“Cloud gaming, like 5G, promises a democratization of access to first-rate technologies,”
The above words were mentioned in an article looking at 5G roll-out in Chile. Unless, of course, you live in the South American country, you’ll probably not be too interested in its telecommunications sector. But the discussion over 5G and cloud gaming in Chile is worth studying, even if you don’t live there. The key phrase is “democratization”, as there is a belief that those two factors can open up the gaming world to everyone.
A case in point is the launch of the PlayStation 5 last year. You have probably been aware that global supply chains and other factors have led to a shortage of the PS5, and the new Xbox Series X. But in South America, and in countries like India, that problem is exacerbated by the fact these 9th-generation consoles are more expensive than elsewhere. So, you have this double barrier, where PlayStations are cheaper and more readily available in Japan and North America, and less readily available and more expensive in countries like India and regions like South America.
Online casino model should be followed
Enter 5G and cloud gaming. The idea is that there will soon be a lessening in the importance of the hardware, and more of an emphasis on connection. It’s not a difficult concept to understand, and it has been used in other sectors for a while now. Online casinos, for example, deliver the same games whether you are using an older smartphone or a high-end gaming laptop. The experience might be enhanced by the latter, but the fundamentals remain the same. That’s not yet the case for the broader gaming industry, but it soon will be.
We say that “it soon will be” with some confidence, as gaming industry leaders have said as such., The head of Xbox said that the company’s goal was to “make gaming available to all players around the world, wherever you are, on the devices you want.”. The words “on the devices you want” are hugely important, not least because they came from the producers of one of the world’s most popular gaming consoles.
Xbox has promised to open premium gaming to all
But Xbox has followed through on those words. The release of Xbox Cloud Gaming has lessened the need to pay out for a physical Xbox, although many still will. But even if the impending death of the console has probably been exaggerated, the theory is sound: The games are in the cloud, and a 5G connection means you can play them anywhere, so what is the role of the console? Yes, we do accept the argument that the console can enhance the experience, but the amount by which it does that will diminish over time.
As the 5G roll-out continues – 6G will probably land by 2030 if you were wondering – and cloud gaming develops, then we expect to see a greater emphasis on the connection rather than hardware. As mentioned, it democratizes the gaming world. As was said in that conference in Chile, democratization will occur “because it will allow users to achieve a gaming experience without great hardware investments. The cloud and high-speed internet connection will remove an access barrier.”.
