5G has become somewhat of a trigger word in these past couple of years, a source of many unfounded conspiracy theories. In short, it is a 5th generation wireless technology that delivers multi-Gbps peak data speeds with low latency. It aims to bring a higher quality user experience while increasing availability and network capacity. It made its debut appearance in the professional gaming arena during 2019’s Milan week when it supported the first-ever live mobile gaming tournament.
Nowadays, internet capacity and access are super-relevant because networks get overloaded with congestion. Games play a massive role in that. They account for 25% of all installed apps, and many maintain a connection to the internet. 5G solves these issues by offering significantly higher capacity levels than 4G, making true cloud-based gaming a reality.
It Advances Mobile Gambling
Online gambling has exploded in popularity in the last few years, thanks to the rise of smartphones. According to projections, the global market will close to double in size by 2027. With thousands of gambling platforms floating around the internet, sites like online-betting.jp make it easy to locate trusted operators.
One of the driving forces of the online gambling industry is live dealer games. Though this genre has been around since 2003, latency issues and internet speeds made it hard for it to flourish. Post-2010, it has taken off and is slowly coming close to competing with slots for the title of the industry’s most preferred gaming option. Thanks to 5G, latency is no longer an issue. Split-second reactions can now drastically affect gameplay. That is of massive importance for the rise of novel live games where players can compete against each other. Riga-based Evolution Gaming invented the game show category, and last year they released their most expensive live product ever – Crazy Time, which contains four mini-games. 5G will make it possible for casino software providers to think up even more novel and imaginative games now that latency is out of the way.
It Makes Mobile Esports a Possibility
According to the World Economic Forum, the eSports industry pulls in annual revenues of $1 billion while gluing more than 300 million eyeballs to screens. The global market should hit $2.5 billion in 2023, given the sector’s current trajectory. Things will kick back in high gear when live events come back in fashion. Newzoo claims that most eSports revenues stem from advertising, sponsorship fees, broadcasting rights, merchandising, and ticket sales.
Low latency is again key to growing this competitive gaming branch. Raw 5G speeds go up to 10 Gbps, which is ten times what 4G LTE-A can provide. That means faster download and streaming, making high-fidelity multiplayer mobile gaming a reality. The network will enable new and immersive in-game experiences. Verizon, the American multinational telecommunications conglomerate, is ready for this revolution. It has built a 5G Esports facility called the Gaming Center that incorporates VR technology. Professional Esports leagues are running mobile tournaments, with the Call of Duty Mobile World Championship reaching a prize pull of over $1 million in 2020.