Welcome to the third age of video games: cloud gaming, the new emperor of the video game industry
Cloud gaming is a challenging topic in video game communities. Some like quick access to the best titles and the ability to play from anywhere. Some complain that cloud gaming performance could be better than consoles or PC video games. But even critics of this technology say that cloud gaming will be the main channel of the gaming industry in the coming years.
Although the path of cloud gaming has been full of ups and downs, Google shut down Stadia last year and ultimately finished its services in January 2023. In this unprecedented action, Google returned the cost of purchasing hardware and Stadia games to subscribers. Let’s find out more in RivalArium.
The third era of the gaming industry
Let’s consider the release of new video games by companies like GameStop as the first era and the start of downloading the games as the second. Cloud gaming is undoubtedly the third era of gaming. We can trace it back to other entertainment media, such as music and movies, which have wildly succeeded in streaming. Console and video game makers also looked for a way to provide a set of game titles to players immediately and upon demand.
The concept is straightforward! The games are located on cloud servers; players can access them with any screen device (such as a smartphone, computer, etc.). Players can choose a title and enter the game within seconds. They can pause their game on that device and resume later on another device. These cloud gaming services work over the Internet at 10 megabytes per second (Mbps) or more. Of course, the preference is for high-speed Internet.
Because of such cloud gaming consoles, Epic Games was able to bring Fortnite to iPhone and Android phones. Despite the strained relationship between Epic and Apple (and Google), Epic Games made the game available to mobile users by placing it on the Xbox Store without searching through the App Store.
What will be the future of cloud gaming?
Microsoft will lean on its shared cloud gaming model. Microsoft’s Game Pass subscription service offers players a cloud library of hundreds of titles, many of which are available through the xCloud cloud gaming service.
It is expected that by offering a stream of new and popular Xbox titles without purchasing a $500 console, Microsoft will be able to attract new audiences — those who were not into the game before or had given up because of the price increase. In the age of video game streaming, paying $15 a month for hundreds of titles is a lot better than paying $70 for just one game. What do you think?
🔻Please visit us on Medium, YouTube, and https://arium.gg
From: Fortune
