5G

Is the gaming revolution upon us?

I don't know, is it? Why yes it is, thanks to 5G and I'm here to tell you how.

This is 5G Explain Like I'm Five, the show where I break down all the tech talk, so that we can all understand it.

In this episode, I'll be talking you through how 5G can enhance cloud gaming, console to mobile gaming, VR and AR.

First up, cloud gaming.

Technically speaking, cloud gaming is where instead of having a computer or console running the game, the bulk of the processing happens remotely on a server and is streamed from the cloud straight to the players smartphone or TV, kind of like how you stream Netflix or YouTube.

What makes a difference here is capacity, speed and latency, which is where 5G could really take this to the next level.

That's a bit technical, man. Can you explain it like I'm five?

Put it this way. Cloud gaming is like having your favourite meal, made at your favourite restaurant, delivered to you almost instantly. Thanks 5G.

You could be leaving the house. Thanks 5G.

At a bar. Hey, thanks 5G.

So basically wherever you have 5G connection and a 5G enabled device. But what-

Thank you, 5G.

But what does it all mean? It means convenience. You won't need to cart around a console or use a super fancy gaming computer that looks like a nightclub for tiny people.

It also means we'll see super crisp video streams with richer graphics as well as reduced ping rates and speedy response times. This is because the network will have more capacity and the potential for lower lag.

So the data that is being sent and received from the user to the server happens [click] real quick.

Wow.

It's like I'm in a 5G commercial. 5G or as I like to call it, 5-gee that's fast.

I know.

Will take the rapidly expanding world of virtual and augmented reality to the next level.

See it takes 13 milliseconds for the brain to process images. Any lag time over that can be jarring and make you feel pretty sick [distorted].

Weird.

So you need that speed and lower latency for that true VR experience.

So you can hit the tennis court, walk with the dinosaurs,  or visit a nude beach.

Phew!

This headset is what you traditionally need for a VR experience, but because all the processing can now be done in the cloud, with 5G, it means we'll see much smaller, sleeker devices, similar to the evolution of mobiles it'll be going from this to this.

Now, when it comes to augmented reality, 5G is set to bring you 4K in HD outside.

Think Pokémon Go but with realistic quality images.

[Voiceover]: For legal reasons, this is not a Pokémon.

Wow.

It's like he's really there.

Let's get into console to mobile gaming. This is when you can play games from your console over the net on your tablet or mobile phone, not the App Store version.

I don't know who that was.

4G made this a real thing, but as the resolution of games gets better and better, more data is needed to be streamed and this is where 5G can make this a pretty much seamless experience.

It means you can keep playing your Xbox when you leave the room. If you're sneaky enough, you'll be able to play console games while you're at work.

[Gaming sounds]

Case in point.

There you have it,  the future is virtually ping free my friends.

Thanks 5G.