From PSVR to the classic Oculus Rift, VR is not a new face on the gaming high street. With popular immersive games of all user levels taking over the living rooms of a new digitally connected population, users are enjoying VR based gaming workouts with Beat Saver, all the way to the more complicated Sairento. Whether you’re looking for fun with the kids or a completely immersive experience like never before, Virtual Reality is a game-changer for a serious gaming addict.
In fact, experts believe that the AR and VR market is predicted to grow to $209 Billion by 2022, with $22 billion of the revenue coming from gaming alone. Right now there are over 171 Million Virtual Reality users worldwide and as consoles begin to become more adaptable, that number is only set to increase.
Read on to find out just what the future holds for VR gaming and what needs to change in order for it to stay popular for generations of gamers to come.
What Is Immersive Gaming?
First things first, let’s actually explain what immersive gaming is for the few of us that have been living under a VR shaped rock. Virtual Reality is a computerised system that uses digital layers to project a lifelike, 3D environment for a fully immersive experience. Users are able to feel as if they are within their very own gaming world thanks to the headset and biosensors that allow the player to make real-time movements within the platform and interact with their surroundings.
In a recent study, IDC estimated that this new form of gaming phenomenon could become one of the fastest-growing industries on the planet, with a whopping 118% compound annual growth.
Currently, the most well known VR gaming systems are made up of a low-cost headset and a motion tracking glove that are able to connect to your favourite console or PC. From the acclaimed Oculus Rift to new VR systems pathing the way such as SteamVR with their miniature GPS addition, there is still a long way to go and many improvements to be made as we embark on the future of high tech gaming.
With affordability, adaptability and lack of high-end graphics currently holding back the prevalence of VR and AR, it’s time to look at the new timeline for the future of these gaming systems and what developers must change for them to stay hot on the market.
The Future Of Immersive Gaming
If you listened to the recent E3 conference, you’ll know that the future looks bright for immersive gaming systems. With availability and affordability on the rise, top game developers such as Bethesda have already got to work on the future of full-length immersive adventures that you’ll not want to miss.
Here are some of the changes that are set to transform the VR experience and some of the hurdles that developers are currently jumping over to make the systems a popular choice for a mass demographic.
Accessibility
As amazing as their graphics are, the current Oculus and Vive headsets remain part of a cost induced hurdle, due to their lack of compatibility with a number of consoles. With both requiring high-end computers to run effectively, they have lost investment from casual gamers.
(Source: Statista)
With 55% of respondents in a recent YouGov study claiming that the headsets were just too expensive,’ there’s no surprise that the future of VR needs to look a little more affordable.
Sony however is pathing the way for a more widely accessible future with their PSVR system, available with their PS4 console. As a cheaper system that aims to pair easily with consoles easily for more casual gamers, other developers are following suit after the company sold over 2 million headsets after their release.
Design
Unfortunately for developers, pricing isn’t the only issue that the immersive gaming market is facing. New consumers are now interested in both ease of use and portability when it comes to the future of these headset designs.
Developers are now working on making the hardware less bulky and distracting, instead, following the footsteps of AR, who are designing their tech to not only look more like regular eyeglasses, but act like them, protecting users from tech-related eye strain. The new Oculus Go is just the beginning of a streamlined future for VR gaming. With Oculus’ new standalone headset that is free from wires and PC pairing, users are able to simply download games straight from their phone and sync the headset using a Bluetooth connection. This really is VR gaming on the go.
Will VR Take Off?
The question we have all been waiting for. Will VR revolutionise the future of the gaming industry, leaving traditional gameplay redundant? The answer is probably not. The hype for these consoles may be high right now, but gaming experts reckon that the future will see immersive and traditional gaming sitting side by side.
Getting lost in an immersive fantasy land may seem like a string of new endless possibilities for the tech-savvy, but arguably, some of us still favour traditional PS platform games and would happily choose Crash Bandicoot over modern tech advancements.
