The next big move in gaming is looking pretty clear to be a virtual reality as platforms continue to prepare for a wider introduction across as many platforms as possible – there have been some restrictions as hardware costs have continued to be a barrier for many but the price has been dropping in recent years – once it reaches a bigger scale consumer market on PC much as it has done for gaming consoles, it’s expected that it will also find a move and popularity to mobile devices too, but how will this change mobile gaming?
The first big change seen will likely be within the genre of games being played, currently, mobile gaming is dominated by casual and hyper-casual games such as those found within puzzle and arcade markets, but others are quickly rising through the ranks as battle royale games such as Fortnite and PUBG are moving from a primary PC market and onto mobile devices. This is likely due to a changing demographic too, as many look to avoid having to splurge the cost on multiple consoles and different systems, a smartphone is a one time cost that may not offer the same diversity in games but a cheaper solution to gaming.
Another factor that will influence how VR changes mobile gaming is within social features that have become increasingly important in gaming as a whole – live streaming is more popular than ever and sharing gameplay through social media is also growing in popularity – VR specific games like VRChat have also grown in popularity as players look for a just chatting social experience over that of pure gaming experience. A genre this has been seen implemented in most has been within online casinos as they have also been growing in popularity – as regulation changes to prevent some players from participating on many sites these American casinos take UK players which may be among the first to see these changes, realistic casino environments with virtual reality floors and tables will likely soon change how mobile gambling is conducted as a whole.
The next stage to really have this take off will be within hardware – both the reduction of cost as previously mentioned to bring it to a consumer mobile market, but also changes to device hardware to enable VR to perform better as a whole. Many have already been established and so the framework is already available to build from – if you’re a gaming enthusiast it’s a very exciting time to be playing as a growing number of opportunities are becoming available. Mobile gaming has already been touted as the future of gaming and will see the most changes in the coming decade as had previously been seen within the console industry, VR will only be the start as more technologies become available – VR will bring a realistic social environment for players, but what comes next is still very much an unknown for everyone.
