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You are in the middle of a pandemic. The schools are closed. There are no exams. You can’t go out and meet friends. What do you do for fun? Choose your PlayStation, computer, smartphone and play games. Last year, this applied to people from all walks of life. 2020 was a crucial year for the gaming industry. Both Microsoft and Sony introduced their next-generation game consoles and there was also an increased demand for computer hardware.
Several announcements were made. How many of them were fulfilled is a completely different story, especially in India. Affected distribution chains, economic challenges, and even company mistakes made 2020 a promising but frustrating year for gamers.
The industry remains hopeful and believes that these problems are no different than those faced by other sectors. Manvendra Shukul, CEO of Lakshya, one of India’s leading game art creation companies, compares lags and interruptions to those seen in Hollywood movies.
“Considering the challenges companies have faced this year due to the pandemic, the delays in new launches and limited stocks with retailers are quite understandable. Most of these delays will be forgotten and forgiven by players over time. In fact, we are of the opinion that it is better to spend a few more months (and therefore be late) to deliver a good product than to deliver the product on time even though it is not really ready, ”he told India Today. Tech.
The long-awaited PlayStation that never came
Gamers entered 2020 with a lot of enthusiasm around Sony’s next-gen PlayStation. The company had unveiled the PS5 at a major event and had also shown titles designed specifically for it. Many months later, nothing is still known about its availability in India. The initial delay was understandable as the copyright for PS5 India was held by a guy from Delhi. That problem has been solved.
Since the prices have been announced, it is likely that Sony has also obtained approval from the BIS. So the only thing holding up the launch could be limited stocks. And it’s an issue Sony is grappling with in other markets as well. The popularity of the pandemic has generated massive demand, but production is not keeping up.
In fact, Sony is claimed to suffer losses to ensure fast shipments, losing up to $ 170 per console sold.
Another blow for the company came in the form of problems with the Cyberpunk 2077 game that was finally released after multiple delays and featured Sony’s involvement in development. Things went so badly that it had to pull the title out of PlayStation stores around the world, following a barrage of complaints and ridicule over bugs, compatibility issues, and even health risks.
Shukul believes that these incidents may cause some frustration, but are unlikely to damage Sony’s reputation in the long run.
“The problems with Cyberpunk 2077 are unlikely to affect Sony’s market position because it is a cross-platform title developed by a reputable studio. For its part, Sony has already removed the title from the Playstation Store and is offering customers a full refund. With the launch of the PS5, Sony will probably further strengthen its position in the Indian market, ”he said.
With gamers running out of patience, Microsoft could have benefited from the situation. It released the Microsoft Xbox Series X and Series S consoles on November 10 globally. However, Microsoft faces its own problems. The console maker also appears to be in short supply and the situation is unlikely to improve until April next year.
Limited AMD and Nvidia cards
AMD made headlines this year when it released the first of its Ryzen 5000 desktop CPUs based on the Zen 3 architecture. The performance of these CPUs impressed everyone. It’s the price that raised some eyebrows. Let’s just say that these CPUs don’t fit everyone’s pockets. And even if they did, they were hard to find.
On the gaming front, AMD made its mark with the introduction of the RX 6000 series of graphics cards, which sold out instantly at launch. The AMD RX 6900 XT, AMD RX 6800 XT and AMD RX 6800 models looked more than capable of competing with Nvidia’s high-performance lines.
Nvidia’s year was slightly better than its competitors. However, the success was limited to the premium segment. The company launched the GeForce RTX 2000 Super series for laptops earlier this year, while the GeForce RTX 3000 GPUs arrived recently. Both performed better than the previous generation. Its Founders Edition graphics card was also renewed.
Nvidia also opened its cloud gaming service GeForce Now to the public, completing a successful year. He also set a roadmap for the future by announcing a $ 40 million acquisition of ARM Holdings, the company behind the ARM architecture. The deal has yet to obtain regulatory approval.
Both AMD and Nvidia are only to blame for the problems they faced in 2020. Despite having excellent gaming hardware, they failed to match the demand generated in the markets, leaving gamers furious and frustrated.
Scammers are scammed
Limited gaming hardware stocks weren’t just due to a shortage of supply. Last year saw the rise of scam artists, called resellers, who found themselves buying products as soon as they were released and then reselling them for a profit. Some of them grabbed these products manually, others used bots and proxies to clear the stock as soon as the product went on sale.
Interestingly, as the trend grew, even the scammers weren’t sure. Customers, fed up with paying inflated prices, misled these resellers on many occasions. They would contact a local vendor, ask about the price, and set up a place to meet. However, it will not appear for the same.
Can 2021 make up for 2020?
The last 12 months have been about promises, the next 12 should be about keeping them. There are several positive signs for the gaming industry. The opening of global economies and the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines should give much-needed boost to supply chains and will also help manufacturers increase their production.
For India, the introduction of PlayStation 5 and 5G technology is likely to be the big moments. The latter will be significantly important for mobile games. The industry will also closely follow the relaunch of PUBG Mobile India, a game that changed the dynamics of the industry in an unprecedented way.
The pandemic situation also delayed several major titles such as Halo Infinite until 2021. The launch will also lead to a change in the market. As a consequence of the resistance shown by the industry in 2020, investors will also be optimistic.
All in all, 2021 looks like a promising year for gaming in more ways than one!
