Online gaming is constantly evolving, with new technologies widening our possibilities. Virtual reality (VR) is one of the latest trends in online gaming. After years of development, the technology is now commercially-viable, which leads software providers to tap into this immersive way of playing.
Other technologies are on the horizon, with experiments capable of replicating the human touch, but before these become available, we’ll have to rely on our eyes. Don’t worry. It’s already super immersive! Here’s why VR is changing the way we play online at sites like Casumo casino and why it’s here to stay.
VR’s Ever-Growing Influence on Online Gaming
The Industry Can Afford VR
We all know it. The reason virtual reality struggled for so long is due to money. The technology wasn’t convincing enough to make investors want to buy in. However, now that VR headsets are relatively spread, with over 171 million users worldwide, there’s no reason not to tap into this promising technology. Moreover, the gambling industry grossed over 53 billion in 2021, so investing in VR is clearly not a problem for casinos.
It’s Easy to Implement VR
Online casinos have already started to implement VR, thanks to the initiative of software providers like Evolution, NetEnt, and Microgaming. It requires little to no effort on their part aside from a bit of programming to convert a pre-existing game or create a new one. The online casino just offers it, and it’s up to the user to make it work, like any game controller.
Improved Immersion
The main selling point of VR is immersion. We’re so excited about it because it completely shatters the notion of the screen as we’ve experienced it for decades. Naturally, the most common use of VR in casino gaming is with live dealers. It’s easy to produce because it’s a live stream, so there are no complex 3D graphics to render all around the player.
For a player who can’t go to a land-based casino, it offers the opportunity to discover what it would feel like to really be sitting at a blackjack or a roulette table and place bets. It adds the possibility to move your head around, look at your cards, and with some games, perform actions with the hands’ controllers of the headset.
It Can Offer New Ways of Playing
While VR has already changed the industry, it can further change our approach in the future. Casino games could do more than simply reproduce the land-based experience.
Imagine if you could play a casino game where you’re asked to suddenly walk on a ledge to reach a bonus, for instance. You could add a bit of skill to these games of luck while still using RNG (Random Number Generator) to make the reward random, for example.
The Opportunity to Play Internationally
Land-based casinos are an experience many players are deprived of because they simply live too far. However, VR could allow these players to visit these incredible establishments and partake in games without moving.
It could be used for special events also, like offering the possibility to play against celebrities without any security risks. A casino could set up a table for a certain number of people, mixing people physically present and others that couldn’t be there.
It’s also economically promising as an establishment wouldn’t have to cancel an event or reschedule. They would have the possibility of virtually filling empty seats and charging for it.
VR Can Now Be Coupled With AR
AR, or augmented reality, uses similar technology as VR, but instead of showing you images of a 3D space, it implements 3D objects you can interact with in the real world (think Pokemon GO).
New headset projects from companies like Apple will use both VR and AR with the possibility to switch instantly. This will further widen the opportunities offered by VR and help solve some issues with the technology.
For instance, if you’re the type to suffer from motion sickness when you use VR, AR doesn’t induce headaches nearly as much, and you’ll have the same visual cues as when you’re not wearing anything.
VR Implementation Depends on Other Industries
The main thing slowing down the spreading of VR in the casino industry is its practical implementation in other sectors. It’s still a niche in the iGaming industry, but it appeared consequentially to the development of VR in video games. The next step may rely on the success of the metaverse, which also aims to push the boundaries of immersion.
If Zuckerberg’s Meta Quest works and people enjoy the experience, it’ll normalize VR in other sectors and will then be used to enhance the casino experience.
Is VR Everywhere? Not Quite!
Unfortunately, even though VR has come a long way from Nintendo’s Virtual Boy, it’s still not as present as we fantasized about back then. It’s coming slowly but surely. So it’s not an immediate revolution, more of slow-paced technology acclimatization.