A game option that is becoming more and more popular, cloud gaming, seems to have no end in sight. The term “playing in the cloud” (literally, “playing in streaming”) refers to an online service that streams video games from remote servers to users’ devices over the Internet, using a different gaming paradigm than what is available on traditional consoles. Despite not being the most popular game mode at the moment, recent partnerships and advancements are undoubtedly a sign of an extraordinary spread in the years to come.
If so, perhaps gaming consoles and personal computers won’t be necessary in the future. Anyone who lacks the funds to purchase pricey consoles or powerful PCs would now have much greater access to the world of gaming.
The cloud gaming server operates video games by streaming gameplay, while all keyboard, mouse, and controller input commands are transferred over the network to the same game server.
The aforementioned remote server will handle all the most demanding tasks, enabling even people without powerful or expensive equipment to play the game. Cloud gaming is a genuine interactive video streaming service, to put it briefly. But is this really where video games are going? Now let’s look at
The benefits of cloud gaming
Cloud gaming is a relatively new game model that has found a strong diffusion in a few years. It is a new mode that can offer a long series of advantages . In fact, playing in the cloud there will be no need to invest in consoles, gaming PCs or updates .
In fact, instead of buying extremely expensive gaming hardware, you can use any device at your disposal , play by purchasing an inexpensive multimedia streaming device or simply by connecting your controllers to the television and WiFi.
All you need is a good internet connection and that’s it. Furthermore, you will finally have the opportunity to play on any operating system : if until recently the purchase of a gaming PC with Windows was absolutely essential to be able to take advantage of most of the titles on the market, with the increasing spread of cloud gaming it will be possible to play regardless of the platform and operating system .
In fact, cloud games are available for PC, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, Chrome Os and much more. In addition, TV manufacturers are likely to decide to integrate streaming game support into smart TVs in the future, making the device powerful and much cheaper than a normal console.
This service is already available on a limited number of smart TV models. Another positive side of this new game model is that of immediate playback : in fact, it will be possible to play without waiting minutes or hours to complete the download of the game. In fact, playing on the server there will be no need to download or install any type of software.
The disadvantages of cloud gaming
Although cloud gaming represents a real innovation for gamers, it cannot be said that it is a system completely devoid of negative aspects . Video compression , for example, could be a problem for lovers of high quality.
Just think of how compressed some Youtube and Netflix videos are: this happens to occupy less bandwidth, giving up the maximum quality available.
In the world of video games this problem would result in less sharp and detailed images than what a latest generation console or a good PC would be able to offer.for gaming. The quality would still be improved by local rendering, which would still offer a lower level of detail.
At the same time, cloud gaming services obviously require more bandwidth . It will therefore be necessary to have a good internet connection without limits.
Latency is another important and perhaps insurmountable obstacle for those who care about the incredible quality offered by the latest generation consoles and the most powerful gaming computers. In fact, cloud gaming will never be able to offer the same kind of response as powerful local hardware.
Cloud gaming today
A recent Xbox Community Update video on YouTube introduced gamers around the world to Microsoft’s intention to pay more attention to its cloud gaming offering .
Today, if you are interested in this new game model, you already have several options at your disposal you can stream a large variety of Xbox titles on tablets, smartphones, Xbox consoles, Samsung Smart TVs and SteamDecks .
In fact, Xbox Game Cloud offers customizable touch-screen support for tablets and smartphones designed to allow you to play even with your old controller. The same goes for Google Stadia, now a real competitor to Xbox cloud gaming. Sony also offers its loyal users the PS Now service , which offers a long list of games on demand.
Companies like Logitech G and Tencent Games are also starting to build new handheld game consoles for cloud gaming . Even Nintendo is starting to offer its aficionados a long list of streaming games to enjoy on Nintendo Switch . Just think of the very recent Kingdom Hearts collection released earlier this year and many other popular titles.
Finally, as already mentioned, today it is possible to play online on some of the most famous multimedia content platforms, such as Netflix and Youtube. Even devices like Amazon’s Fire tv stick and Fire tv Cube are starting to offer some titles in the cloud.
Is cloud gaming really the future of gaming?
Although this is a new gaming model that is certainly interesting and able to offer a multitude of advantages, for now cloud gaming remains a niche mode .
Sure, a lot of big companies are interested in this new technology, but for now, users around the world remain loyal to gaming consoles and gaming PCs. Probably, in the future we will be able to play streaming without any kind of video quality, latency and bandwidth consumption problems and this will lead to a greater diffusion of this new gaming model.