The concept of cloud gaming has been around for years now, and it’s only recently that it has actually become feasible. Previously, gaming remotely from a computer thousands of miles away was a luxury not available to everyone because of regional restrictions, insufficient internet speeds, and a limited gaming library.
However, as soon as these variables were eliminated, a few more popped up in their place, which is why, unfortunately, cloud gaming might not become the most practical way to play games away from your PC or console when there are much better ways for gaming on the go.
Latency is still the dealbreaker
Faster internet hasn’t fixed the delay between your input and the screen
The biggest problem with cloud gaming has been latency, and despite internet speeds being way faster than they were a decade ago, the issue is still prevalent. Over wireless networks, latency comes from the round trip from your phone to the network tower and then to the server, plus server processing, video encoding and decoding, and display.
Even on Wi-Fi, minor latency still exists, which is fine for normal usage, but for gaming, every millisecond matters. Multiplayer gaming via the cloud is a no-go anyway due to the latency, but the single-player experience is still tolerable.
Even then, you might get occasional artifacts and other visual distortions due to the encoding and decompression process, and that ruins the entire gameplay experience.
Cloud gaming is now metered
Monthly hour caps turn convenience into a budget
The increase in memory prices didn’t spare cloud gaming either, and compared to the pre-AI boom, cloud gaming actually looked feasible. However, services like GeForce Now, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and Amazon Luna have limited usage caps for cloud gaming services.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate limits Xbox Cloud Gaming to 15 hours per month. Later this year, Xbox Cloud Gaming users will be able to get 15-hour blocks for $3 to $5 depending on the plans they have.
GeForce Now also limits it to 100 hours per month for paid plans. Similarly, GeForce Now users can also pay $3 to $6 for 10–15 extra hours on top of their current plan.
With added costs from game prices getting higher as well, cloud gaming has become too expensive for something that is supposed to be convenient.
Google shut down its Stadia cloud gaming program, making people lose access to progress in their gaming libraries for games that don’t allow syncing. One gamer who had clocked in over 6,000 hours on Red Dead Online (via PCGamer) had to start all over again when the service was laid to rest.
Your own hardware does the job better
Phones, handhelds, and remote play cover gaming on the go
Nobody wants to be confined to their homes or carry around their PCs/consoles just for games. Gaming on the go should be convenient but not costly. Fortunately, hardware has come a long way since the 2010s, and concepts like running GTA 5 on an Android phone have now become a reality.
Modern phones can easily run AAA games. The iPhone supports newer Resident Evil games, and projects like Madeira have also made it possible to run PC games like Cyberpunk 2077 directly via Wine or DXMT on iPhones with great performance without jailbreaking the phone.
Then, there’s also been a rise of PC handhelds in recent times. Steam Deck is one notable example that can run most of your Steam library. There are other great options, like the ROG Xbox Ally, Lenovo Legion Go handhelds, and so on.
Alternatively, you can still game in the cloud for free using your own hardware. Steam Link and Moonlight allow you to create a peer-to-peer connection so you won’t have to rely on third-party services.
For consoles like the PlayStation 5, the PlayStation Portal is also a great device, allowing you to play your PS5 from any corner of the world, with a good internet connection, of course.
It works for occasional travel, but not as a daily setup
I’m not completely ruling out cloud gaming. It works well, but it’s expensive, and I’d rather invest that money in buying hardware I can keep. I’ve tried GeForce Now before, and it’s amazing, but I won’t pay for a subscription every month unless I’m traveling.
Even aside from the software-side problems like latency, the costs rise way too much, and instead, streaming your own games remotely or using a gaming handheld is a much better option. Still, if you like the ease of setting up cloud gaming, I recommend treating it as a supplement and not a complete replacement overall, because there are a lot of caveats.