The Power of 5G

The gaming and eSports industries are at the forefront of technology. However, this isn’t always the case when it comes to mobile. This is because most mobile networks have a shared fatal flaw when it comes to gaming – high latency. This means there are longer delays between pressing a button and a character jumping to take action through your connection. How can we fix this? The answer is simple: 5G. 5G developments show that many of the past problems won’t be a worry. It has already appeared in other industries, and plans will take the gaming industry to new heights in 2023.

Read on to find out more about how gaming using 5G will transform the industry and what improvements we can expect to see.

The Rise of 5G in the Gaming Industry: What to Expect

1. Mobile cloud gaming

Industry insights show that the use of 5G will be able to introduce many more mobile cloud gaming platforms. Some of this is already happening today, and an excellent example to reference is the partnership between Hatch Entertainment and Sprint. These companies are currently working together to offer more mobile cloud gaming in the United States. Sprint’s 5G mobile network users have access to these games, with Sprint announcing a 3-month subscription to ‘Hatch Premium’ for instant access to cloud streaming.

2. Increase in multiplayer mobile gaming

Unsurprisingly, the online and mobile gaming market is huge, but with the help of 5G, it will be taken to new heights. One key improvement is that 5G will allow mobile users to appreciate the game’s graphics better firsthand. 5G offers both stable and fast connections, reducing gaming lags. This opens up the market to multiplayer games on mobile devices in a brand-new way. Cloud gaming will enable gaming fanatics to use location-based features to enhance their reach. Thanks to 5G, mobile gaming will become much easier. This saves gamers the need to invest financially in games consoles, special laptops or computers – they’ll be able to do it with the click of a button from their phones, anywhere in the world.

3. Boost in Streaming

As seen already, streaming has massively changed the world of movies, TV series and music. Because of network latency, as previously mentioned, it hasn’t been able to take charge in the gaming industry. This is because gamers who want to stream games must be close to the gaming server. If they aren’t nearby, the failing network latency will make it extremely difficult to have clear consistency in a game using streaming services. 5G will drastically change this. It will enable streaming video games to become easier by unlocking new heights and value for the gaming industry as a whole.

4. No more Data Caps

It is frustrating when you are in the middle of a game, but your mobile cannot allow you to continue because of data caps. The amount of data that will be transferable through a 5G connection in a single minute could exhaust most people’s current data caps on a 4G or 3G plan. Mobile carriers will need to quickly change the way that data caps are currently established. Some today are already offering unlimited 4G plans, so it is likely that 5G systems will soon follow suit. With more improvements to developments, these issues should be resolved within the next 5-10 years.

5. Improvements to more Gaming Formats

5G will be able to offer innovative gaming products with real-time factors that will transform the gaming industry when combined with the up-and-coming virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). Games such as Pokémon GO experimented with the combination of 4G and AR and were already successful. Including 5G into this mix will offer a much greater immersive gaming experience. Similarly, Harry Potter: Wizard’s Unite by Niantic promises players a combination of the real world and the wizarding world with the help of 5G. With better graphics and less waiting time, players will feel more immersed in their games from beginning to end.

6. Impact on Other Markets

If we look back through history, the gaming industry has developed technologies that other industries later adopted. For example, VR headsets were originally designed for gaming but now can be seen on the head of trainee surgeons for training on immersive operating experiences. The amount of new mobile gaming technologies that 5G has enabled will lead to more significant applications in industries such as fashion, security, cosmetics, interior design and the military industries. A rectified and low-latency AR could enable doctors to provide support to patients with vertigo or those who are color-blind. With a widespread impact, 5G will offer technological advances that will bring the gaming industry to the next level. It might take a few years to deploy and set up properly, but you will see 5G creeping up in bigger cities first. After that, it will be a domino effect!