How 5G will transform the World of Gaming
The first 5G smartphone and computer are expected to be released any time this year. And when that happens, everything related to how we experience the Internet may change for good. There are multiple speculations of how 5G will change the world.
Some people believe it might spell doom for WiFi network providers. Others believe it won’t have an impact on every Internet users. Still, there are people who believe it’s dangerous. On the other hand, ask gamers what 5G means to them and you get overwhelmingly positive answers.
Below we take a look at how the new technology means to the gaming industry.
Impressively Faster Speeds
With speeds up to 10 times faster than 4G, nothing will come close to offering the speeds 5G promise. At least this applies to mobile users, many of whom experience 4G speeds of 30Mbps on average. Upgrading to 5G networks may introduce connectivity speeds up to 400Mbps, something previously never thought would happen to mobile devices.
On computers, 5G networks will see people who average 100Mbps connect to the Internet at speeds up to 1 Gbps. Previously, only Google and a few other companies afforded such high Internet speeds. To gamers, faster speeds lead to better playing experiences.
Imagine what tripling your Internet speed would mean for you as a gamer. All that buffering you experience on some games go away. Video game loading speeds improve dramatically and Internet speed issues are no longer a reason to hate online multiplayer gaming.
Zero Latency
Although theoretical projections rarely work in real life, 5G has the power to reduce video gaming latency significantly. Unlike 4G, the new connectivity will have a latency of just one millisecond, an equivalent of 1/1000 of a second.
Most video games have latencies of about 100 milliseconds, meaning 5G will reduce latency by 99%. When translated to video gaming experiences, this is like upgrading from a 2G to 4G network. It’s the holy grail of gaming, playing with nothing slowing you down.
While advanced action multiplayer gamers will benefit the most from low latency, 5G will have a big impact across the gaming world. Whether you will be playing slots on fruityslots.com casinos or enjoying angry birds on your smartphone, lower latency will improve your gaming experience.
Inspire the Growth of eSports
While eSports has been growing at faster rates than many traditional sports, it’s not immune latency and other problems that affect gamers. Severally throughout the past five years, eSports leagues were forced to move their servers around the US in search for better Internet speeds.
Hawaii has been one of the most affected states for the longest time ever because of its isolation. The island receives lower Internet speeds than most states. For video gamers, this has always meant longer latency rates and poorer gaming experiences.
5G may help solve this problem. When connected to a device, 5G provides incredibly fast connections irrespective of where you are located. You could be playing League of Legends on a train and beat players seated comfortably at their homes.
In the big leagues and tournaments, faster Internet speeds will certainly make gaming more competitive. Players won’t have to travel around the country in search of better Internet connections. Online gamers won’t feel disadvantaged because 5G will offer the same speeds across the world.
Will Popularize 8K Streaming
Watching video streams on HD and full HD provides the clarity most people need. But imagine a world where you can watch Ninja stream Fortnite in full UHD? For clarity, full Ultra High Definition is eight times clearer than full high definition.
With 5G on the horizon, 8K will no longer be the privilege of customers with high-end devices and super-fast connectivity. Most of the mobile and laptop devices to be manufacturers by 2020 will support 8K videos. And since the technologies will be affordable, streamers will upgrade, allowing everyone to view their streams in the smoothest video quality technology has to offer.
Solving Compatibility Issues
You know how you have to upgrade your graphics cards and other gaming parts to play advanced games? 5G may bring an end to this. Games that traditionally required additional upgrades to enhance data processing could soon be playable on older devices.
Not every new game will become compatible with old desktop computers but a variety of them. The only requirement now will be for your devices to support 5G and to have the hardware necessary for supporting advanced graphics.
Making AR and VR a Reality
Augmented and Virtual Reality technologies are largely un-utilized and data usage may have something to do with this. While AR was always available for games like Pokémon Go, not many people were willing to spend more on hardware only to be disappointed by slow Internet speeds.
AR and VR developers now also have reasons to invest more in characterization without worrying about data usage limitations. What this means is that game characters will be more agile and more interactive than ever before.
Will Advance Cloud Gaming
The future of gaming lies in the cloud. Like video streaming, game developers foresee a world where players will quit purchasing expensive consoles. Downloading games will be a thing of the past and cloud-based gaming will be the reality.
Like streaming movies on Netflix, accessing games will mean creating an account somewhere and getting access to whichever games you want. So far, games have been limited by the extensive lagging issues that affect cloud servers. But should 5G succeed worldwide, everything related to accessing video games and playing them will occur through the cloud.
To Conclude
In June 2010, 4G arrived and introduced the much-needed improvements to 3G networks. 5G is nowhere and while it’s yet to be rolled out worldwide, it promises more benefits that we could have imagined before.
For video gamers, latency may soon become obsolete and buffering will be something no one experiences. The technology will help advance VR, cloud computing and many other areas that will benefit gamers.