Cloud gaming is being sold as the next stage of video game innovation, but consumers will have the last word
Sam Naji and Damian Abrahams
Monday 14th March 2022
The Xbox Series S gets filled up pretty quickly. Pondering which game to delete in order to make space for a new one isn't a nice problem to have. Even on a relatively fast wireless broadband connection a typical game on Game Pass can take over an hour to download.
However, a cloud option on numerous games is becoming the norm on the Ultimate tier. Not only does this overcome the storage issue, but it is also a great option to try games like the demos of days gone by.
Game Pass Ultimate currently classifies its cloud service as "beta." Until the service is more polished with faster internet speeds and stronger connection stability, multiplayer and esports won't be the default experience on the cloud any time soon. So, although it seems the broad trend is towards cloud gaming there are numerous barriers that need to be addressed first.
Let's explore some of these issues.
Whereas competitive gamers may invest heavily in hardware such as a high-end Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 graphics card to boost performance and future-proof their tech, it is reasonable to assume the casual gamer may not have the financial means or inclination to buy the latest dedicated video game console -- let alone finance a library of expensive new games.
Sam Naji
The desire to tap into the casual market but with all accoutrements of a high-end gaming machine was the business case for Stadia. All the grunt work done by an expensive console would be done remotely on servers and high-level fidelity graphics would be subsequently streamed to the end user. With pandemic-induced supply chain issues, the inability to buy new consoles due to the high level of demand, and the ubiquitous availability of app devices,
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