The gaming world is almost always in a state of flux and it is no different in 2020.
With the release of new consoles from both Sony and Microsoft, this year is going to be particularly important for the industry. Online gaming is now a central part of the sector with new technological developments helping to keep players engaged.
Here are some of the main ways that online gaming is continuing to evolve.
Virtual reality on the rise
It is not the first time that experts have confidently predicted that virtual reality – usually just called VR for short – is going to have a transformative impact on the gaming world.
But perhaps this time they might be right. VR headsets are becoming a lot more mainstream and as the price of the technology continues to drop, buying them will become more popular.
Among the top uses for VR headsets is online gaming, with developers hard at work on creating games that will make the most out of VR.
Augmented reality – or AR – has already broken through in gaming through smash hit titles such as Pokemon Go and it is a matter of time until VR follows suit.
VR also has potential for the online gambling industry. Imagine being able to take a seat at the poker table where everyone is wearing a VR headset. It would make online poker more realistic than ever before and bring a lot more tactics to tournaments at online casino sites.
Free games
It sounds as if it is counter-intuitive for developers to offer their games for free, but in online gaming this is a trend that is definitely not going to be going away any time soon.
Companies such as Epic Games have realised they can reach a vast audience as a result of not charging a fee for their games. Fortnite is an example of a free game that has become a global phenomenon as a result of not costing a penny.
Fortnite is now one of the top online games around, with Epic Games making money out of the title through selling a range of add-ons.
More and more games in the coming years are going to follow a similar sort of model, which is sometimes known as freemium, by not charging a fee to get the game but making cash out of other microtransactions.
Free games are being adopted across the online gaming industry, including by casino sites. These operators have realised that free online games such as slots can give players an insight into what a game is like, making it more likely they will spend a lot of money in the long run.
Offers and promotions such as free spins from online casinos are likely to continue to grow in popularity in the coming months and years.
On demand streaming for games
Tied into free games, another way that developers are making the most out of the latest technology is by offering on demand streaming for games.
Indeed, the in demand Xbox One S All-Digital Edition, which has just been released by Microsoft, is a great example of how this works. While the machine is identical to the existing Xbox One S console – functionally and visually – it does not include an optical disc drive. This means gamers must download titles on to the console, while they also have the chance to make the most out of on demand streaming for games.
Google Stadia, which is starting to gather momentum after a slow start, is another streaming service for games that looks set to have a very bright future indeed.
Use of facial recognition technology
Along with AR and VR, facial recognition is one of the key technology breakthroughs of the current era in online gaming. Players will soon be able to import detailed models of their own faces into games so they can control a character that looks just like them.
Previously, facial recognition technology has been too basic for this to work properly and it has not felt very realistic as a result.
But leaps forward in how the technology can be used means that the online gaming industry is going to have to make facial recognition a key part of their offerings in the near future.
There is no doubt online gaming will keep evolving in ways that we cannot even predict. But, for now, the above four areas look to be the big things to be keeping an eye on in the industry.
