The online gaming industry is moving at an incredibly fast pace. It can be difficult to keep up with the latest news and technology as so much is happening in the online gaming world right now. One aspect of online gaming that could be the next step in terms interaction is augmented reality. Could augmented reality change the way we play online games forever?
What is Augmented Reality?
In simple terms, augmented reality involves the blending of virtual images into real world environments. The images can be anything and that is what makes AR a fantastic prospect. The images could be people, animals, clothes, books, games, toys, symbols, or text. Basically, anything you can think of that could be made into a computer-generated image could be included in augmented reality. This is different to virtual reality, which involves wearing a headset and being placed in a fully digital world. Everything in VR is computer generated whereas in AR, there is a blend between the real world and the digital world.
AR and Gaming
We can look at the popular Pokémon Go game for an example of how AR has been used successfully in online gaming. When playing Pokémon Go, you head out into the real world with your smartphone and search for Pokémon characters. Using maps, you can point your phone at a specific spot where the game says a character could be hiding and it becomes visible on the screen. This makes it look like the Pokémon character is standing in-front of you in the location. Other examples of how AR is being used includes online clothes shopping. It is possible to virtually try on clothes to see what they would look like on your body before buying.
Future of AR Online Gaming
While the future of AR online gaming is on mobile phones, some companies have moved into AR glasses design. Meta is expected to release their set of AR glasses in 2024 and that could be one of the biggest innovations for online gamers in terms of AR. The glasses could, for example, turn a living room into a casino by placing slots and other casino games into the room as you look around the space. Being able to play at Grande Vegas casino, one of the leading online casinos in terms of games and providers, is extremely exciting but imagine being able to walk around Grande Vegas casino in your own home. Using AR glasses, it could be possible to turn any room in the house into a casino, including the games, people, and atmosphere. Some AR insiders believe augmented reality could become the norm for online casino gaming in the years to come.
The likes of Microsoft, Google, and Apple are putting their weight behind AR, and it is only a matter of time before we see a wide range of online games using AR. The use of AR is only going to become more impressive, and it is the next major step in online gaming.
