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As computer hardware continues to change and improve at a breakneck pace it has become incredibly confusing to simply choose a device suitable for a specific task. Understanding hardware can be incredibly daunting, which is why, for those of you interested in gambling and online casinos, we have compiled this handy guide to outline exactly what kind of device you need for the games you want to play.

stokpic, Pixabay, (CC0 1.0 Universal)

The classic slot machine works on an elaborate configuration of gears and levers which work around a central shaft. A handle attached to the shaft moves the reels while a braking system brings the reels to a stop. Once stopped, sensors on the reels and body of the machine communicate to distinguish if anything has been won. Video slots do away with all of this in favour of operating digitally.

Many digital slot machines incorporate the traditional lever and buttons, but they can quite as easily mix things up with new technology, such as touchscreens or virtual reality headsets. While these digital slot machines are still popular, the best slot experience can be had on your mobile phone or computer in the form of online video slots. Online video slots are either hosted on an internet browser – where they are then referred to as browser games – or are available as a downloadable system, which can either be a computer or mobile application, or a game that patches and updates through a ‘launcher’ program.

There are hundreds of different games available online, with 32Red slots, for instance featuring themed and officially licensed titles such as Lucky Leprechaun slot and the Game of Thrones online slot. There are also many specialty themed games, such as the Asia-themed slots on Borgata Casino or the animal spinners Savannah Storm, Safari Spirit and Red Panda on Winstar Online. Choose the game that’s right for you by looking at the game’s theme and paylines, which refers how the slot connects symbols to form winning combinations. Once you have decided on a game, you can then invest in the appropriate device to play it on.

tstokes, Pixabay, (CC0 1.0 Universal)

All digital devices have a processor, memory and a graphics processor. These function as the device’s brain, short term memory and eyes respectively, and you’ll want to ensure the device you’ve got has the hardware to run the required stats of your chosen game. Browser games often operate using Adobe Flash player. Flash player is an internet browser plugin that runs digital content, it is incredibly easy to install and any computer that runs Windows Vista, XP, 8 or 10, Mac OS X 10.6 – 10.13, or Linux, will be able to install and run Flash, regardless of its hardware. If you don’t know what that means; as long as your computer isn’t older than fifteen years – and it shouldn’t be – you will be able to download flash and run browser games.

If you want to download and play casino games on your computer, a decent benchmark is to have one of the above mentioned operating systems, a 2.0 GHz Pentium 4 processor or equivalent, 1GB of RAM and any graphics card. The graphics card integrated in your computer as an industry standard will be fine. If you want to run a VR gambling game the hardware requirements shoot up, you will need to invest in a VR ready PC. According to HTC Vive and Oculus Rift specifications, this will require Windows 7 source pack 1 or newer, an Intel Core i5 4590 processor (or something better), 8 Gigabytes of RAM or more and a Geforce 970, or AMD Radeon R9 290 graphics card (or again, something better).

If you want to run gambling apps on a mobile device, you should put aside around 100MB minimum storage to download the game. Most Apple and Android products are standardised so if your device isn’t noticeably old, and its operating system is kept up to date, mobile applications and games should run on it just fine without you having to learn about hardware.

Now you should have a greater understanding of what hardware or devices you need to play video slots online. To have access to the widest library of games, including VR games, gaming on a computer is probably best. Browser games like those on 32Red are available on computer and mobile platforms. But, if you’re more interested in portable gaming and if you still don’t quite understand hardware requirements, playing on tablets and smartphones is still an easy and convenient way for you to play.