Gaming is always one of the first areas to embrace new technologies. The world of gaming has changed so much in what seems like a flash. Some of the things that players take for granted today weren’t even fathomable 20 years ago. All of this innovation is pushed by the amount of money the industry generates every year and the fierce competition between companies. Let’s take a look at a few ways technology has changed the gaming industry.
Online Gaming
Online gaming is one of those things that has become the norm but was virtually impossible not too long ago. While the internet was powerful enough, hardware was just not able to keep up. Now, players can not only play with players from all across the globe but communicate and strategize as well. This brought a whole new dimension to strategy and FPS games.
Digital Sales
We’re also seeing a shift away from physical products and more online sales. This is a great trade-off for players as production costs for games are lower, which means that games are cheaper as well. The only issue is that digital games are harder or impossible to sell, which is something a lot of gamers loved about traditional cartridges and disks.
The Rise of Mobile Gaming
Mobile gaming has come a long way from snake and solitaire. Again, limitations in hardware slowed down progression in this field, but now we have mobiles with massive processors that are powerful enough to run certain console games. One industry that has zeroed in on that niche is online gambling with many mobile online casinos allowing people to enjoy their favourite games on the go.
Hybrid gaming is another aspect of mobile gaming with the Nintendo Switch being the first to release a console that is both mobile and static. We can expect other companies to try to release their iterations or make games that will be playable through a handheld console and a regular console at the same time.
Another thing we’re seeing is more peripherals being released for mobiles. Many controllers can be used to play more elaborate games on mobile phones, like first-person shooters or racing games, for instance.
AR Gaming
While virtual reality is finally starting to get more accessible, it’s augmented reality that has stolen the show in the gaming world. It all started with Pokémon Go, but we also have mind-blowing innovations like Mario Kart Live that have caught the whole world by surprise. The game allows players to use small models of karts from the game and turn their home into a custom circuit. Games like this have helped show the possibilities for the technology in gaming and, again, we can expect more companies to pay attention.
These are just some of the ways technology has changed the world of gaming as we know it. Innovation is the bread and butter of the industry, and competition ultimately benefits gamers in the long run.