What is Cloud Gaming? 

For years, the gaming industry has been in the process of continuous change. Once seen as a minor part of the entertainment industry, today gaming is rated as the most profitable form of entertainment around. That shows you where the industry has been headed for some time; the largest games are on a par with the biggest TV shows. It has even led to the development of the professional gamer industry, giving people the chance to make a living showing off their gaming skills.

While that might mean investing heavily in a pro gaming setup – not to mention a quality gaming chair to keep you comfortable – things might change in the near future. For example, have you heard of Cloud Gaming?

Cloud Gaming is seen by many as the future of gaming. Instead of having to find storage space and compatible hardware to play the latest games, you’ll simply stream it from a cloud-based server. By giving you access to the technology that you would usually have to invest heavily to buy yourself, Cloud Gaming is expected to open the doors to many would-be gamers put off by the cost.

This could, of course, lead to a growth in the number of professional gamer profiles out there. To be a pro gamer today, you need to invest time into ‘getting good’, and money into building a suitable rig. Cloud Gaming could theoretically change all that.

For example, Google Stadia looks set to be the market leader. Developed by Alphabet (Google), Stadia has already been shown off at gaming conventions and, with the price of around $10/month, it’s expected to be the ‘Netflix of gaming’. But, really, how valuable is Cloud Gaming as we move ever-closer to 2020?

Cloud Gaming is growing rapidly

So, one thing to note is that the progress of Cloud Gaming is easy to see purely through the stock market. This Investor Place article touches on the six big Cloud Gaming stocks to look at. That shows you that there is enough interest from the financial market to keep an eye on this particular strand of the gaming industry.

The fact that Stadia is marching full-steam ahead is a big sign that, after a decade of waiting, investor confidence exists within the gaming industry. In the past, Cloud Gaming options have been as nifty ideas but not very likely to be reliable in practice. Stadia is the first sign that this could be changing.

Cloud Gaming faces the same old challenges

The challenges, though, still exist. As was pointed out by Rishil Kuta, a console gamer talking to Tech Explore, there are still doubts about the quality of connectivity. The problem with Cloud Gaming is that the arguments against it are still prevalent.

Yes, you don’t need to invest in a games console or PC any longer if you go for a Cloud-based program. So yes, it could be more accessible for would-be gamers who maybe lack the funds to go full-out and buy a gaming rig. However, can a streaming platform really give us the same quality?

Not many are convinced by that at the moment. Graphical disparity compared to playing it on your actual console/PC, allied to input lag due to the connection, means many of the most popular gaming niches are unlikely to take off on Cloud Gaming just yet. How could you play a first-person shooter online, where every millisecond will count, with input lag?

Could you really play a real-time strategy game with the same fluency if there is a delay in your units moving to where you asked?

The verdict for Cloud Gaming at the moment is quite simple: it’s growing, and investor confidence is being boosted like never before. For hardcore gamers and professional gamer types, though, it might not be time to cash in that gaming chair and gaming desk for the sofa just yet. Casual gamers might love Cloud Gaming – but for those already playing on modern consoles and PCs, it’s not likely to be worth your time. Yet.

Given how quickly it has moved on from being a bit of a novelty in the industry, though, that could change in the near future.