Virtual Reality & The Future of Gaming
Virtual reality gaming is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the world right now. Not only has the technology advanced by leaps and bounds over only a few years, with every new headset and title, but the possibilities are also becoming bigger and better.
While many believe that VR won’t take over as the king of gaming, it is already making its mark and putting itself in a position to be a massive part of gaming and activities such as online poker tournaments.
What is Virtual Reality?
In simple terms, virtual reality is when you completely replace the real world with a digital one. Unlike augmented reality which overlays data and images into the real world, VR puts you into a brand new space.
Instead of watching your character move around a world through a TV or clicking your cards during online poker games, you can put on a VR headset and be in that world instead; the key factor for virtual reality is the immersion aspect.
More Affordable VR Headsets
One way that virtual reality is going to become a bigger part of gaming is by making more affordable and accessible headsets. While many VR headsets aren’t necessarily expensive, many gamers can’t justify paying the price for one compared to getting a new game, Scuf controller, or something for their PC.
Virtual reality headsets are currently in a state where the technology is still too expensive to make it mainstream. As VR headsets, especially untethered ones, become much more affordable, their popularity will skyrocket.
The other problem headsets are having is that the tech behind them is moving too fast. While this sounds like the opposite of a problem, by the time the average person can afford a headset, it is already old and outdated, and the same person can’t afford a newer one. Developers need to find a balance between affordable but up-to-date headsets.
Bigger & Better Games
The one thing that the virtual reality sector is struggling with right now is creating a comprehensive and world-class library of games. Nobody wants to spend a lot of money on a VR headset only to play games that look slightly better than something you played on the Nintendo Wii.
Developers hope to take the gaming experience to the next level by creating VR versions of huge titles. They can take the next step by exploring content generation, licensing, trademark, and financing solutions with a knowledgeable gaming and extended reality attorney. These games include Call of Duty, Assassin’s Creed, God of War, and many others.
Virtual Reality Gaming Units
Currently, we have tethered, and untethered virtual reality headsets that plug into your gaming system, and players use the provided controllers to control what they are doing in-game. However, these virtual reality setups will change drastically over the coming years.
Imagine playing Call of Duty with a controller shaped like a rifle, and you are on a platform that requires you to run or walk to move in the game. Numerous driving game rigs already provide the movement and feel associated with racing. Still, there are endless possibilities for the types of gear that can be created to make other games far more immersive.
Combination with Cloud Gaming
Cloud gaming is a relatively new concept that allows you to stream and play full games on an internet-connected device. Many hope that virtual reality will soon be matched with this more versatile type of gaming, allowing you to pair your virtual reality headset with your smartphone or tablet and play a triple-A title no matter where you are.
Bigger VR Market
For virtual reality to become a large part of gaming, it first needs to become a larger concept on its own. Right now, virtual reality is actually quite a niche compared to PC or console gaming.
The one change that needs to be made is for bigger developers to start putting more effort and money into virtual reality games or making the pivot into creating VR versions of an existing franchise, such as VR Grand Theft Auto from Rockstar or VR Call of Duty from Activision.
For VR to become more mainstream, it needs to start competing with the bigger gaming titles of the world. Gamers tend to stick with what they love; if you are playing League of Legends on PC, you aren’t going to give it up for a mediocre clone on VR, but you might move to VR if it offers a proper version of LoL.
VR-Based Tournaments & Esports
For a true gaming takeover, virtual reality will have to move into the world of esports. Several massive games, such as Counter-Strike, Rainbow 6, League of Legends, DOTA 2, and Rocket League, are driven by their respective esports.
Currently, there are no virtual reality games that can compete with the giants of esports, and while that is no surprise, it is something that will need to change very quickly if it is to gain the popularity it needs.
