Gaming is a multi-billion dollar industry and is showing no signs of stagnating in its growth. In 2012 the revenue generated by the gaming industry stood at $70.6 billion, while in 2018 it had jumped all the way up to $137.9 billion. Mobile gaming is currently the biggest earner taking platforms into consideration and is followed by console at almost half the revenue, which is closely followed by PC. These 3 platforms provide plenty of scopes looking into the future, while experts are predicting quite a few innovations as soon as 2020 which we all know are in the pipeline, but could they actually become the norm in as little time as is predicted?
Let’s take a look at all the next big things in the world of gaming, which experts expect to start showing the first signs of high revenue generation in the following year.
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Holograms
Hologram technology has been doing the rounds for quite a few years now, but has yet to make its way into the world of gaming. Television screens are becoming a hinderance in terms of confining gamers to locations where TV screens are available. Holograms are effective in providing a lifelike experience, and with 3D glasses, there is the possibility that holograms could start presenting what gamers would find a highly immersive experience.
Virtual Reality
This is already present but could find stratospheric heights in the coming year. Virtual Reality (VR) has unlimited potential but at the current moment, VR headsets lack the graphics capabilities that you’ll find on other screens, particularly console and PC. These platforms are miles ahead of the rest when it comes to graphics quality, however, could VR manage to catch up in the following year we’d likely see a massive jump in VR numbers due to the highly realistic experiences it has the ability to give gamers.
Once VR manages to catch up it’ll move not only into gaming domination but various other industry sectors, too. In a bid to make online casino more interactive gambling establishments have been investigating VR as a way to allow gamers to walk around a virtual casino in order to gamble, as opposed to playing the standard flash games. Furthermore, this technology is extremely versatile, with even games like bingo having the real chance of being enhanced. So, it may come a time when innovative operators like mFortune Bingo incorporate the concept.
Augmented Reality
If the wave of Pokémon Go hysteria taught us anything it was that gamers are screaming out for more immersive gaming experiences. While mobile gaming is the platform that will continue driving AR forward Pokémon Go is just a taste of what is to come. The graphics of AR has yet to really take off, with only one game having become a worldwide phenomenon. As the graphics of AR continue to improve we are likely to see more games released onto the market, many of which are likely to appeal to more niche markets instead of games designed to appeal to everyone. This form of gaming also depends heavily on smartphones continuing to penetrate households of lower income families, and with China launching its assault in the smartphone market there will be no shortage of gamers for developers to market their latest creations to.
Shift From Big Studio Games
While all of us keep our eyes fixated on the big gaming studios to watch out for huge releases, there are plenty of indie developers out there releasing games on a weekly basis. While they might not have the budgets to deliver games as big and spectacular as what you’ll see coming out of the stables of Rockstar Games and Ubisoft, some of them are highly creative and have the potential to launch movements. In the past, it was imperative that a Software Development Kit be acquired in order to create an accomplished game, but today there are new innovations being released all the time that make it easier and easier to develop games.
3D Moves Into Overdrive
This is a trend that will not only become the norm in the gaming industry but every form of entertainment that relies on visuals. Right now not all games are developed with 3D capabilities, but in a year or two it will be standard for all games to come with 3D visuals. Presently glasses are needed to bring most forms of 3D to life but experts expect that to die off in the coming year. The idea is to continue making games as realistic as possible, and 3D is a big ingredient needed in order to make that happen. Gaming studios are also constantly on the lookout for ways to bring areas of screens into focus in order to provide the best gaming experiences possible. There is a strong possibility that eye and head tracking will be introduced to provide a more detailed experience.
Less Reliance On Disks
With 5G on the horizon, we can soon expect Internet speeds to reach blistering rates. With this comes less reliance on purchasing games in-store and far more ability to stream games or simply download them. With this form of gaming, it will mean that gamers won’t need to download updates on a regular basis, or rather download updates at all. This is because gamers will be playing the latest versions. Music and movies have gone the same way, and there is no reason why gaming won’t move into the cloud age alongside other forms of entertainment.
Handheld Gaming
The Nintendo Switch has opened eyes as to what is possible in the world of gaming. While the device is playable in the handheld form there is also the possibility to plug it into a dock to stream through a TV screen to the game with larger visuals. The device also offers multiplayer functionality and hosts 2 player capabilities. This device, and the popularity surrounding it, indicates that convenience has a large role to play as we move forward. Mobile gaming is currently the largest form of gaming on the market, but handheld devices host better quality graphics and also are WiFi friendly just like their mobile counterparts. It could be a possibility that Sony will launch a product similar to that of the Nintendo Switch in order to join the resurgence of handheld devices.
When looking into the future the possibilities are endless as to what technologies will be incorporated into the gaming industry. The future of gaming does indeed look bright, and the following year could just shape up to be the most memorable one for many a year.