Do you dream of stepping into another world right from the comfort of your living room? With virtual reality, it is becoming possible. In fact, interest in VR games and other applications for virtual reality technology is growing swiftly. In this post, we are going to give you the rundown on exactly what VR games are, how they have developed to this point, what you can play, and what the future may bring.
What are VR Games?
Virtual reality games are any games that offer a deeply immersive experience that simulates the experience of being inside the game world.
VR is different from augmented reality. With augmented reality, you still experience the world around you, just with extra digital content overlaid on top of it. Still, the two concepts are closely related, and VR and AR are often both discussed together.
How is VR gaming possible? To enter the virtual world, gamers put on headsets. They may also don gloves that feature sensors, allowing them to move their hands naturally through space to manipulate the virtual environment. But it is possible to play VR games with other types of controllers as well.
It is possible to pair VR with a regular console or gaming PC with compatible hardware. There are also systems designed specifically for virtual reality gaming.
A Brief History of VR Games
It may surprise you to learn that the history of VR games dates all the way back to the 1980s. In fact, in 1980, Atari released a vector game called Battlezone, which featured a small viewfinder to look through. As the game was in first person, the viewfinder was rather like a periscope. So, the gamer could imagine they were in the tank.
The first use of the term “virtual reality” came from a company called VPL Research, which consisted of ex-Atari programmers Jaron Lanier and Thomas G. Zimmerman. They came up with an early VR glove called VPL DataGlove. Nintendo then released the Power Glove in 1989, inspired by that design. Nintendo also came out with a system called Virtual Boy in 1995. It was not popular, but it did hint at possibilities.
It was not until the 2010s that VR started coming into its own, thanks to innovations in headsets. Google Cardboard came out in 2014. Oculus Rift hit the market in 2016. HTC Vive came out that same year, as did PS VR. Many additional products also released in 2016 and over the years that followed. There are now quite a few VR headsets available, with more on the way.
Types of VR Games
No matter what you are into, you should be able to find virtual reality games that match your interests. For starters, many popular games that originally released without VR have since been adapted for VR. There are also rumors that upcoming AAA games like GTA 6 could feature virtual reality.
But there are also numerous games that have been designed specifically as virtual reality experiences. These games fall into every format and genre you can imagine. You can find sports games, shooters, exploration-based games, artistic games, story-driven RPGs, and so much more.
Traditional video games are not the only types of games that are offering immersive experiences. We are also starting to see VR casino gambling. The thing is, virtual reality casinos are still pretty clunky. The interfaces can feel awkward to use, and they can be buggy. A lot of users still are not satisfied with the experiences they offer, so traditional online casinos remain more popular. Websites like these offer a more seamless, reliable experience.
What is in the Future for Virtual Reality Games?
The history of VR gaming is really only the beginning. Indeed, adoption of virtual reality technology was slow to start with. But it is speeding up rapidly. This is in part due to the pandemic, which greatly restricted what we can do in the physical world. We have had to get used to working and socializing from home. Many of our previous hobbies and activities are no longer available to us.
Indeed, land-based casinos have spent a lot of time closed during the pandemic. And even when they are open, a lot of people do not feel safe visiting them. That is yet another reason we are seeing growth in the VR casino sector, as well as in online gambling as a whole. The convenience of gambling online along with the spectacular game variety are both reasons we expect online gambling to remain massively popular even if the pandemic is ever brought under control.
This is also why video games have also become a bigger deal in recent years, along with virtual reality. The urge to escape into another world is strong. And while we cannot ignore what is going on in this one, we do all need outlets for our creativity and imagination. VR worlds can provide us with a space to decompress. Through virtual reality gaming, we can unwind and have some fun. At the same time, VR technology is also facilitating new ways we can work together remotely in virtual environments.
Virtual reality hardware is also improving. As time goes on, it should become more and more streamlined, lightweight, and comfortable to use. Developers also will become better at programming virtual worlds that feel natural and comfortable to inhabit. That means that gamers will be able to spend longer periods of time exploring these meta-realities.
Of course, we are still very much experiencing the birth and early development of VR, even though the history of the technology dates back decades. So right now, we can still only begin to imagine what the future will look like. We will just have to watch it unfold to discover what is possible.