The ubiquity of video gaming in the 1990s foreshadowed the inception of the future of gaming. Video gaming communities popularized the success of Grand Theft Auto and Counter-Strike, nudging developers to envision and pivot towards the next level of emerging technology for gaming – Virtual Reality gaming (VR).
The fusion of high-end immersive technology backed with standard graphics to create an illusionary 3D expanse for gamers articulates the thought process behind Virtual reality gaming. The arduous efforts to create and design the perfect Virtual Reality gaming experience are rewarding when paired with compatible VR hardware and software. Users can tether VR visualization software to make their homes into realistic-virtual playgrounds.
Players can submerge and teleport themselves to the animated game scenarios and socialize with other gamers, with all real actions like jumping and fighting translating into virtual reality action. Modern-day VR gaming systems are well-powered by graphical processing power (GPU) with larger datasets that create an uninterrupted experience for the player.
The Scope Of Virtual Reality (VR) Gaming:
To clock back in time, the first-ever successful endeavor in VR was by Nintendo with the relaunch of power glove, which translated a player’s finger movements into gaming output.
Apart from being one of the first pioneers in the virtual reality gaming space, Nintendo also launched the first-ever VR headset, Virtual Boy in 1995 which laid the groundwork prototype for all present-day VR headsets, despite being a commercial failure at the time. The headset was furnished with 3D lenses and LEDs.
All the VR inventions that followed between the 90s and 2010s were SEGA, VR-1, CyberMaxx, CAVE, Virtual IO, and Bad Street Brawler. Large projector screens and simulators ruled the market space. Other VR Headset series included the groundbreaking Oculus Rift CV 1 (Palmer Luckey), HTC Vive (HTC and Valve), Oculus Quest (Meta), Samsung Gear VR, Google Cardboard, Horizon Call of the Mountain, and Beat Saber.
The growing popularity of virtual reality gaming paved the way for VR startups. Major companies like PlayStation and Meta have adopted virtual reality gaming as an ode to driving the next phase of interactive entertainment. Despite the market appeal poising VR to reinvent every industry, the nuances of VR gaming are flawed, having been abated from mainstream gaming.
Is VR Gaming Booming Or Falling?
The impression of VR Gaming as the first-ever application in the industry made sense. The industry of Virtual Reality gaming awaits gaming-tech giants to bite the bullet but in vain.
Entertainment giant Tencent, which is one of the world’s most valuable brands of 2022, is also the largest video game publisher globally. Known for its affluence of subsidiaries including Klei Entertainment, Supercell, Grinding Gear, and Riot Games, to name a few, had planned to build VR hardware and software extensively. Yet, a Reuters report refuted all excitement, stating that Tencent had scrapped its plans. The biggest names in the video game industry had shunned all strategies and also told its employees of this ‘extended reality’ division to look for other jobs.
The Drawbacks and Flaws Of Virtual Reality Gaming:
The expensive hardware, the requisite of 5G technology, and the lack of enough content aren’t the only drawbacks to VR Gaming.
The 2016 release of Oculus Rift, the exhilarating gameplay of Superhot and Pistol Whip, and the forefront era of Beat Saber, revolutionized the real essence of what an immersive, head-mounted gaming experience could be.
Big companies that dove into VR Gaming knew the value of the investment they were going to be making. And yet, virtual reality is still an outlandish notion to many. VR Headsets have been improving on the audiovisual aspect, whilst prices of the products are expected to become less expensive, but the biggest drawback of VR gaming is its lack of must-play titles.
The impressive fame of VR coaxed even Meta Platforms to rebrand itself as a metaverse-focused company. Albeit, Meta had to push pause on their plans of expanding into VR till the FTC dropped the lawsuit against Mark Zuckerberg.
Now, Meta has two VR concepts of headsets, Quest Pro and Quest 2 – products that differ in their expense range and applications. But, neither have been sold in a quantum that 2D consoles of Nintendo Switch, or Xbox Series had been purchased. Nintendo Switch has sold over 121 million units since 2017, PlayStation 31 million consoles, and Xbox Series X 20 million, in contrast to the diminishing Quest 2, which has sold over 10 million units since 2020.
Post these bumps, Meta recently announced shutting down their cherished Echo VR to divert their resources to other VR teams.
The Boom Of VR Gaming:
Contrary to the belief that Virtual Reality Gaming is dying, the industry is seeing major tech companies pumping finance and resources to advocate for the rise of VR gaming.
Meta is preparing to launch the highly-anticipated Quest 3 in the latter half of 2023, which could propel the direction of the VR market forward. Another announcement players are waiting excitedly for, is Valve’s next-gen Index Headset.
Newer titles are being added frequently with the nascence of the Horizon series, offering a promising immersive VR gaming experience.
PlayStation VR2 is expected to hit the floors as the sequel to its 2016 headset, supported by the humongous investment of Sony.
Sources suggest that even Apple is gearing up to join the virtual gaming family with a unique concept of mixed reality headset, that is expected to support gaming as much as professional usage.
