If you've been following the news you'll surely know the entire world has gone Poké-crazy, thanks to the hit smartphone game Pokémon Go. And while the game is not officially out in Europe, it sets to bring about a boon to datacentres in the region, Aegis Data says.
Produced by Nintendo and Niantic, Pokémon Go is an augmented reality (AR) game. It leverages on Google Maps and data from Niantic's previous game, Ingress, to overlay virtual critters on top of the "real" world. Of course, such an experience depends on constant connection to datacentres, and more capacity will surely be required if Nintendo is to ensure European gamers can "catch 'em all" in as smooth and hassle-free a manner as possible.
"Datacentre operators have been more than equipped to handle the demands of the gaming sector for a long time now-- historically, limited computing power combined with slow connectivity speeds meant there was always a cap as to what could be achieved," Aegis Data says. "The infrastructure is now in place to support this by providing the highest levels of connectivity, storage and qualities of service these new, immersive gaming experiences require. Arguably, it has been a case of waiting for the right opportunity, or game, to come along, which allows the industry to push on and it looks like we might have that now."
As such, datacentre operators have an excellent opportunity here-- not only with Pokémon Go, but with other future titles hoping to exploit the potential of AR technology. However, operators need to understand the needs and culture of the technology, be it consumption patters across different regions, security concerns and, of course, high connectivity and speeds.
In conclusion? What was an arguably waning children's franchise has done nothing less than take AR to the mainstream. With sufficient infrastructure, connectivity and storage capacity in place, the datacentre industry might just have the means to bring about an era of cloud-driven games.
Go Datacentre Industry Looking to Cash in on 'Em All' Following the Success of Pokémon Go
