\u201cI love how the subject is \u2018the future of gaming\u2019, like that\u2019s up to me,\u201d Perkins says with a laugh to kick off his section of the day\u2019s presentations. He gets a chuckle from the crowd by adding, \u201cThis is what the guy said! That\u2019s what\u2019s gonna happen!\u201d<\/p>\n
Having spent the past two years working at Qualcomm (which Perkins calls an \u201cingredient brand\u201d you\u2019ll find in everything from 5G networks to Snapdragon chips), and three years before that working on the new consoles for Xbox, Perkins has spent a good chunk of his working life trying to figure out where gaming is heading.<\/p>\n
Although Qualcomm has contributed to consoles in the past, the company\u2019s current focus is mobile. Perkins notes that Qualcomm\u2019s Snapdragon Elite Gaming banner has brought \u201cdesktop-level capabilities\u201d to phones including variable rate-shading and volumetric rendering.<\/p>\n
![\""Qualcomm\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/03\/Qualcomm-9d2097c.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"Qualcomm\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Not keen to get bogged down in the jargon, Perkins went on to detail \u201cthe future of gaming as decided by me\u201d. He told us, \u201cThis is what I think we\u2019re gonna see. And this is what has me so excited. Because of all the advances that we\u2019ve been able to have in the mobile field, we\u2019re seeing people become more and more platform agnostic. They want great games.\u201d<\/p>\n
Perkins adds, \u201cI actually started dozens of years ago, when it was \u2018Team Nintendo\u2019 or \u2018Team Sega\u2019. Sega had the famous campaign, \u2018Sega does what Nintendont\u2019, and Sonic was out for blood against Mario. And then you saw, next generation, there were the Xbox [fans] and the Sony ponies, right?\u201d<\/p>\n
The lay of the land doesn\u2019t really look like that anymore. Perkins says, \u201cWhat we\u2019ve seen, and this is from some internal research we\u2019ve done\u2026 we asked gamers, what platform are you most passionate about? Where are you spending the most amount of your time?\u201d<\/p>\n
At this point, Perkins shares a slide of surprising stats, including one about people who would define themselves as PC gamers, but actually spend almost as much time playing on their phone as they do on their computer. Likewise, people that primarily play mobile games might also spend a fair amount of time on consoles as well.<\/p>\n
Analysing the data, Perkins says, \u201cThrough all this, you see so much overlap. And it\u2019s for a few different reasons. You know, number one, let\u2019s say you play on your PC all the time, well\u2026 what if you\u2019re on the tube on the way to work? You\u2019re not taking your PC with you, right? But you can play another game or even the same game with cross-platform progression or cross-platform saves.\u201d<\/p>\n
He adds: \u201cYou\u2019re seeing a lot of games come out that are, by nature, designed to be cross-platform. An easy example is Fortnite. That is a game that spans across all platforms. And it\u2019s great to know that I can play on my Xbox against my friend on a PlayStation or a PC. I can even be on my phone and play against those other platforms.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\""Snapdragon\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/03\/Snapdragon-Elite-Gaming-bb84a57.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"Snapdragon-Elite-Gaming\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Perkins also noted an example from the TV world, saying, \u201cIf you think about it, like, let\u2019s say Netflix for example \u2014 no one ever says, \u2018Hey, what are you watching?\u2019 \u2018Oh, I\u2019m watching Netflix phone\u2019, right? Or \u2018I\u2019m watching Netflix TV.\u2019 It\u2019s just Netflix, right? And you can start watching on your phone, you can carry it to your TV, we know that is just Netflix.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd so that\u2019s what I\u2019m looking forward to [in gaming], like, \u2018Oh, what are you doing?\u2019 \u2018I\u2019m playing Fortnite\u2019. And it doesn\u2019t matter where you\u2019re playing.\u201d To make this a wider-reaching reality, Perkins says you need \u201cdevelopers to be open to that\u201d and you need \u201cto have the technology for it\u201d. He notes that Snapdragon Elite Gaming is \u201cbuilding that technology, so you\u2019re not seeing a complete drop-off\u201d when comparing mobile to other platforms.<\/p>\n
Cloud gaming supported by the speedy 5G network will play a part in this future as well. Perkins says, \u201cThe end vision of cloud gaming is to be on every screen. So right now, what you\u2019re seeing is games [on mobile] that were originally intended for PC or console \u2014 you know, no one ever intended Halo to be played in the palm of your hands.\u201d<\/p>\n
Because of what is possible with the cloud, Perkins says, \u201cyou\u2019re starting to see developers thinking more outside the box, like, \u2018Okay, what is it going to look like on a smaller screen?\u2019 Conversely, you know, what\u2019s it going to look like on a bigger screen if you\u2019re working the other way, being able to fling something from your phone to you PC monitor or TV monitor.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, at the end of the day, all gaming is becoming one, and isn\u2019t that what we really want? Not being encumbered by \u2018that game looks great, how do I play it?\u2019 Being able to see that game and say, \u2018I can\u2019t wait to play this on every screen in my life.\u2019\u201d<\/p>
This future sounds lovely, but there are some wrinkles that need ironing out in our opinion. It\u2019s one thing to predict what the future of gaming will be, but a fair amount of collaboration would be needed in order to make it happen.<\/p>\n
Although Xbox and the Fortnite-makers from Epic Games seem committed to the idea of sharing their content on multiple platforms, you could argue Sony and Nintendo are holding on tighter to the old tradition of console-locked exclusives. We ask from the audience: will this vision for the future of gaming be held back by platform-holders and developers that don\u2019t share the same vision?<\/p>\n
Perkins responds like so: \u201cI mean, I don\u2019t think so. I think we\u2019re seeing an erosion of those walls around platforms. Now, I do think that some are earlier than others, and some are a little more aggressive about it. But I mean, if you want to talk, let\u2019s take PlayStation for example, right?<\/p>\n
