It seems the end of an era is here. Microsoft recently announced it was shutting down their Microsoft Internet Games service. You know the one – with the infamous green turf background and popular table games, moved online, such as Hearts, Chess, Backgammon, Spades, Checkers, and more. Perhaps you felt like one of the cool ones, playing while wearing your PC gaming headset.

There isn’t any question that these games hold a soft spot in many people’s hearts. They remind us of our parents or older siblings playing in the earlier days of the Internet. You might have played while trying to pass time. And now, they will be ended on January 22, 2020.

The Windows Gaming Team heartfully wrote, “We truly appreciate all the time and passion you’ve put into Microsoft Internet Games. This has been a great community. However, the time has come for us, along with our hardware and software partners, to invest our resources towards more recent technologies so that we can continue to deliver great new experiences.” Until the closure date, the games will continue to operate as normal.

Windows Internet Games were first launched two decades ago with the release of Windows ME in 2000. Boy, how time flies.

And, they had intriguing games such as Spider Solitaire. Not to mention, there were five games you could play against other people online. In fact, Microsoft’s Internet Game suite really revved up our appetites for more online gaming experiences.You can read more on Charlotte Observer.

And, yet, there wasn’t anything revolutionary about these games. They were the comfortable standards that most people could easily play – should they feel like it. There was nothing controversial, or mind-blowing, about them. Just as casual, and breezy, way to pass time. But, the kicker was the online competition.

If you wanted to get better, or learn new skills, you could quickly play against someone online to pick up new tactics. It was one of the original forms of online gaming where you didn’t have to wait for friends and family members to play – you could just pick up a game at any time. So, if you want to cling to some of those comforting games – start playing now.

The world of online gaming has changed so much over the past decade, and the changes will continue to happen faster and more frequently with the advent of 5G speeds. With 5G, there is almost no lag and you could enjoy a seamless cloud gaming experience on almost any of your devices.

In fact, 5G may truly blur the lines of gaming devices and create a new gaming world where consoles are no longer the biggest selling feature. Really, even mobile devices can take part since most of the computation processing will occur in a datacenter. So, you can play games that you would normally have to try only on a console.

In addition, you’ll be able to play more streaming games with a reliable Internet connection. We will also probably start to see mobile devices that are both optimized for cloud gaming and 5G. You can have a powerful console, with access to a wide variety of games, right in your pocket. Just grab a great gaming headset, and you will be ready to rock ‘n roll.

So, is it possible that you just can’t quit playing Microsoft’s Solitaire online? Well, you are not alone. Thought to be French in origin, Solitaire is a game that has been around for over two centuries. Do we really have to leave it behind? Perhaps we will never forget our love for classic games, but with 5G, the future is coming where you like it or not.

Clare Louise