Could cloud-based gaming spark the next smartphone revolution?

Hardware is not enough to make a smartphone stand out from the crowd in today’s digital market. Since the smartphone revolution itself, there have been countless handsets that never really had the wings to take off against its competition and have fallen to grace. The battle for a unique identity, which focuses on distinct features of the phone, like cameras, and sales of the handset is what measures the success of a smartphone. 

Smartphones have paved the way for gamers to play in a way which is easily accessible in almost any location, no matter the time. However, most smartphones still fall short and have noticeable limits which include graphics, playability and speed that haven’t been able to mimic the same level of quality as PC gaming or console gaming. 

This highlights a trend that is slowly becoming a clearer reality in today’s world. In order to survive, the smartphone will have to become more than its current self, just a rectangle piece of hardware that can be held in our palms. The popularity and increasing interest in cloud-based gaming is clear evidence that the smartphone might be heading in a whole new direction.

See: What is Cloud gaming?

Currently, cloud-based gaming consists of games that reside on a company severe rather than on a gamer’s device. Players access them through installing a client program that connects to a server where the games are kept. 

One of the main advantages of cloud-based gaming is that the company have the flexibility of upgrading their games without having to worry about the capabilities of their user’s computers. In most cases, the gamer traditionally installs a very light program which gives them access to the cloud-based games. 

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Cloud games are heavily dependent on video streaming capabilities and file streaming. This new trend and demand from consumers could mean the rise in a new smartphone revolution. To support these games smartphones will need to work on a heightened and strong internet connection. The introduction of 5G internet will have a massive impact on delivering cloud-based gaming, which means we might be halfway there. 

5G offers an internet connection that can give users in-depth coverage which reaches challenging locations. It implies a faster, dependable and more secure connection for smartphones. These new standards in conjunction with the cloud-based gaming will potentially and finally deliver a smartphone revolution we have all been waiting for. Cloud servers using a 5G network will help to reduce latency in gaming which will offer gamers a new user experience running in real-time. 5G will also birth the potential of augmented reality games giving them an immersive experience as geolocation capabilities improve on a faster network, but that’s for another time.  

Some of today’s most popular games struggle to make a smooth transition to mobile devices due to the processing demands that are too overwhelming for smartphones. In reality, desktop computers have extensive hardware and software capabilities which are specifically designed for rendering and the functionality of games, something the smartphone lacks. One of these, in particular, is multiplayer games which require quick user reactions. These reactions can be difficult to realistically portray on mobile devices.

In order to support cloud gaming on smartphones, newer faster and more connective changes will need to be made. For one processing powers within the mobile will need to become stronger. Not forgetting to mention the all-important graphics capabilities which need to be as good if not better than those found on gaming PCs. Internet connection, especially 5G will need to obviously not only be capable but will need to present fewer complexities to allow for smoother gaming. The smartphone revolution could see a new generation of smartphones with features and functionalities as we’ve never seen before. This might include inbuilt gaming controls rather than external connectable hardware. 

Currently attempting to replicate console or PC gaming experiences on smartphones makes for a very cluttered interface. This is because the games are plagued with on-screen controls. Could this spark the new smartphone revolution introducing comparably larger screens to what we have now?

One of the biggest titles for mobile gaming and one which indicates a shift in the traditional market is ‘Call of Duty: Mobile’ (COD). This is a mobile version of the traditional console franchise, shrunken down in size to be enjoyed on smartphones. The game plays like other serious shooting games with on-screen thumb controls and appropriate buttons on the right side of the screen crouching and hitting loadouts. 

The introduction of smartphone games such as COD shows clear signs of a demanding change that current smartphones from Smartphone Checker do not offer. For cloud-based gaming to really work on smartphones, they will need to possess powerful internal technology as well as providing gamers with larger but not phablet-sized screens that will not only allow them to work hard but to play hard on too. 

5G connection is sure to change gaming and will introduce a new experience for players playing them on smartphones. But as mentioned above the interface can be quite cluttered diluting the gaming experience and lowering its enjoyability compared to a console or PC. The release of COD mobile shows promise as lager gaming organisations begin to see the potential in cloud-based gaming for smartphones but compromise is essential because we’re not exactly there yet with either great internal or external technology for a clouding boom. However, there can be elegance in the process of adjusting this which might just be the next smartphone revolution.

Written By: Yasmita Kumar

She has been writing about various topics over many years now. Yasmita enjoys writing about technology and its impact on our everyday life. Other then this she also covers Health and Fashion and previously worked for the NHS.

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