In the second part of this series, we asked Lenovo’s head of Asia Pacific Gaming, Ian Tan, on his impressions of the metaverse and gaming streaming services for 2022
Enter the metaverse
The metaverse is a hot topic and it helps to first think about how we will access the metaverse. Some believe it will be an evolution of the VR headsets that are in use today (aka Ready Player One), others believe it will be a Matrix-like experience where you are downloaded into a simulation by being jacked in via your neural system. Either approach requires massive leaps of technology that could take years to develop. However, there could be new ways of accessing the metaverse that may just appear and improve on these two “traditional” approaches.
Once access to the metaverse is made convenient for the masses, we will see people putting on their online personas like a change of clothes to play games, work or interact with others. Today, anyone who is on social media already has some form of an online persona that they adopt when interacting with others. The lines will blur further when your online personas enter into massive game worlds.
The metaverse will also bring about an exponential increase in demand for content creation. After all, every object in the new universe will need to be created and rendered from scratch. Now, will gaming and non-gaming metaworlds be generated by AI or humans? Another intriguing thought.
The growth of gaming streaming services
When it comes to new services like game streaming (GeForce Now) and subscription gaming (Xbox Game Pass), Singapore is already ahead of other Asian countries. These two services will continue to mature in 2022 and co-exist with traditional buy-and-download digital storefronts because they appeal to different needs.
Streaming services are great for gamers who may not necessarily want to invest in high-powered gaming devices. Subscription services serve those who want to try as many genres and titles as possible for a fixed fee. Digital storefronts (eg. Steam and Epic Games Store) serve those who just want to own a game without any further consideration.
While I do await Stadia’s arrival, my needs are well served by existing services. Lenovo is now offering a free three-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate on Lenovo Legion PCs that are preloaded with Windows 11. Gamers can also collect free games regularly from the likes of Epic Games Store and Amazon Prime. I have so many games in my Lenovo Legion library that are waiting to be played!
