By Khalid Wani
Despite fierce competition from both the console industry and mobile gaming, the PC is not just one of the most popular platforms used by gaming enthusiasts worldwide but also continues to grow. This is clearly evident when we look at the game design industry – 56% of game developers created games for PCs in 2020 were for PC1. Game developers worldwide are rewriting codes that are being incorporated into standalone products and offered to gamers through a cloud or online service – ones which can be used across diverse platforms, such as PlayStation, Xbox, and Windows PC.
However, most popular PC games contain richly detailed assets and sophisticated graphical effects that enhance realism and heighten the immersive experience of 3D environments. Consequently, with games becoming more advanced, data storage requirements have gone up exponentially. Besides the need for increased storage space, new online games also require faster disk speeds, so they can be streamed smoothly and processed more quickly. Today an estimated 48 percent of all PC owners use their PCs for gaming, as it gives them more control over hardware components, such as an internal storage drive, allowing them to enhance their gaming experience.
Interestingly, a report on the gaming landscape has revealed that the PC gaming hardware market stood at US$40 billion market in 2020, a 10 % increase over the previous year. Given that India’s gaming industry has been on an exponential growth trajectory for the past few years and is set to reach a US$5 billion market opportunity by 2025, it is no surprise that the PC hardware market too is seeing simultaneous growth. According to some estimates, the PC hardware segment will grow to be worth US$70 billion by 2023, demonstrating that people will continue to look for and use the latest hardware for PC gaming.
Factors driving gamers from mobile to PC
There are several reasons why gamers are migrating to PCs instead of using their mobile phones. PCs for gaming typically offer better and quicker processing speeds, uncompromising performance, and powerful graphics cards for rich, high-definition images, and uninterrupted video and audio feeds. While playing high-intensity games, gamers often require large screen devices such as PCs and laptops. And then there are some games created to exploit the most advanced new graphic technologies. PCs also offer an optimum immersive experience and better battery life.
Another advantage for PC gamers is the option to choose a more optimised version of data storage and transfer. Graphic-rich games are some of the most popular games today, and they require large capacities of storage to enhance the experience. Lack of storage or the right kind of storage can adversely impact gameplay from slow load times to lags or a decrease in frame rates or a frozen screen. Therefore, SSDs are increasingly becoming a popular storage medium for PC gamers.
A high-performance storage drive like the WD_BLACK SN850X NVMe SSD can provide gamers with a smooth, consistent gameplay experience and more “tuning” features via the included Game Mode 2.0 software. Optimised for hardcore gamers looking for unparalleled performance, this powerful internal PCIe Gen4 SSD delivers breakneck read speeds of up to 7,300 MB/s. With extremely low latency and predictive loading, gamers can expect an incredible gaming experience with faster load times and richer visual experiences. Available in capacities ranging from 1TB to 4TB, the new PCIe Gen4 M.2 drive features an optional model with RGB lighting and a heatsink to help sustain peak performance when playing resource-intensive games.
If you want to up your game and enjoy a truly exceptional gaming experience, then having an expandable high-performance storage device for your PC will prove invaluable.
The author is the senior director, sales, India of Western Digital
