How the COVID-19 Pandemic is altering the gaming timeline for everyone

While people fight online about what console is better, some are still searching for one to get their hands on. It’s been a rough year for most of the United States, as the COVID-19 Pandemic rages on throughout the country and globe. 

What many would love to do is sit back after a hard day and play on their nice, new next gen console. Unfortunately, that’s not a reality for many. It’s more like the Twilight Zone “Time Enough At Last” episode at this point.

Whether you’ve been waiting for a PS5 since it’s drop date on November 12 of last year, or eying the Xbox Series X or S, there’s a high chance you still haven’t been able to get your hands on one. And if you’ve been in the market for a new gaming PC, may the odds be ever in your favor.

The semiconductor situation

But how did we get to this point? Is it our beloved gaming companies to blame?

The short answer is no. Think of it this way; supply chains have been affected everywhere in almost every aspect. From groceries to batteries, these supply chains have been paused or stunted over the COVID 19 Pandemic, which hit the United States 18 months ago.

The gaming industry was not immune. It leaves gamers scrambling for the newest generation system, but all gaming companies in a hard place. Semiconductors are in short supply, and lack of components to build the consoles and systems is what’s hurting productivity everywhere. Toshiba has already warned this shortage may not be going anywhere soon.

Xbox Game Pass and xCloud entered the scene just in time.

Nobody saw the Pandemic coming, but it seems Xbox was able to taste some success in spite of it. With Xbox Game Pass going full speed ahead and changing the gaming industry, it’s left many Sony PlayStation lovers feeling lost in the woods.

King of Xbox Phil Spencer didn’t directly answer the question about how many subscribers Xbox Game Pass has currently, but it’s projected to have a higher number than last year’s 18 million. And that’s not all.

Xbox Cloud Gaming, dubbed xCloud, is in Beta already. Game Pass Ultimate subscribers who applied to be part of the Beta testers can play games available with no install required. So what will Sony do in response? Sony’s PS Now still doesn’t allow subscribers to play PS5 games as of now.

What comes next?

It’s not that Sony is completely dropping the ball either. According to recent reports, a patent was submitted for approval back in April of this year. It looks like Sony’s planning something, it’s just likely slowed PlayStation’s response.

Although it’s difficult for consumers and gaming fans everywhere- there’s one thing that can be agreed upon. It’s not for the lack of games.

The problem is what are you going to play the game on? The lack of console systems and PCs is enough to keep many people still waiting. AAA games that have been released this year include (but are by no means limited to) Deathloop and Resident Evil Village. That’s not even mentioning the indie games, like the ones mentioned in our article here. 

Content is bountiful, and gamers have all the choices in the world thanks to streaming services with one caveat: if they have a system. Some gamers who have been able to secure one have been lucky, but it likely happened from watching drops like sharks, and many people are still waiting in line for their time to feast.

We need a resolution

It’s ironic because all gamers are dealing with the same issues, yet log into Twitter and people are still arguing about which company is doing the most for its fandom.

In actuality, each gaming company is going through its own crisis with the same components shortage. The Pandemic has affected everyone in some way, shape or form.

So when logging onto whatever system you have, entering chats, and seeing the hate spewed towards each other’s game system preference, just remember everyone is in the same boat; waiting for the Pandemic to subside and tech to recover.