Progress is good – it means we get new technology that allows us to enjoy gaming more that we were just a short while previously. Competition is equally as good – it drives quality up, prices down, and increases the options available to gamers. Luckily there is plenty of both happening in the hardware industry right now, including the following:
Gaming eyewear market shakeup
When I say gaming glasses, you think Gunnars. I don’t blame you, Gunnar was one of the first companies to market gaming glasses effectively, and have become a well known brand in a relatively short period of time.
However, competitors are starting to arise, and that’s a good thing. Allure eyewear have partnered with Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 to release a range of branded gaming eyewear that works out cheaper than the Gunnar options, and they’re not alone.
Steelseries have their own Scope eyewear to take the challenge to Gunnar, and the ones who profit from all of this are the gamers. A wider range to choose from is always good, and the competition between companies fighting for market share should see prices falling as each works hard to earn your loyalty (or at least part of your paycheck).
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 gaming glasses
Mobile hardware power is increasing rapidly
Dedicated mobile gaming consoles may have their share of benefits for more consumer-oriented devices, but one area they are short is sheer power. The performance of the GPU to feature in the iPad 4 as tested by Anandtech recently and shows great gains over the current generation iPad (iPad 3). These gains mean the iPad 4 should at least match, if not surpass portable gaming consoles such as the PS Vita despite the much higher resolution (2048 x 1536) it needs to power.
Chips like these finding their way into smartphones and tablets may be what pushes developers to bring higher-end games onto consumer devices. With companies such as Nyko offering add-on controllers that provide analogue gaming buttons for touch screen only devices, and large corporations such as Intel, Nvidia, and ARM pushing for improvements in power efficiency to extend battery life, it’s an exciting time for gaming on the go.
Where is your Gameboy now?
We’re finally getting high res monitors
All signs point to new monitor technology coming in the next few months and years that will bring higher resolutions to the masses, as well as slimmer, more energy efficient models.
Apple are leading the charge with their 2048 x 1536 resolution iPad screens and 2880 x 1800 laptop displays, while other manufacturers are starting to make full-HD the standard resolution for notebooks. This along with the resolution charge in smartphones should mean that soon you’ll have a reason to invest in a CrossFireX or SLI setup. It’s also the reason you shouldn’t buy a new monitor at this point in time.
Apple Cinema display
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