Cloud Gaming is the future and it’s time for gamers to get used to it
By Rey Harris
The video game industry is pushing the cloud gaming on the gaming community, but are they ready?
Cloud gaming is the latest innovation of the video game world and seems to be the future of gaming, but the community continues to stand up to it. © INA FASSBENDER / AFP
For old school gamers, it can be a little hard to get used to the fact that cloud gaming is the future, and the industry is embracing it.
People who are extremely vocal about their resistance to cloud gaming are similar to people who still swear by vinyl – they just can’t let it go.
The truth is, this is just a strong sense of nostalgia. Most millennials can remember the days when they blew into Nintendo cartridges to get them to work, or when they needed a memory card to store games on the original PlayStation.
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While it may bring back some fond memories of eating Pizza Hut and playing Halo: Combat Evolved with a friend all night long after cleaning the scratched disc multiple times, it doesn’t mean that these old-fashioned ways of doing things be better, nor does it mean that every new innovation is inferior by default.
Gamers have become like boomers who hate young people because they don’t understand them, or your grandma who insists on still using a landline because her cell phone is “too complicated.” In reality, these new things are designed to make life easier for everyone, and cloud gaming does that and more.
It’s about time the community embraced cloud gaming because the industry as a whole says it’s here to stay.
What exactly is cloud gaming?
A gamer tests the cloud version of the classic game Doom on the Google Stadia booth during the Gamescom video game trade show in Germany. © INA FASSBENDER / AFP
Cloud gaming in its purest form is when a company provides games that can be streamed from remote servers, known as the “cloud.”
Think of it like streaming a movie on Netflix, but instead of watching a lame rom-com, play God of War: Ragnarök.
Cloud gaming eliminates the act of dealing with discs that get scratched or cartridges that get damaged.
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You can even play with it without having to download the software to your console or device, giving you more space for other things.
Playing in the cloud also gives users the option to save their games to the cloud as well, so they can pick up where they left off if they decide to switch to another device or console.
At this point, the cloud gaming system is still in its infancy, and the industry is still figuring out new ways to implement it on consoles and other devices. Sometimes they don’t always get it right.
But it’s absolutely clear that the biggest names in the industry are going all in on cloud gaming and other giants, such as Google, Netflix and Amazon – also try to cash in.
Portables and handhelds are making a comeback
The gaming industry has been pushing to make portable consoles cool again, even in 2001 when Sony released the PSone. © YOSHIKAZU TSUNO / AFP
How many times have you been far away from home and your favorite console, and all you can think about is the game you last played?
Maybe you’re at Thanksgiving dinner with your horribly boring family, wishing you were sitting on your couch and shooting cyberpsychos in Cyberpunk 2077.
This is when mobile gaming is everything, but the gaming community continues to oppose it. The industry has tried again and again, but to no avail.
It’s bizarre that so many people are so against the return of portable computers when really it’s just the Game Boy era being resurrected and reimagined for a new generation of gamers.
Most gamers prefer to play games on a giant (and way too expensive) TV screen, but portable devices with cloud gaming capabilities allow you to play the game on the go and seamlessly pick up where you were. stayed.
Nintendo was clearly aware of where gaming is going or should be when they designed the Switch, which helped make the idea of portable gaming and handhelds cool again. It helped make way for the Steam Deck and the new Logitech G Cloud, which are implementing cloud gaming into their systems. Sony and Microsoft investing so much time and money in their cloud and streaming game services should tell you all about what the future of gaming will look like.
While it’s not quite perfect yet, it’s an ambitious effort that should be welcomed with open arms. That is, unless you really think the days of fiddling with multiple cartridges when trying to switch games on your PSP while on the subway are “fun”.
Discs and cartridges are a thing of the past
Sometimes the nostalgia of holding a cartridge in your hands overrides the ease of play. © TAG24/Rey Harris
There have been big rumors that the PlayStation 5 may be the last disc-based console Sony produces, and future PlayStations will focus on digital gaming.
It makes perfect sense when you think about it. While some argue that there is no market for cloud and digital gaming, the statistics show a different reality.
In July, it was reported that 80% of PlayStation games were purchased digitally.
In addition, the Xbox Game Pass quickly made the Series X|S a favorite with many console gamers, as game streaming and downloading became a breeze.
Still, there will always be a touch of nostalgia associated with ‘retro’ games and cartridges.
Like vinyl records, many of us love to admire the art and design in the palm of our hands. But maybe, just maybe, it’s high time we moved into the future now.
To cloud game or not to cloud game? That is the question
Cloud gaming is for everyone and will open so many new doors and possibilities with gaming. But like just about everything in life, it also has a few drawbacks.
The biggest turn-off is that eliminating physical games also means eliminating the availability of used games. Some of us don’t mind waiting a year and a half to play Elden Ring if that means you can get a used copy at GameStop for a fraction of the cost.
By releasing games strictly digitally, the largest companies have full control over the cost of games and how players get them, which isn’t ideal for the gamers themselves. And if the used gaming market is wiped out, companies will no longer compete with places like GameStop for low prices, leading many gamers to fear it could negate the incentive to lower prices.
There is also the current reliance on Wi-Fi, which most cloud gaming platforms rely on to let players enjoy their games. The aforementioned Logitech G Cloud has been criticized for this because Wi-Fi is not always available. And without an internet connection, the device is basically considered unusable.
These problems are being worked on, among other things, and cloud gaming will undoubtedly improve in the long run. But despite the caveats, it’s definitely worth trying for yourself.
Overall, cloud gaming is a work in progress. But if gamers work with developers to make it better instead of complaining about the flaws, we might be able to ride into the future like we’re floating on a cloud.
Cover photo: INA FASSBENDER / AFP
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