It is safe to say that in the modern world video games are the number one entertainment for a huge audience – children and adults play in all countries and on all continents. And the profit from this direction is greater than from films, books and music combined. At the same time, unfortunately, the situation for gamers has not been very favorable lately – everyone wants to play with beautiful graphics and high frame rates in the latest releases, but there are also difficulties with releases, and it is not easy to assemble a computer now. A reasonable alternative is cloud gaming, which has already proven itself well.
What is cloud gaming and how does it work
The mechanism of cloud gaming is very simple – the video game is not launched by the gamer on the PC, but on a remote server that only broadcasts the image to the user’s screen. In this case, the player does not need to worry about buying a powerful computer or constantly upgrading his system, as this is a headache of the service. A fan of colorful video games in the case of using cloud technologies only needs a relatively fast Internet connection, with which there are no problems at the moment, as well as at least some kind of computer and a formal subscription. And the best part is that these are not empty words, but quite a reality – there are already dozens of cloud gaming services that are actively competing with each other.
However, which is quite natural, cloud gaming has a number of drawbacks that you need to be aware of. On the example of some popular sites, I would like to note the formation of virtual queues of 500-800 people due to increased demand. As a result, sometimes you have to wait 2-3 hours before the game. In addition, the game library of these services is selected manually and is very limited. Of course, it is constantly being expanded, but if a gamer wants to launch some specific release, he may have difficulties. And, of course, we should not forget that some foreign streaming platforms are simply not represented in Russia.
Maximum settings with ray tracing for a reasonable price
It is safe to say that a device for only 5 thousand rubles with a built-in cloud gaming service can be a very pleasant surprise. We are talking about the SberBox TV set-top box, which has just been powerfully updated, and now it not only gives you the option to install different APKs, but also contains a lot of free content out of the box. Plus, 6 pre-installed cinemas, all popular video hosting sites, a browser, TV channels, in general, everything you need on TV.
Secondly, the built-in SberPlay cloud gaming platform does not limit the gamer’s choice of games – releases from all major digital stores are supported. Accordingly, the user will be able to play any projects, even indies, and not just those supported by the platform. The main thing is that the game should be in your personal library on the above services.
Thirdly, SberPlay does not limit the gamer in terms of the duration of the game session and does not require spending time in a digital queue. For other cloud solutions, for example, even with a premium subscription, the duration of one game session cannot exceed six hours – after that, the queue, if any, will have to be defended again. The Sbera gaming platform allows you to play as much as your heart desires – this is actually an important advantage for avid gamers. Plus, you don’t have to wait until the service allows you to play during prime time, since even Friday evenings are almost without queues.
And, fourthly, the developers of the service provided the user with the maximum technical support. Minimum input lag, maximum graphics settings, support for high resolution, ray tracing and DLSS (in those games where the technology is supported).
At the same time, the best part is that access to cloud gaming actually turned out to be very affordable. For example, the cost of a monthly subscription to SberPlay is 799 rubles. True, there is also a per-minute billing – 1 ruble per 1 minute. There is, of course, a trial for 1 ruble for a month.
Games at maximum speed on the keyboard or gamepad
Personal experience of using the SberPlay service on the SberBox can be described in two words – very cool. Yes, a couple of years ago it seemed impossible or too expensive, but now there really is no need to buy a powerful PC or game console in order to comfortably play even the heaviest releases. I just plugged the console into the TV, connected the Xbox gamepad, logged into the account in the catalog, found the game in the library and went to conquer the virtual world in high definition.
It is worth noting that the set-top box supports gamepads from Xbox One and later, from PS4 and later, any universal wireless models, as well as a virtual gamepad on the smartphone screen – the gamer has a huge choice of controllers, and even if the user already has a set-top box or a wireless keyboard with mouse, then you do not need to buy anything separately either. This, frankly, is also a nice bonus – the money saved can be spent on an additional month of subscription or a game. Moreover, if you wish, you can, for example, play shooters – the delay is extremely low, so there are no difficulties in competitive games, even the most intense and demanding of reaction.
Average PC or ten years of subscription
If we compare the financial side of the issue, the advantage of SberPlay over a gaming PC will become even clearer. The cost of a medium-sized computer (with an Intel Core i5-11400F processor and a GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 2060 D6 video card) is about 115 thousand rubles. At the same time, the SberBox will cost a modest 5,000 rubles, and for unlimited access to SberPlay, you will need to pay a subscription for 799 rubles per month (the option with a per-minute payment is less profitable for avid gamers). It turns out that for the cost of an average PC, you get 120+ months of a subscription to the SberPlay service.
In simpler terms, for the price of a PC on which a gamer can play Full HD at high or medium settings over the next two to three years, SberPlay will provide a little more than ten years of subscription. With unlimited gaming sessions, productive servers (which will be improved at the expense of the service itself, and not with the gamer’s money), many features and capabilities. Of course, a PC has other possibilities outside of video games, but if we are talking about a computer as a gaming platform, then the situation, frankly, is clear as daylight – the Sberbank cloud gaming service is quite capable of replacing a PC or console.
At the same time, in ten years, a computer bought now for 115 thousand rubles will become obsolete to the point of impossibility – during this period, a gamer will have to invest decent amounts in its upgrade three times, or even more. There are no such problems with a subscription to a cloud platform – you just pay 799 rubles once a month, periodically changing gamepads when they become unusable.
No dancing with a tambourine – just pick up and play
Although there is a widespread opinion on the Internet that cloud gaming is a technology of the distant future, in fact it turned out that this is quite a comfortable reality. The Sbera prefix perfectly copes with the task – you can play your favorite video games, up to the most difficult in terms of system requirements, with very positive emotions, and even at maximum graphics settings with ray tracing, anti-aliasing and high resolution. So SberPlay can be safely called a working alternative to the usual gaming.
Source: Trash Box
Charles Grill is a tech-savvy writer with over 3 years of experience in the field. He writes on a variety of technology-related topics and has a strong focus on the latest advancements in the industry. He is connected with several online news websites and is currently contributing to a technology-focused platform.
