2017 has been an exciting time for gaming lovers with mobile devices becoming more powerful and VR growing significantly in popularity and accessibility. It’s an interesting time for the industry and as we roll into 2018, gaming lovers everywhere are likely wiggling their toes in excitement about what the next year might bring. Today we’re looking at what the year to come might bring for online gaming and online gambling via industry giants like the World Series of Poker, and tech trends to look forward to…
VR goes mainstream
While growth of VR has been rapid in the last few years, in 2018 we’re likely to see much more adoption, especially as the VR market is expected to exceed $45.09 billion by 2025. Yariv Levski, an industry expert in VR, has predicted that 2018 will see more development of haptic feedback and cloud-based VR gaming, as well as introductions of headsets from producers other than current (pricey) favourites, Google Daydream and Oculus Rift. Samsung Gear VR and Google Cardboard headsets will become more popular, and will make things more accessible for gamers.
Augmented reality
2018 is going to be AR’s year. While VR keeps you confined to your home or a dedicated gaming space, augmented reality benefits from transforming the world around you – a la Pokemon Go – which had everyone and their Mother clambering into bushes to catch ‘em all. 2018 will see AR improve in quality and variety. Sales of augmented reality devices are also expected to grow at a steady rate.
Mobile flexes its muscles
We all enjoy playing on the go – and while mobile technology continues to improve exponentially, it’s becoming less and less likely that new gamers will bother with desktop PCs. As more developers recognise their audiences prefer to play wherever they are, expect to see more games usually played on a desktop or console make the move to mobile. We should also see growth in demand for smartphones that are VR compatible.
