With murmurs and gossip of virtual reality in the past few years, this innovation has gradually seen astonishingly slow but sure progress. Not so many articles or publications will mention this, but the first Virtual Reality headset was developed back in the 1960’s. This was the time when VR started being discussed as the possibility of the future…and it hasn’t been until now when we’ve started witnessing innovations in VR.
Regardless of the very slow start, VR is slowly being acknowledged in the society and is quickly gaining ground in different regions globally. About 40 million people globally have a VR headset! And just recently, the iGaming industry has taken note of this new technology, which has quickly spread to mobile devices and gaming consoles.
iGaming Industry Joins the Virtual Reality Revolution
With massive growth in the iGaming industry and revenues expected to soar to new heights of more than $8 billion by 2018, it’s no surprise that the iGaming industry is trying to immerse itself into the VR. VR friendly online casinos and games are now being developed by the minute, with new technology and ways to improve the already existing games and casinos.
These casinos have had the land-based casinos concerned about their revenues as it’s a well-known fact that most of the millennial players prefer to play their games at the online establishments. The new crop of players is fond of playing games on the internet and gaming consoles, making betting and gaming from the comfort of their own homes something more familiar. This will without a doubt have a very strong impact on how we’ll be playing casino games in the future!
NetEnt Is the First Company to Develop VR Casino Games
Addressing participants at the ICE Totally Gaming event that was hosted in February, Per Eriksson, NetEnt’s CEO had exciting new to reveal to VR enthusiasts. He said their company had recorded a tremendous improvement and accomplished a very important milestone in 2016, following their successful launch of their new series of virtual reality slots.
The VR slot games form part of the company’s 25% expansion, which they’ve been experiencing for years now.
As far as the virtual reality friendly games are concerned, the slots developed by NetEnt are the best shot so far if you want to experience best casino online slots. Jack’s World was the game that the company used to illustrate their achievement at the convention. Elements such as 3D graphics and sounds have been incorporated into the game to improve the player’s experience.
What’s the Future of VR Gaming?
Before this technology is fully adopted and finalized upon, the online casino websites will have to work on offering the younger generation with the immersive tech which will keep them intrigued. This will not only offer a much immersive gaming experience, but it should also keep the industry on toes so that they focus on the needs of their future player base.
From the look of things, however, it’s evident that the future of the iGaming industry lies in VR technology with the idea being that players will be able to visit any land-based casinos through their VR headsets shortly, walking from one table to the other enjoying their favorite casino game.
What Are the Barriers to the Adoption of VR Technology in Casinos?
The most challenging barriers to VR adoption on a wide scale basis is because of the content and hardware. As far as hardware is concerned, potential consumers have to make arrangements on how to invest in this new technology. But again, who is going to risk his/her money on technology that is still evolving – technology that still doesn’t have the content?
But in the meantime, it’s still a niche interest, and it’s still miles away from fully being accepted as a mass-market product. Until we can have more content, which will convince people that’s it’s worth spending money to purchase the necessary hardware, casinos are going to find it difficult to sell their VR games.
