The gaming industry has evolved to a great extent over a period of time. It has pushed the envelope and adopted cutting edge technologies that later became mainstream technologies like streaming online content, 1080p and 4K graphics. In today’s dynamic world as one trend ends, another is always just around the corner, ready to take the world by surprise and right now there are plenty of things to be excited about. Let’s dig a little deeper into the latest buzz of the gaming industry, and how things might change going forward.
VR (Virtual Reality) is one such hot topic in the gaming industry. VR is something that was talked about for many years before its actual arrival. But when it hit the street, it did not boom as expected. However, there have been dramatic improvements to both the hardware and software in VR since its early days. VR is poised to have a huge impact on the gaming sector in many different forms. Online gaming sites are also reaping huge benefits of VR. With VR technology at the core, it is possible to create impressive virtual gaming experiences for customers to enjoy.
Augmented Reality is the New Fascination for Gaming Industry
Augmented Reality (AR) is another form of technology that is set to change the landscape of gaming. Where virtual realities provide gamers a complete virtual world experience, AR overlays virtual digital world on the top of the real world and gives gamer a thrilling experience. The latest flagship smartphones of Apple and developer frameworks like Apple’s ARKit are bringing AR technology into the mainstream very rapidly. Many technology leaders are already presuming that AR could be much bigger than virtual reality, especially as AR is already proving to be a big hit in smartphones as more and more people are using mobile phones and tablets for gaming than PCs.
Over the last couple of years the gaming industry has witnessed an increased momentum around augmented reality (AR). The primary reason seems to be the overnight success of Pokémon Go, a location-based AR game which was downloaded more than 100 million times in its first month of launch. It reportedly earned $10m per day at the height of its popularity, and has attracted widespread attention and investment. There are even tutorials created on how to spoof Pokemon Go location for collecting all Pokemons from all over the world. Its ability to bring people together and promote a powerful sense of community is the prime reason behind the burgeoning growth. Most of the break-through technologies have done much the same, whether it is a social media innovation like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram or mobile activities involving texting, dating or gaming. VR on the other hand, has far limited access in the social arena. In 2017, Game Developers Conference was ruled by virtual reality. But due to immense popularity of Pokémon Go, augmented reality has become the new industry darling. It will be premature to say that VR has been out of the race completely but at GDC 2017, industry has seen the emergence of AR as a compelling technology for gaming and beyond.
AR based games work their magic simply by dropping video game characters into a familiar and real environment which gives gamers a thrilling experience while playing. AR enables gaming character to run along real-world tabletops and bounce on sofas. With the new advancements in AR, players can scan a room with their devices and create a 3D map of the walls and furniture. Gamers can place their virtual characters and objects on real tables and shelves, while other players can view the scene and join via their own devices. Due to these facets, gaming industry is embracing AR technology since it allows game players to experience a digital game played in a real world environment.
e-Sports- an Idea becoming a Gaming Trend
The other idea that is shaping the future of gaming industry is of competitive gaming commonly known as eSports. The acceptance of competitive online gaming is growing at an intense rate for both competitor and viewers. Many believe that the concept of eSports could bleed over to skill-based casino gaming in the coming times.
Market Forecast
According to renowned research giant Goldman Sachs, the virtual and augmented reality industry will become $85 billion market by 2025. Much of its share will belong to gaming industry.
Most of these technologies require a lot of bandwidth to function in a hassle free manner. With 5G arrival is just around the corner, it will only give boost to these technologies and will play a pivotal role in changing the face of gaming to the next level. It is estimated that 5G connection can comfortably reach at a speed of around 10Gbps, which will make mobile gaming experience much better than earlier.
With the advent of AR, VR and eSports, one can rightly presumes these technologies will only make gamers experience much more captivating one with lots of thrill and joy.
