Technology has vastly developed over the past few decades, making way for online casino gambling, live casino gambling and most recently, virtual gambling. However, there are new forms of tech that may be making their way to gambling; virtual and augmented reality. But what are they, how do they work, and can or will they ever actually be used for gambling?
Virtual Reality
Virtual reality (VR) is a 3D simulated environment created by computers and other technology. In VR, you are able to interact with the environment as you would in real life through the use of specialised VR goggles or headsets and controllers. Many companies use VR technology as a way to train employees, such as in the healthcare industry, while others use it as an educational or sales tool.
Over the last few years, VR has become immensely popular within the gaming industry as many studios have developed VR-specific games and experiences. There are now several VR gaming headsets, such as the Oculus, Hive, and the PlayStation VR, all of which are used to play exclusive VR video games.
Augmented Reality
Augmented reality (AR) is similar, but rather than being based in a completely virtual environment, AR is based on your current environment. AR is known for enhancing the real world by producing overlays that can be viewed on your smartphone, tablet or AR glasses. In addition to overlays, your devices can produce sounds too, further enhancing your world.
Augmented reality isn’t as popular as virtual reality, but it became famous with the release of Pokémon GO, an augmented reality mobile game in which players walk around their local environment to catch Pokémon on their devices.
Their Usage In Online Gambling
Since both virtual reality and augmented reality are still relatively new, there’s been little progression in their usage in online mobile gambling. At the time of writing, leading gambling operator SlotsMillion has created a virtual reality casino, through which you can walk around and interact with various games.
Meanwhile, game developer NetEnt has created a few VR-compatible casino games, like Gonzo’s Quest. When you play these VR games, you are placed into the slot’s environment with towering reels that are spun by you. Right now, NetEnt’s VR games are the only ones available on the market, but we can see more developers create VR-compatible games within the coming years as the technology becomes more accessible.
When it comes to augmented reality, there are currently no AR games, and we doubt there ever will be. AR technology works by displaying overlays over your current environment, and we’re not sure how this will work with gambling. While there’s a possibility to display the casino game over your environment through compatible devices, there’s little point to this as it wouldn’t enhance your gaming experience in any way.
At the time of writing, it’s easy to see that virtual reality has much more potential for online gambling than augmented reality. Game developers and casino operators have already begun toying with the technology, and we could potentially see more studios and operators launch VR-compatible content too in the coming years if existing firms experience success with it.