Possibilities are blooming in the gaming industry as trending technology are seemingly on the horizon for consumers. Whether gamers are searching for augmented reality, virtual reality, 5G, or cloud streaming, gaming companies have a lot of work to determine what is the next ‘it’ to invest in for their research and development. Nintendo announced this weekend that they are looking into the possibility of incorporating 5G as part of their gaming experience. However, as in many of these trending technologies, doubts remain whether these budding new trends are worth pursuing now or if the company should wait until the kinks in these new buzz technologies are first ironed out.
What is 5G?
With major mobile phone companies seeking to launch 5G networks, it is important to remember that 5G is still in its infancy stages. The ‘G’ in 5G means that it is the fifth generation of wireless networks and looks to offer several key elements that is lacking in 4G, the current fourth generation. 5G will provide faster speed to send data, better responsiveness, and the ability to connect even more devices simultaneously. 5G’s potential impact on the gaming industry can be momentous. Instant responsiveness and high volume connections are exactly what will improve the gaming experiences of egame tournaments and massive multiplayer online, or MMO, games.
Nintendo’s Next Step
With Nintendo ‘investigating,’ but not yet committed to, 5G technology, this means that they are searching for new ways to compete with Sony’s PlayStation, Microsoft’s Xbox, and Google’s new Stadia platform for cloud based gaming. Nintendo’s statement may be an acknowledgement over industry concerns that they are falling behind on technology compared to their competitors.
However, even with these concerns, Nintendo’s game developer Shigeru Miyamoto and Nintendo’s president Shuntaro Furukawa revealed that Nintendo’s priority has always been focused on gameplay, and that they are unwilling to sacrifice gameplay for a piece of trending technology.
5G connections will certainly improve the gameplay and connectivity of Nintendo Switch games. In Japan, Nintendo has already started experimenting with streaming cloud based Switch console games, and a more responsive connection will more than likely improve Nintendo Switch’s portability, which is one of the console’s most attractive features
With 5G still in its infancy, Nintendo still has time for the new technology to hammer out its kinks before pouring any significant resources into its research. However, 5G’s significant advantages can greatly enhance Nintendo’s current portable console system, Nintendo Switch.
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