For a long time, video gaming consoles have been known to be at the peak of quality gaming, and they keep getting better after each release. It’s the consoles that have revolutionized gaming, taking us from gawky gameplay and erratic imagery to topnotch 3D and even the futuristic Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality gaming.
However, as console gaming continues to grow, the advancement of tech is also pushing the boundaries of other realms of gaming, such as mobile and in-browser gaming. Currently, there are plenty of immersive in-browser games such as twin win slot machine and first-person shooter titles that you can enjoy right from the browser of your smartphone and tablet.
The best thing about in-browser games is that you don’t really require dedicated hardware or app installations to start playing. You use your everyday devices with basic browser applications to enjoy some mind-blowing titles right from your browser as long as you can connect to the industry.
As gaming technology continues to advance, it wouldn’t be a surprise if consumers got tired of upgrading their consoles every five or so years in favor of browser gaming, which can be played on the regular PCs and mobile devices. Today, we dig deeper into the subject of in-browser gaming to explore what potential it has now and in the near future.
Browser Gaming Already Gaining Popularity
Over the past years, web-based gaming has advanced so much that it is now even being enjoyed by the most avid of gamers. Video games such as World of Warcraft have had a crack by surpassing the time-tested RTS genre to become a multi-player role-playing game accessible online.
While right now browsers might not have what it takes to power first-class graphics-heavy games, modern-day browsers could be the next big thing in the gaming industry after a few tweaks in how they render games. The big names in the internet world are currently figuring out how they can make the modern-day web browser a topnotch gaming console.
A good example is Mozilla, the developer behind the well-known free Mozilla Firefox browser. The developer has demonstrated that games running on the Unreal Engine 3 platform can be played via the Firefox browser. Unreal Engine 3 is the same engine that is utilized in high-quality games on PCs and consoles. This is adequate proof that browsers can offer a gaming experience that is not far off the console.
How Browser Gaming Will Affect the Industry
Of course, there’ the possibility that browser gaming won’t catch up with console gaming any time soon. Nevertheless, there’s a growing understanding that online browser gaming comes with many benefits that can’t be matched by console gaming.
Given the bulk surfing that takes place via web browsers, a web-based game is more likely to go viral. Inviting a fellow player to give the game a go involves nothing but gaining access to your social media profile in a new tab from your browser. When a game goes viral, game designers gain lots of profits without the need to spend lots of cash on advertising.
Playing games via browsers will enable gamers to play freely without having to choose a favorite platform. Time and again, avid video gamers are forced to deal with circumstances where they can’t play a given game since it’s not compatible with their desired console. With browser gaming, gamers will enjoy a platform-independent experience where whether your device runs on Android, Windows, Ubuntu, or Apple, you’ll be able to play without any performance or compatibility-related issues.
Lastly, very popular consoles like PS4 utilize custom-built editions of the WebGL platform in its user interface. At the moment, developers have their focus mainly on consoles. But as web-based gaming gains more popularity, you might see a model shift in how designers and publishers concentrate on creating new video games. Looking at presentations by the gaming industry leaders like Bobby Kotick, the Activation Blizzard’s CEO, confirms that developers prioritize the gameplay’s overall quality as they seek to provide gamers with a realistic experience. With web browsers providing speeds on a par with native consoles, people like Kotick might decide to support this new direction of gaming.
Is the Death of Consoles Nigh?
Seeing as video gaming is a ritualized activity among the youth, the perception of well-known consoles from Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony becoming out of date could be a heartbreaking loss for the whole gaming community.
On the other hand, such a transformation will likely propel the industry to fresher and greater heights. However, as things stand at the moment, there’s little chance that consoles will kick the bucket without an epic encounter. Game developers may well employ world-shattering tactics, like the ones meant to integrate advanced browser gaming in consoles in a bid to stay relevant for the modern-day gamer!
