Online Casinos Representing the Multiplatform End Goal

As much as we love video games, which is a lot, some frustrations routinely cause us grief. One of the more common of these, the issue of multiplatform access, is also one of the oldest challenges gaming has faced. Even since the days of the early at-home consoles, players have been forced to choose their system based on its titles, to get the most bang for their buck. Recently, however, this pattern has begun to change. Taking a look at how online casino gaming represents this move towards a multiplatform ideal, we want to see what is evolving, and why these changes are so important for players.

Setting the Stage with Online Casinos
Far from their humble roots in the mid-'90s, modern online casinos are vast and offer enormous ranges of games. They’re also accessible over practically all modern online browsers, on many different systems. This is a fact that online casino customers appreciate, with play not limited to one system or a player's area. Whether looking at slot games like Eye of Horus, live games like Premium Blackjack, or jackpots like Rainbow Riches, everything is playable from at least one device a person owns.

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Taking this experience a step further are the comparatively low requirements of online casino titles. Players don't have to worry about their machine not keeping up, and they don't have to invest in expensive hardware to achieve the optimal playing scenario. In other words, many of these aspects are ideals that video games would like to strive for but often fall short of achieving.

Play Anywhere with Video Games
To offer a true multiplatform service on par with what online casinos offer, video game developers have two potential paths. The first is the release of direct multiplatform games. This is most often seen in series like Assassin’s Creed, where titles appear on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC platforms. The problem with this concept is that ports are built off of the primary version of the game, which can have restrictive requirements. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla was never going to be able to run on the Switch or mobile devices natively, and so the term multiplatform needs to come with a huge asterisk.



To address this shortcoming, developers are now turning to game streaming services. Best illustrated by xCloud for the Xbox, PS Now for the PlayStation, and Stadia for PC games, these systems essentially carry titles from one platform to another. In this way, it can be possible to play even the most demanding titles on systems not originally built for the experience. To borrow from the previous example, Stadia streaming allows games like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla to easily run on a modern mobile phone. Though the console-centric services aren’t quite as flexible yet, they’re still attempting to achieve a similar feat; to become as easy to run as online casino games have been for years.

The Endgame
When fully implemented, the concept of modern console multiplatform gaming could be simply regarded as gaming without the need for a powerful device. Just like with online casinos, experiences could be just as great as on original platforms, while being transferrable to a broad selection of other systems. In the new age, players wouldn't even necessarily need to own a console to play console exclusives.

Though ultimately, it could be some time before video games match online casinos on this level, it does appear to be a case of inevitability. Whether you don't want to drop money on a new system, or just want to keep your entertainment center uncluttered, this eventual move could be a very good thing.