Virtual reality is the next frontier for the online gambling market. We have been hearing about this technology for years, and now Microgaming has become the first company to really bring it to life. At this year’s ICE Totally Gaming Expo, Microgaming showcased it new virtual reality and augmented reality products. Here’s an overview of this exciting new technology:
CRYOLab > VR Roulette
This is Microgaming’s virtual reality roulette product. It uses the Oculus Rift to immerse the player in a virtual world, and motion sensors that allow users to play roulette like they would in an actual casino. Players can interact with a virtual dealer and the overall game is responsive, so everything happens in real time.
VR Roulette from Microgaming is making huge waves in the gaming industry. At the 2016 International Gaming Awards, it won Innovation of the Year. There is no real competition for it at the moment, as few other big name developers have made progress with virtual reality gambling technology.
By next year’s ICE, we anticipate even more companies will have virtual reality products to show off.
What About Augmented Reality?
Augmented reality is a type of technology that Microgaming continues to experiment with. At the moment, the company is using augmented reality with its games, Avalon and Hot as Hades. When players point their mobile devices at certain pictures and cards, the characters on them will come to life.
While this has not yet been implemented into any gameplay, it shows potential for Microgaming. At the moment, it can be used as an effective marketing tool and we can’t wait to see how Microgaming uses augmented reality in-game.
When Can You Use These Products?
Unfortunately, it will be quite some time before you will be able to play VR Roulette from the comfort of your own home or use your own smartphone to play with augmented reality characters. According to technicians at Microgaming, it will be another 3 to 5 years before these products are available to the public.
However, the company is working hard to ensure that Microgaming is first to market when this technology does become viable on a day-to-day basis for consumers.
Here is an overview of Microgaming’s new virtual reality technology as showcased at the recent ICE Totally Gaming expo:
This is a very exciting innovation for the online gaming market. We hope to see more companies launch virtual reality products in the future. There is certainly going to be a huge market for this technology in the near future, and we can’t wait to see what companies like Microgaming will bring to the table.
