5G mobile internet will “bring PC gaming to the masses”, says one of the industry’s most influential chief executives.
Min-Liang Tang, co-founder and chief executive of hardware giant Razer, told Sky News he believes the superfast connectivity standard will “significantly expand the market” – and not just from the likes of Microsoft and Sony.
Both companies have invested heavily in cloud gaming on their Xbox and PlayStation platforms respectively, but Tang said games usually reserved for high-end gaming PCs could soon be ubiquitous on smartphones.
“It’s one of the biggest innovations in gaming,” he told Ian King Live.
“It puts high-powered gaming in the hands of low-powered devices through cloud gaming. That’s what 5G really promises to bring to all gamers everywhere.”
The comments came on the day Razer was speaking at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the world’s largest tech show.
This year, the company introduced the new Razer Edge, the first Android handheld gaming tablet on the market. The device is capable of playing games locally on the device, or remotely via 5G.
But Tang predicts that console gaming will also “do very well” with the help of 5G, Although its launch has so far overwhelmed Brits.
With the advent of faster internet, game streaming may become increasingly attractive even for those with premium consoles like the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X.
Unlike streaming movies and TV through services like Netflix, streaming games requires faster speeds because any delay between pressing a button and the action on the screen can ruin the experience.
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Playing games ‘through the roof’ despite financial pressures
Billionaire Mr Tang told Sky News the video game industry was growing rapidly despite inflationary pressures and economic turmoil causing customer spending to “fall back a bit”.
“Gaming is already one of the biggest industries from an entertainment standpoint,” he said, adding that 5G “will make it even bigger.”
“It has become a major form of entertainment for children and young adults.
“User activity is still high and we’re really seeing growth in the industry.”
Razer unveiled a number of other products at CES, including the Leviathon V2 Pro soundbar, which uses artificial intelligence and cameras to track where someone is and deliver the best possible sound.
Other game announcements at the show included Sony’s Accessibility Controllerdesigned to help gamers with disabilities enjoy games on PlayStation 5.