With video games topping more than $56 billion in US sales and more than 65% of gamers regularly sharing their pastime with friends online, it’s pretty likely that someone in your home has recently played a game online, and playing today’s immersive games requires a cast-iron internet connection.
How can you tell if you have the best internet for gaming?
Keep an Eye on the Vital Statistics
While most internet browsers are only concerned with a fast download speed, online gaming requires a connection that’s both fast and reliable in several different ways. The best way to find out how your connection measures up is to use an online speed test. Use a few different services and use each one a few times at varying times of day to get a good all-around picture of your connection.
Download Speed
While it isn’t everything, download speed is still important. Even if you play games offline, most games are now downloaded and updated over the internet and can feature massive file sizes (Halo: The Master Chief Edition is 137 GB!). With a slow internet connection, downloads can end up taking days to complete. A connection of 1 Gb/s is great; anything less than 50 Mb/s could be problematic.
Upload Speed
If you plan on streaming your adventures on Twitch or another similar service, your upload speed absolutely must be considered. With one connection supporting all the other devices in your home, handling your game data, and broadcasting high quality video to your loyal followers, a slow upload speed can cripple your stream.
If you have access to fiber internet in your area, you should consider it – fiber connections are symmetrical, meaning your upload speed matches your download speed. Otherwise, try finding an upload speed of no less than 10 Mb/s.
Latency
Commonly referred to as “ping” or “lag,” latency is the measure of how long it takes a packet of data to make the trip from your computer to a server. When you hear gamers complaining of “lag” in an online game, they’re talking about latency. The best internet for gaming has a latency less than 20 milliseconds.
Uptime (Reliability)
Even if you don’t play online games, you know how frustrating it is for your connection to go down while you’re in the middle of something. Your online gaming requires an internet provider that boasts solid, dependable connections with minimal downtime.
Data Quota
Your data quota, or “cap,” is the amount of data you can download before incurring additional fees or throttling. With today’s massive game sizes, a single game download can blow right through your monthly cap, costing you money and slowing down the rest of the month’s online work.
Keep Your Latency Low and Your Win Count High
Whether you’re burning rubber, navigating the stars, or fighting in the trenches, Public Service’s fiber internet is your ticket to lightning-fast gaming. Call us today to get connected – 478-887-4267
Related Articles