3 things you need to know before gaming this Christmas

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If you’re on a Fixed Wireless plan, buying an Xbox or something similar this Christmas is no problem.

However, if you’re on a Sky Muster™ or Sky Muster Plus plan, then there’s a few things you need to know first.

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What you need to know

Let’s start with what Simon says

Simon and Emily are avid gamers who moved to rural Queensland to take a break from city life. They use a SkyMesh Sky Muster Plus connection to do what they love and have shared their experience with us.

It’s worth taking a short break from life to watch this video and hear what they say about what works on Sky Muster Plus for gaming.

[WATCH: 1min 32secs]

1. A gaming console like an Xbox can use a lot of data, but there are work arounds

Depending on the games you want to play, setting up a new gaming console – like an Xbox One X for example – and downloading your new game/s could see you needing 100 – 200GB of data.

Most individual updates to an Xbox are then about 5GB.

Games and their updates could be anywhere from 30GB all the way up to 100GB!

So, depending on how many updates and what game/s you want, this could all get out of hand very quickly if you don’t manage it right.

It could just as easily happen on a PlayStation or Nintendo console. The game sizes for these consoles are generally smaller than Xbox games, but you still need to keep an eye on how many games you download.

Workarounds include:

• purchasing a physical copy of the game if you can (even if you do this though, the updates will still come from the web)
• downloading games or updates during off-peak hours
• playing single-player mode, turn-based games, or offline.

2. Real-time strategy games and first-person shooter games online are out

If the intent this Christmas is to play games competitively online, there might be some disappointment due to lag (or latency).

Lag is the common gaming term for latency which, in this case, refers to the length of time it takes for the signal to go from your computer while you’re gaming, all the way from Earth to the Sky Muster™ satellite and back… twice. It happens every time you or an opponent takes an action in the game.

It has an uncanny knack for ruining your gaming experience and that of your mates.

The unavoidable latency that comes with satellite Internet usage is the exact reason we encourage gamers to play turn-based games, single-player games or to take their game offline.

Any online games requiring a fast response are really not okay on satellite.

But the good news is that there are a number of first-person shooter games out there (like those in the Call of Duty franchise) that have really fun single-player offline modes ( like the Zombie maps for example).

3. Satellite friendly, low-data games do exist

Don’t worry! There are plenty of games that ARE suitable for you and/or the kids to play on a Sky Muster™ or Sky Muster Plus™ connection.

These sorts of games are friendly on your data usage for downloads, updates and play.

For example, you only need 8GB of available data to download Civilization VI for your Xbox, and if you do that during your Off-Peak period, you’re laughing; there’s always plenty of Off-Peak data to spare.

The first time you play Civilization VI you will need an Internet connection but after that you can play it completely offline. Expansions are often around the 4GB mark to download at a later date.

Rogue-Like games can be incredibly data friendly with download sizes as low as 200MB.

A great example is Terraria which is a cute little game with enormously positive reviews.

These few tips will give you one less thing to worry about over Christmas and more time to get merry with friends and family!

Need more data this Holiday season? Don’t forget we’re giving you an extra 5GB every Friday of the holidays.

If you still need more data, upgrade your plan for a single month using your online SkyMesh account.

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