Studies show that Singaporeans are the most frequent gamers in Asia
Considered the next frontier for the gaming industry, 5G cloud gaming, with its combination of high bandwidth and low latency, will allow users to stream high-resolution, graphics-rich games to mobile devices from the cloud. Ventures into cloud gaming are taking off around the world, and in Singapore, specifically, Razer, Singtel and Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) are jointly launching the country’s first 5G cloud gaming trial.
Studies show that Singaporeans are the most frequent gamers in Asia, and the third most frequent in the world, suggesting that successful deployment of cloud gaming platforms in Singapore could have an enormous economic impact on the country.
Further, according to a Statista market forecast, revenue in Singapore’s video game segment amounted to $102 million in 2019 and will reach a market volume of $134 million by 2023. The data also showed that the market’s largest segment is mobile games with a market volume of $50 million in 2019.
While the trial is not a rollout of a 5G cloud gaming service, it will test Singapore’s network readiness for the technology. “This opportunity is the first step for Singapore to spearhead 5G projects,” commented said Min-Liang Tan, co-founder and CEO of Razer.
Specifically, the trial aims to gain insights on the 5G network characteristics and requirements of cloud gaming, as well as best practices for the design and engineering of low latency hardware for cloud gaming. The parties involved hope to discover how to best deliver quality performance and a broader range of gaming experiences, from ultra-fast responsiveness to portability to seamless device-to-device sync to cloud servers.
Leveraging their unique know-how and intellectual property for the development of cloud gaming technologies and hardware throughout the trial, Razer will provide the 5G cloud gaming use case and test scenarios. Singtel, for its part, will provide the 5G platform and technical test scenarios.
Yuen Kuan Moon, CEO, consumer Singapore, Singtel, referred to 5G as “a literal game-changer” when it comes to cloud gaming. “Latency and bandwidth are crucial to internet streaming and 5G will deliver next-generation connectivity that will support immersive gaming, even on mobile devices,” he said. “We are thrilled to be taking a step further on our journey to 5G with Razer and IMDA and look forward to exploring 5G cloud gaming solutions together.”
Over the next few months, the trial will be conducted at three locations: Shaw Centre, Ngee Ann City on the Orchard Road shopping belt, and Razer’s new Southeast Asia headquarters.