\u201cThey used to be, \u2018you have to own a PlayStation to play this Sony Studios game\u2019. And [now] you\u2019re seeing them on PC, launched through Steam. There is that delay from when they\u2019re on the console [to when they come on PC], but I think they\u2019re kind of opening up to it, right?<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the end of the day, the consumer is always gonna win, no matter what. Because that is the money that you put down. And I think people are starting to think about it a little differently.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\""Sony's\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2021\/10\/God-of-War-PC-release-date-d673d47.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"Sony's\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Indeed, Sony has begun to dabble in PC releases of its previously PlayStation-exclusive games, although \u2014 as Perkins alluded to \u2014 these Steam releases tend to come multiple years after the PS4\/PS5 launches of the same games. And you can technically get PlayStation games on your phone if you control your console with the Remote Play app. Still, it\u2019s hard to imagine Sony rushing to embrace a platform-agnostic future, especially when PS5 stock<\/a> is still flying off the shelves.<\/p>\n Perkins continued, \u201cIf you want to talk about the hardware side, any piece of hardware is losing money, right? You make up for it, obviously, on the software. But people are starting to kind of revisit those business models. And we\u2019ve never had more screens in our lives, right? Like, I mean, you\u2019re going to be able to play games on your refrigerator at some point.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I\u2019m not saying that dedicated hardware is ever going away. Because if you can, let\u2019s say, in a world where you\u2019re streaming 8K through the cloud [on your phone]. Having dedicated hardware [like a console or PC], you\u2019re going to get 16K or 64K or whatever. So there\u2019s always going to be a place for that.<\/p>\n \u201cBut it\u2019s going to get to a certain point where, if you want that experience, it\u2019s going to be on that screen somewhere. And I think that you\u2019re going to see different timings. And I think that some are going to adapt faster.\u201d<\/p>\n Perkins envisions a future where you don\u2019t have to \u201cworry about what box or what piece of hardware you can enjoy this experience on. Let\u2019s have that experience everywhere. And so that\u2019s what I think the future is. And I think those [companies and developers] that have kind of been beholden to their walled gardens are seeing everyone else play in the shared space, and there\u2019s gonna be a want to just get down to the content. And let\u2019s not worry about how it\u2019s delivered. Let\u2019s just get that content to everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n Perkins also brought with him a prototype of the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 Gaming Platform, a new Qualcomm device that blends high-end mobile tech with the form factor of a handheld console. Dev kits like this have been sent out to developers already.<\/p>\n This new product, which was designed in collaboration with Razer, could become an interesting option in the future of gaming that Perkins has outlined. We got a brief chance to try it out, with Rocket League Sideswipe<\/a> and the cloud version of Forza Horizon 4 both running just fine.<\/p>\n Perkins noted that this hardware is still \u201cvery, very early on\u201d in its journey, but it can run Android games and stream PC games as well as supporting cloud-based services like Xbox Game Pass, Amazon Luna, Google Stadia and PlayStation Remote Play. It could become an appealing choice for players who want to bring as many of their games on the go as possible.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is all built around the mantra I\u2019ve been saying earlier,\u201d Perkins says, \u201cabout let the content shine, let the experience shine. This is just another way to play. It\u2019s not going to overtake phones, right?\u201d<\/p>\n Perkins adds: \u201cBut for the slide I showed, where people are playing amongst platforms, it\u2019s additive, it adds to that. [\u2026] I don\u2019t expect anyone to junk their PC, right, but if they want to play their game while in bed, and they don\u2019t want to make their way up to their setup? Fantastic.\u201d Perhaps the future will be here sooner than you thought.<\/p>\n Follow Radio Times Gaming on Twitter<\/a> for all the latest insights. Or if you\u2019re looking for something to watch, see our TV Guide.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Visit our video game release schedule<\/a> for all upcoming games on consoles. Swing by our hubs for more Gaming<\/a> and Technology<\/a>\u00a0news.<\/strong><\/p>\n The latest issue of Radio Times is on sale now \u2013\u00a0subscribe now<\/a>\u00a0to get each issue delivered to your door. For more from the biggest stars in TV, l<\/strong>isten to the\u00a0Radio Times podcast<\/a>\u00a0with Jane Garvey.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p><\/body><\/html>\n By Rob Leane Published: Wednesday, 02 March 2022 at 12:00 am The mobile tech giant Qualcomm hosted a morning of talks in London recently, where Patrick Perkins, its Head of Marketing (Gaming and Graphics) shared a vision for the future of gaming. He even brought with him a dev kit for the upcoming Snapdragon G3x […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":0,"template":"","categories":[8],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Rob Leane Published: Wednesday, 02 March 2022 at 12:00 am The mobile tech giant Qualcomm hosted a morning of talks in London recently, where Patrick Perkins, its Head of Marketing (Gaming and Graphics) shared a vision for the future of gaming. He even brought with him a dev kit for the upcoming Snapdragon G3x…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/11683"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\""The\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/03\/QualComm-SnapDragon-gaming-device-f44dc77.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"QualComm-SnapDragon-gaming-device\"\\"\/")
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