5 reasons why cloud gaming is the future of the gaming industry (and 4 reasons it’s not)
Photo by Guglielmo Basile on Unsplash
The gaming industry is a mature one, dating all the way back to 1972 when Magnavox released the first home console dubbed the Magnavox Odyssey. Fast forward 50 years, and gaming is a massively lucrative business, raking in $152.1 billion as of 2020. But despite its maturity, the gaming industry is still evolving in big ways, most recently with the arrival of cloud gaming. Today, we’re diving into five reasons why cloud gaming is the future of the gaming industry, along with four reasons why it’s not.
5 reasons why cloud gaming is the future of the gaming industry
No downloads or patch updates: If you ask a cloud gamer why they enjoy playing games on platforms like Stadia, GeForce Now, or Luna, one of the first things they’ll tell you is the elimination of downloads and patches. Unlike game consoles and PCs that have to download games and updates directly to its hard drive, cloud games run on server farms that receive updates over the air, directly from developers. So when an update goes live, it hits the server and is automatically available to players, cutting out the time that would otherwise be spent on downloading new content.
No expensive hardware to buy or maintain: The second top reason cited by cloud gamers is the pruning of physical hardware. Instead of needing to buy, own, maintain, and upgrade a dedicated console, cloud gaming services live solely in the cloud, meaning you don’t have to buy any extra machinery in order to play your games on your existing devices. That said, Stadia and Luna players may enjoy a better experience by purchasing a dedicated Wi-Fi enabled controller, but if you already have a bluetooth controller laying around, this will work just fine, too.
Device and screen versatility: Speaking of no dedicated hardware, cloud games are virtually accessible on most of the screens you already own, including your phone, tablet, computer, TV, and in some instances, even your fridge. This means that you can practically play games from anywhere, as long as one of these devices is nearby, no heavy console required.
Multiplatform playtime: Whereas gamers used to have to spend hundreds of dollars on multiple consoles in order to have access to each platform, the cloud makes it exceptionally easy to be a multi-platform player. Simply sign up for each service, dive in via their dedicated business model (either by purchasing games or subscribing to them), and start playing. It’s that easy.
Wider distribution: The cold, hard truth is that gaming hardware is expensive, and there are many players out there who either can’t or don’t want to shell out the money for a new console. Through the power of the cloud, these gamers can still enjoy content without throwing down hundreds on a plastic box that will sit under the TV. Not only does this enable a new generation of gamers to join in the fun, this also enables game developers to engage with a wider audience they previously couldn’t have reached.
4 reasons why cloud gaming is not the future of the gaming industry
Controller latency and input lag: This can be a touchy subject (no pun intended) for some in the cloud gaming community. When compared back-to-back with native hardware, even latency-combatting platforms like Stadia and Luna have a noticeable amount of lag in controller inputs. This is especially apparent when playing fast-paced racing games, like Crew 2 and GRID. Although it is possible to get used to this bit of latency, many console and PC players will settle for nothing less than the twitchiest controls offered by a native experience.
Physical media: Although digital downloads are prevalent on any modern gaming platform, some players have had a difficult time letting go of physical disks and cartridges. Not only does physical media come with the nostalgia factor of box art, game manuals, and popping the game into a device, it’s also viewed by some players as the superior way to archive and preserve gaming history.
Faulty internet connections: Despite 59.5 percent of the globe being shrouded in internet, two fifths of the world is without. That means for two fifths of the global population, cloud gaming simply isn’t an option. For those that do have internet access, many of them lack the speeds and/or stability required for a good cloud gaming experience. This is before you factor in hurdles like data caps — a prevalent issue in the United States — that ultimately limits the amount of time a cloud gamer can play each month.
Limited game selection (for now): Although GFN is leading here with the most games accessible via the cloud (1,000 and counting), even this number pales in comparison to Playstation’s and Xbox’s massive libraries. Devs have been apprehensive to port their games to the latest cloud platforms, presumably due to small playerbases and a lack of viable revenue. Until one of these things changes, cloud platforms are doomed to miss out on important game releases — perhaps not all of them, but many of them. For this reason, the cloud isn’t a viable gaming solution for many players.
Gaming in the next decade
After some false starts with services like OnLive and GaiKai, followed up by a rocky launch from Stadia nearly a decade later, cloud gaming is still very much in its infancy. This is especially clear in the grand scheme of gaming’s 50-year timeline.
As for the near future, cloud gaming isn’t likely to replace native consoles and PCs anytime soon, if ever. In fact, I wouldn’t expect cloud gaming itself to really take off as a mass market contender for at least another decade.
That said, many players around the world are already seeing the benefits of the cloud and rallying around it as their favorite way to play. For this group, the cloud is already a viable gaming solution, and as the years tick forward, many more players will come around to join them.