News

Smartphones Dominate The Saudi Online Gaming Sector

Around 73% of gamers use smartphones in the Kingdom to play online, according to a YouGov survey.

Published

3 years ago

August 17, 2023

Nour Nasir

smartphones dominate the saudi online gaming sector

Gamers8

By 2026, the global gaming market is projected to surpass $200 billion in value, with mobile devices continuing to dominate the sector.

As in many other markets, smartphones are the gaming device of choice for Saudi Arabians, with nearly three-quarters of users (73%) preferring portability and convenience over consoles and PCs.

UK-based research firm YouGov found that game consoles like Microsoft’s Xbox, Sony’s PlayStation, and Nintendo’s Switch were favored by 34% of gamers, with desktops and laptops recording a 33% score. Meanwhile, high-end gaming PCs were preferred by just 14% of users.

On how much time is spent gaming per week, the biggest portion of respondents (22%) admitted they spend about 3-6 hours per day, YouGov found.

“Although mobile devices have opened the gates to casual gaming in a big way, the likes of Xbox and PlayStation continue to appeal to gaming enthusiasts, with a third of weekly gamers using dedicated gaming consoles to play video games. Men are more likely than women to say this,” YouGov analysts explained.

Like citizens in most other developed nations, social media interaction remains the top online activity for Saudi Arabians, with 41% of those surveyed engaged in it, according to experts. As you’d imagine, the likes of YouTube, Netflix, and Amazon Prime came in next, dominating the rankings ahead of other activities like checking emails and general browsing.

Also Read: Top 10 Best Video Games Set In The Middle East

As for online gaming, Saudi Arabia’s government will be pleased with the survey’s findings, as the country plans to develop 30 new gaming titles locally and create around 40,000 jobs by 2030 as part of a program known as the National Gaming and Esports Strategy.

Last month, the Kingdom began hosting Gamers8, one of the world’s largest gaming festivals, which YouGov found to be well received by residents. Saudi Arabia’s online gaming industry also received a boost with $488 million of funding from the Saudi Esports Federation, the National Development Fund, and the Social Development Bank, announced at Riyadh’s Leap Technology Conference back in February.

News

Nano Banana 2 Arrives In MENA For Google Gemini Users

Google brings its latest image model to Gemini and Search, adding 4K output and tighter text control for regional users.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 27, 2026

Nour Nasir

Google

Google has opened access to Nano Banana 2 across the Middle East and North Africa, pushing its newest image model into everyday tools rather than keeping it inside the exclusive (and expensive) Pro tier.

The rollout spans the Google Gemini desktop and mobile apps, and extends to Google Search through Lens and AI Mode. Developers can also test it in preview via AI Studio and the Gemini API.

Nano Banana 2 runs on Gemini Flash, Google’s fast inference layer. The focus is speed, but also control. Users can export visuals from 512px up to 4K, adjusting aspect ratios for everything from vertical social posts to widescreen displays.

The model maintains character likeness across up to five figures and preserves fidelity for as many as 14 objects within a single workflow. This enables visual continuity across scenes, iterations, or edits — supporting projects like short films, storyboards, and multi-scene narratives. Text rendering has also been improved, delivering legible typography in mockups and greeting cards, with built-in translation and localization directly within images.

Also Read: RØDE Adds Direct iPhone Pairing To Wireless GO And Pro Mics

Under the hood, the system taps Gemini’s broader knowledge base and pulls in real-time information and imagery from web search to render specific subjects more accurately. Lighting and fine detail have been upgraded, without slowing output.

By embedding the model inside Gemini and Search, Google is normalizing advanced image generation for a mass audience. In MENA, where startups and marketing teams are leaning heavily on AI to scale content across languages and borders, that shift lands at a practical moment.

The move also folds creative tooling deeper into search itself, so that image generation is no longer a separate workflow. It now sits right next to the query box.