View | The evolving need of gamers: Meeting the demands of a growing industry

Ray Tracing is one such groundbreaking innovation, introducing more realistic lighting effects and reflections in games, elevating the visual experience. Even traditionally less graphics-intensive games like Minecraft have undergone a profound transformation with the implementation of Ray Tracing. However, this advancement necessitated the introduction of a new generation of GPUs due to the demanding nature of the technology. Intel Arc GPUs feature hardware-level ray tracing units which enables games to enjoy the benefits of ray tracing in games that support it. Thanks to the Xe Cores which are the new foundational compute building blocks in Intel Arc graphics and Xe Super Sampling (XeSS), an AI accelerated method for upscaling, gamers can now enjoy high resolution, high frame rate gaming, even with Ray Tracing enabled.

As gamers have evolved from being “just gamers” to “gamers and streamers” and now “mega taskers” the CPU has kept pace accordingly. Intel’s performance hybrid architecture enables gamers to experience smoother gameplay with faster load times and enhanced frame rates, while simultaneously allowing stream encoding and broadcast in high quality without losing out on gaming performance. This is achieved thanks to the magic of Intel Thread Director which provides runtime feedback to the OS and helps it make the optimal thread scheduling decision for any workload — so for example, in this case specifically, the game threads can get assigned to the Performance-core (P-cores) which are designed for raw speed while all the encoding threads can get offloaded to the Efficient-cores (E-cores) which are ideal for scalable, multi-threaded performance.

Lastly, there are also the new generation gaming engines like Unreal Engine 5 which have raised the minimum specifications for gaming devices even further. This powerful engine provides developers with unprecedented creative freedom, enabling them to create visually stunning and hyper-realistic virtual worlds. As a result, gamers will require increasingly powerful hardware to fully enjoy and experience these visually demanding games. As per Steam’s latest hardware survey, we are seeing an increase in the adoption of GPUs with more than 8GB VRAM.

Today, gaming has evolved into a highly social activity, with multiplayer and competitive gameplay becoming increasingly popular. To top it off, gamers are no longer willing to be “tethered” to a cable, with many preferring to play over their home’s Wi-Fi network. This requires robust, high-speed and low-latency connectivity to ensure a good quality experience. Additionally, the growing popularity of streaming platforms, such as Twitch and YouTube Gaming, has further emphasised the need for stable and fast internet connections, as gamers seek to share their experiences with a global audience. With the advent of Wi-Fi 6/6e, Gamers now can play and stream over their Wi-Fi networks, without having to worry about increased latency. In addition to lower latency, Wi-Fi 6E also brings much higher streaming bandwidth than Wi-Fi 5.

The introduction of the Thunderbolt 4 technology has also had a significant impact on the way gamers interact with their gaming setups. Thunderbolt has provided gamers, content creators, and professionals with a powerful, single-cable connection that de-clutters the desktop or laptop and ramps up productivity. Thunderbolt connectors now allow gamers to connect to high-speed external storage, transmit to 4K monitors at 60 fps, or even connect external GPUs for a better gaming experience.

Furthermore, the way gamers access and interact with games now has undergone a significant transformation in recent years. Traditional practices of purchasing physical copies of games from brick-and-mortar stores have now shifted to digital distribution. Online stores, such as Steam, Epic Games Store, and consoles' digital marketplaces, have become the primary method for acquiring gaming titles. This shift offers numerous advantages, including convenience, instant access to games, and a vast library of titles at gamers' fingertips — further necessitating the need for high-speed Wi-Fi 6/6E connectivity to download mega-sized digital games in an instant.

The future of gaming holds immense potential. Technological advancements, such as virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR), have already made their mark in the industry, captivating the imaginations of gamers worldwide. VR and AR technologies have also continued to mature, offering immersive experiences that blur the lines between the virtual and real worlds.

As the gaming industry embraces these emerging technologies, the demands of gamers will continue to evolve. The hunger for more realistic, immersive, and socially connected experiences will drive further innovation and advancements. Game developers and hardware manufacturers will continue to collaborate, pushing the boundaries of what is possible and delivering captivating experiences that cater to the evolving needs of gamers. With technology serving as a catalyst, the future of gaming indeed holds endless possibilities.