If someone asked you to name an industry experiencing huge growth, the online gaming industry would be a good reply. In 2020, the industry witnessed a staggering 21.9% growth on the previous year, having generated around $21.1 billion in revenue. There are now approximately 1 billion online gamers worldwide, and experts expect this number to pass 1.3 billion in 2025.
Part of the reason for this success is the fact gaming providers and manufacturers are bringing out the latest technology to improve the experience for players. It’s a highly competitive industry. Companies that innovate or keep an eye on developments in the tech world will get left behind.
NVIDIA
One company that has the power to make waves in the gaming world, and has been doing so, is NVIDIA, who started out in 1993. It was NVIDIA’s belief that the PC would become a consumer device on which people would enjoy games and multimedia.
Although NVIDIA produces other tech products, the company specializes in making graphics processing units (GPUs) for the gaming market, as well as for professional ones. In 1995, NVIDIA launched its first product, the NV1, and on this PCI card the games manufacturer SEGA ported the game Virtua Fighter, which was the first 3D game to run on NVIDIA graphics.
NVIDIA and GeForce
In their push to innovate, NVIDIA has created a sizable line of products: GeForce. There are several different series of the GeForce GPUs, with the 30 series being the latest. The GeForce range expands the functionality of the GPUs and turns lower-performing devices into high-performing ones. Even four-year-old units can become a much more capable technological beast once you make GeForce part of the equation.
Thanks to its NVIDIA encoder, the RTX 30 series of GPUs provides superb image quality and reliable performance, which makes it ideal for live streaming if you’re broadcasting to an audience on the internet. Meanwhile, the GeForce Now product and service enables players to transform a run-of-the-mill unit into a high-performance rig, allowing them to stream games from the cloud instead of waiting for downloads, patches, installs or updates.
Using GeForce products boosts performance. Since some of the GeForce products feature built-in streaming software, you don’t need additional software if you’re already using NVIDIA graphics hardware.
Streaming and the online gaming industry
Streaming is an important part of online gaming, as players stream games directly from the cloud, which allows them to enjoy games in real time, track their progress in the game and, generally, benefit from a better gaming experience. Good technology and a stable internet connection are crucial for successful streaming.
One type of gaming in which streaming is an indispensable part of the experience is online casino gaming. When you visit one of the many online casino sites available, you’ll see that, as well as standard gaming against the computer, you can also take part in live games.
Live casino gaming, if you’re not already familiar with it, a type of casino gaming in which a live professional croupier hosts the game in a studio. The players can see the dealer and interact with them. The operator streams the game to the player’s device as it’s happening so they can play in real time and follow everything that’s going on. Roulette and blackjack are two common games you’ll find operators offer at their live casinos.
What technology do the casinos use?
Optical character recognition (OCR) software helps to facilitate the streaming. The dealer’s actions are converted into data that the OCR then processes, using special cameras, to follow the cards, suits, etc. The data is cross-referenced with a data lookup table and the player then sees the results on the screen. This software makes the game interactive.
The operator will use several different cameras in the studio so that the player can follow the action from every angle. Each table will also have a game control unit attached to it as well. This unit makes it possible to encode the video of the game being broadcasted.
If you happen to be playing roulette, there will also be a wheel, of course. Each wheel has a sensor so that the player can track the result of each spin.
GeForce and devices
GeForce is compatible with several devices. It’s possible to access it through the desktop apps on PCs, Macs and Google Chromebooks. You can also use the NOW service through NVIDIA’s own device, the Shield TV. Android devices that have 2GB of RAM and have the operating system updated to 5.0 are also compatible.
Whether NVIDIA’s GeForce technology will increase the number of gamers or amount of gaming is hard to say, but gamers are an enthusiastic crowd that follow all the latest developments and like to spend money on their past time. They want the best experience and are willing to invest in their consoles, computers or other devices on which they game. NVIDIA’s technology can help to keep them engaged.
In a competitive industry, NVIDIA are working hard to innovate and their GeForce range, which optimizes images and enables gamers to get the best performance out of their devices, is a product of this mission. When companies are creating products like this, gaming can only get more and more exciting than it already it is.
