As virtual reality (VR) gaming becomes more popular throughout the world; the future is today. Sticking on a headset and getting entirely involved in a game seemed ludicrous ten years ago. As more VR games are released, it won’t be long before they totally dominate the market. Mark Zuckerberg on that note, quotes
“Virtual reality was once the dream of science fiction. But the internet was also once a dream, and so were computers and then smartphones.”
The whole “escapism” concept we read about has become a prominent part of our lives now and it goes without saying, virtual reality has made that possible. Following the introduction of the Gutenberg press, readers could use their imaginations to “get lost” in fiction novels to escape from everyday life. More lately, developments such as television, movies, and video games have brought us even closer to actual escapism. This is the profanity of virtual reality’s prominence.
Let’s understand this better. And for that, we would be discussing gaming and virtual reality separately. As we move on, we’ll be talking about how they go hand-in-hand.
A Brief History of Gaming
Dr. Edward Uhler Condon revealed the first acknowledged model of a gaming machine at the New York World’s Fair in 1940. The game, based on the ancient mathematical game of Nim, was played by around 50,000 players over the course of six months, with the computer purportedly winning more than 90% of the games.
The first commercial home game system, however, did not appear until nearly three decades later, when Ralph Baer and his team unveiled their prototype, the “Brown Box,” in 1967. Magnavox licensed the “Brown Box” and launched it as the Magnavox Odyssey in 1972. It was released a few months before Atari, which is often mistakenly regarded as the first video game console.
Atari not only developed their games in-house, but they also constructed a whole business around the “arcade,” and in 1973, for $1,095, Atari began selling the first true electronic video game Pong, and arcade machines began appearing in bars, bowling alleys, and shopping malls all over the world. Tech-heads understood they were onto a major thing; between 1972 and 1985, more than 15 businesses began to develop video games for the ever-expanding industry.
Regardless of how mismanaged it was, this was the beginning of digital gaming as we know it today.
The Arrival of Virtual Reality
Since its inception in the 1950s, virtual reality has undergone ups and downs. The Sword of Damocles, the first VR head-mounted display (HMD) device, was created in 1968 by computer scientist Ivan Sutherland and his student Bob Sproull. Meanwhile, Jaron Lanier popularized the phrase “virtual reality” in the 1980s. Ten years later, virtual reality (VR) was being utilized for training and simulation in the United States military and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Virtual reality system mass manufacturing began in the early 1990s, driven by Virtuality, which launched specialized VR arcades.
The PC-connected Oculus Rift prototype debuted in 2010 as the first modern VR gadget. Between 2014 and 2017, the market transitioned from PC-tethered headsets (for example, the HTC Vive) to console-tethered headsets (for example, Sony’s PSVR) to mobile-tethered headsets (e.g. Samsung GearVR and Google Cardboard). A few other popular ones and worth mentioning are PlayStation 4, Microsoft Xbox Series X and so on.
Untethered headsets (such as the Oculus Go, Lenovo Mirage Solo, and HTC Vive Focus) debuted in 2018, establishing VR as a standalone platform.
When Virtual Reality and the Gaming Industry Intertwined
With the passage of time, an increasing number of creators became interested in VR games. This altered the appearance of the games by introducing new VR content or altering existing stuff. Businesses interested in the game began to develop more intriguing solutions in order to attract more new users. While introducing VR game goods, VR is assisting suppliers in overcoming time-consuming problems in the market.
With the aid of this new disruptive technology, the VR gaming industry is growing its business value. Virtual reality headsets are becoming increasingly popular among gamers. Furthermore, the user or player awareness of VR is steadily increasing. The advent of the VR headset on the market ushered in a significant transformation and revolution in the gaming industry. By early 2016, VR headsets have hit the market. As a result, VR games become more difficult to play. People are delighted to explore the 3D animals in the computer-generated virtual environment using VR headgear such as the Oculus Rift.
What Benefits Does Virtual Reality in the Gaming Industry Carry?
Virtual reality has become a game-changer in the gaming industry, improving user experience. VR is one of the trendiest subjects in gaming trends and it has captured the interest of the prospective market. There are various advantages of using VR-driven applications in gaming. Let’s check them out
- It provides enticing virtual things to players
- Provide the capacity to immerse players in the game in real-time
- Cutting-edge features that enhance the gaming experience
- Anywhere and at any moment, reality may be digitally stretched
- Increase the attraction and retention of gaming gamers
- It appears to be more appealing to both devoted and casual gamers
- With an immersive experience, you can significantly increase user engagement
VR systems used in gaming are outfitted with interactive software and hardware. The movement of the body can be used to experience or control VR games. As a result, the user may navigate about the virtual environment while wearing a virtual reality headset. Furthermore, the player has the ability to interact with the 3D creatures that emerge on the screen.
It also may astound you to know that
The global virtual reality gaming market is expected to expand from $7.92 billion in 2021 to $53.44 billion in 2028*.
CONCLUSION
The VR gaming industry’s market size is expanding at a rapid pace. In every way, the concepts used in virtual reality in the gaming industry is exciting and spectacular. This is why Virtual Reality has the ability to usher in the next “great thing” in the gaming industry. Virtual reality in gaming, without a doubt, is assisting enterprises in increasing income. Innovations in the gaming sector make a lot of sense; VR takes the game business to a whole new level by utilizing virtual reality.
