Cloud Gaming v/s Traditional Hardware Gaming

In the constantly growing world of games, there has been a sharp rise in the sales of cloud gaming. For years, the world of games was dominated by a traditional hardware gaming setup, which often included flagship gaming consoles and expensive hardware.

We are embracing the exciting possibilities that cloud gaming can bring to the gaming world. 
The real question is, can cloud gaming completely steal the thunder from traditional hardware gaming?

Let’s find out!
Traditional Hardware Gaming: The Good Old Days

Traditional hardware gaming is one of the most well-known and widely accepted ways of enjoying games. In the 90s, when we only had a PC, gaming CDs were used to install and play games. 

From the mid-2000s, we saw a rise in powerful gaming consoles like the PlayStation or Xbox Series. In this era, many gaming enthusiasts switched from a gaming PC with a powerful graphics card and processor to a high-end gaming console. It doesn’t matter if you play on a PC or a gaming console; traditional hardware gaming has always been the classic choice for gamers because: 

Better Performance: Traditional hardware gaming holds the edge due to better responsiveness with raw and immersive gameplay. Fancy gaming consoles and PCs provide a smooth gaming experience with little to no latency.
Offline Gaming: This is where cloud gaming cannot compete with traditional hardware gaming. A certain section of gaming enthusiasts prefers playing games without being dependent on their internet connection.
Vast Game Libraries: Due to the capacity of holding a large amount of data in hardware, gamers can explore a wide range of game libraries.
Better Control: By changing the software and hardware settings, gamers can set their system for their comfort and adjust the gaming experience according to the capability of their hardware. 

There are also a few cons that come with traditional hardware gaming:

Very Expensive: Most of the high-end and flagship gaming hardware consists of PCs and gaming consoles that can only be afforded by a few rich people.
Hardware Limits: With new updates and the increasing gigabytes of the new games, the features provided by hardware gaming are becoming outdated.
Dedicated Space: Gaming hardware requires a lot of physical space in the household, making the setup difficult for people with less space in their homes.
Constant Maintenance: The gaming hardware is prone to maintenance trips to the hardware shop, which can cause inconvenience and disruptions as they require troubleshooting.

Cloud Gaming: The New Dawn Of Change
Cloud gaming eliminates the need for owning hardware due to its capacity to stream games over the internet. 
The bigshots in the cloud gaming industry, like Xbox Cloud Gaming, GeForce NOW, and PlayStation Plus Premium, have a huge library of games that can be accessed through smartphones, tablets, laptops, and televisions, which comes with a lot of benefits:
Affordable: Gamers who cannot buy expensive hardware for gaming prefer games over the cloud. The gamers can enjoy exciting games on their own device without having to buy high-end hardware.
Easy Access: Games on the cloud are easy to access and don’t require installation or download. Gamers can directly dig in and enjoy the games with a stable internet connection.
Cross-Compatibility: Services provided by cloud gaming can be accessed on a variety of devices, allowing the user to switch between them as per their choice.
Low Maintenance: The gamers don’t have to worry about disruptions or upgrades, as cloud gaming requires zero to no maintenance. 
Just like traditional hardware gaming, cloud gaming also comes with a few problems.

Only Online Gaming: To engage in cloud gaming, gamers must have a fast and stable internet connection, as poor connection can ruin the overall experience.
Prone to Lags: Even if the gamers have a good internet connection, the games conducted on the cloud may become overcrowded due to high demand, which can cause server issues and lags.

Subscription Model: Due to the subscription-based model of cloud services, the overall cost incurred by the gamer may be higher than compared to owning hardware.
Data consumption: Cloud gaming services often consume a large amount of data from the user, which can be a problem for gamers with limited data plans.

The Real Question: Which one is better?
As both traditional hardware gaming and cloud gaming come with their benefits and problems, ultimately, it’s a matter of choice for the gamers.
For example, if a person already owns high-end hardware, they might prefer traditional hardware gaming over cloud gaming. However, a person who has high internet speed with unlimited Wi-Fi can prefer cloud games. Moreover, gaming fanatics are keen to explore newer games in the market. So cloud gaming could be a better choice for them.
As of now, cloud gaming is still in its early stages. We have seen exciting developments happening in the gaming industry that will make cloud gaming even more promising in the future. There might come a time when cloud gaming will completely dominate the gaming industry, but I don’t see traditional hardware gaming fading away any time soon.