As always, there is a buzz in the tech world about an innovation that will forever change the world as we know it. For some, it is AI. For others, it is cryptocurrency, and for some, it is 5G. While not as revolutionary as the other two, going one step forward in our Internet speed could truly remake our modern society. The same as faster Internet speeds (and increased mobile phone capabilities) in the late 2000s made our lives without phones and online social networks unimaginable.
To simply put it – 5G networks would be much faster than those of today. We are talking about Gigabytes per second when performing at top speed. So the question we ask in this article is how will improved reliability, low latency, and massive network capacity, all products of 5G networks, change the gaming industry?
When talking about 5G and the gaming industry, the first thing to point out is the massive transformation expected in online games. 5G is going to change the online gaming experience and make non-online gaming even more obsolete. For example, many web browser games depend on good connection and low latency, especially live ones that rely on your instant input, like in the iGaming industry. One of the countries which recognised the importance of these upgrades is Canada, which is why they have a progressive strategy for investments into the 5G network. In the same way, as Canadian online slot machines made land casinos less-visited (with online betting and gambling just one of 5G’s many beneficiaries), they expect online 5G games to induce another industrial revolution in this field.
Gaming in the Clouds
You know the drill. You buy a game and download it. Or install it via CD. But either way, you have the game installed on your computer. But with cloud gaming, the game is not stored on your computer but servers separate from your device. Of course, this can include all kinds of devices, from PCs and laptops to PS and Nintendo. Obviously, for the games to run smoothly on those servers, you need high speed cause otherwise, the fun will lag. And 5G solves that problem.
It’s the Mobile, Stupid
Without a doubt, investments in the 5G infrastructure will make us even more glued to our mobile devices because it will allow for games of superb quality to be played just as quickly on a mobile phone as a computer. Think about it. If memory is not an issue (because games are on cloud servers, not on the hones anyway), you can take a phone out of your pocket and start gaming instantly. No time gets lost on booting up the system, and it is much smaller and convenient. Not to mention mobile devices are still cheaper than PC or laptops.
Although we said earlier that 5G would also make consoles better, they might make them obsolete. Mobile devices will become the primary vehicle for gaming (again primarily thanks to 5G and cloud computing). PCs and laptops will get used more for work and competitive gaming (think LoL, Dota 2, and things like that). The advantages in practicality that mobile devices offer compared to consoles can not get denied. It is just a matter of time, and it does seem to be an industry consensus that 5G will change the face of the gaming industry and change what devices we associate with fun gaming.
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