
The latency issue and slow connectivity
Cloud gaming is not all rainbows and unicorns, there are still all kinds of performance issues that need to be resolved. For example, latency is one of the most typical cloud gaming challenges that can affect the experience as well as the value of the game – but developers have already found ways to eliminate or reduce these issues. One such solution created by none other than Google Stadia is dubbed “Negative Latency”, but it’s still a work in progress, and developers are continuously looking for creative ways to overcome the setbacks.
If the user is playing with a shabby internet connection or the game’s infrastructure is not in perfect condition to begin with, there’s always a risk of delay in performance, which can impede the players from working to the best of their ability.
Cross-device compatibility
Can you imagine playing the same game, at its absolute best, using your smartphone, not just your PC or laptop? Currently, most avid gamers, professional or not, have to invest in better, more advanced equipment to load and smoothly play the games of their choosing. With the cloud available, and switching to the streaming model, players will be able to play many games, including the ones that they couldn’t run on their PCs back in the day.
Switching from phones to PCs will be as smooth as ever, and it will simplify customer acquisition for developers from the start. The sheer availability of cloud gaming will push the entry point forward, helping more people enjoy this process, at a much more acceptable price, and without limitations as to the device they’ll use.
Reducing the problem of piracy
Even without CDs still in circulation for so many contemporary games, every single game thus far that depends on your hardware is susceptible to piracy. With so many popular pirate sites illegally sharing what developers have spent years working on, it’s no wonder that they, too, need a way to protect their intellectual property while at the same time boosting the entire gaming experience.
Cloud computing eliminates the need for the end-user to download the game, or any of its parts for it to work smoothly on any device. That alone means that pirates have nothing to pirate to begin with. With the gaming environment stored safely on remote servers that are under continuous protection and supervision, developers can finally have the peace of mind they need after working so hard to produce top-tier games.
Data security and game-saving simplified
Cybersecurity issues remain a hot topic for every single digital business, gaming included. However, with game developers working on the cloud and producing games designed specifically for this scalable, agile environment constantly work on the upkeep of their servers, their security included. The immediate support they provide for players is another perk that ensures elevated security, but gaming as a whole is a much safer endeavor with the cloud in the mix.
Existing online platforms are a kind of transition between hardware-based games dependent on CDs and full-scale game platforms, but they don’t offer the same levels of security that cloud computing will in the future. Real-time backend support from developers paired with ongoing maintenance will elevate security to a whole new level for cloud gamers and their data. Ultimately, cloud-based games will prevent lost games in case your computer or smartphone crashes – the automation within the cloud environment is there to allow for seamless saving options, too.
Of course, we have other innovations competing for attention in the gaming industry, so the revolution is far from linear. Developers are constantly looking for ways to learn about preferred playing methods and emerging trends in the industry to provide the finest possible experience. They, too, benefit from introducing the cloud into the mix, since it clearly helps diversify their offer and reduces the cost of running and developing games for the long haul. We’ll see what happens in the months to come, but we can expect more gamers and developers to jump on this particular bandwagon in the future.
