Australian gamers may be left behind as gaming takes further steps into the online world. With cloud-gaming on the rise and further dependance on streaming for gaming, it is an undoubtable fear that the Australian internet could not support such endeavours. So the question stands, will cloud gaming be possible down under?
The internet in Australia is a hot-button issue. From the NBN to slow YouTube videos, the internet in Australia has a lot of catching up to do. According to the latest findings of Speedtest, Australia comes in 52nd on a global ranking of internet speeds. To put this in perspective, the global average download speed is 45.48 Mbps. Australia has an average download speed of 30.53 Mbps. So no, it's not just your internet, it's the country's.
Gaming is heading into the cloud. With Google testing the possibilities of game streaming with Assassin's Creed: Odyssey on Chrome, this is just the beginning of what's to come. Admittedly, game streaming has a lot to fix. From input lag to subpar graphics, it's nowhere close to it's optimal performance, expected to be seen in the coming years. However, it is still an important move for gaming.
Cloud gaming is essentially just gaming through a streamed video of the gameplay. You control the game as normal, but the controls are sent through to the cloud gaming server and the gameplay is streamed back to you.
So what are the key necessities for cloud gaming to work? Mostly it comes down to a strong internet connection and a moderately large amount of bandwidth. Already, Australian gamers are going to have some problems here.
Earlier in the year, Australian service provider, Telstra, said that they were 'investigating' the possibility of cloud gaming. However, the number of cloud gaming servers available in Australia is very low. Workable servers are even more rare. This is despite a high demand.
Even in places with strong internet connections, cloud gaming still encounters immense technical challenges. While it hasn't exactly taken off at this stage, it is a development to keep an eye on in the gaming community. Many predict that cloud gaming is one of the central elements of the gaming industry's future.
Cloud gaming has a lot of work to be done before it's seamless execution is reached. For Australia, however, our road may be even longer. Even if cloud gaming was at its optimal performance, it's unlikely that it would run nearly as smoothly under an Australian internet connection.
It is unknown whether cloud gaming is the future of gaming. There is a lot of work to be done for it to match the capabilities of the console or PC, but for Australians, this future is apparently even further away.
Elizabeth Kirby 
