With user-focused technology, everything in our lives seems to be changing at a rapid pace every minute. The advent of AR and VR has brought a revolution to the gaming world that was once considered impossible. The gaming industry has displayed fast growth in recent years. The gaming industry's growth is largely driven by smartphones with users spending the most hours playing games on them. The gaming experience has been transformed completely by smartphones and the latest technologies, as has been widely assumed globally.
We Have a very good example of “Why AR and VR is Interesting?” A real-world setting is used in AR, while a completely virtual environment is used in VR. Virtual reality users are controlled by the system, whereas AR users can control their presence in the real world. The VR experience requires a headset device, while the AR experience can be accessed on a smartphone. A virtual reality can be enhanced with AR as well as the real world, while a fictional reality can only be enhanced with VR.
What is Virtual Reality (VR)?
Virtual reality (VR) is a technology used to create a simulated environment. Similar to the user interface, VR allows users to experience the best in the artificial world. Users instead of viewing the screen are immersed and able to get involved and interact with the 3D worlds. It stimulates every sense such as vision, hearing, touch, and smell. Computer technology acts as a gatekeeper of the artificial world. However, everything comes with few limitations in an experience such as availability of content as well as a cheaper range of computing power. The virtual reality major component is the Head-Mounted Display (HMD).
However, display technology makes a vast difference between the traditional user interface and the VR system. VR technology makes use of CAVE automation to create a virtual environment in which content is easily visible on a room-sized screen. This can be mastered with the use of wearable equipment that needs to get unfolded with time. It is considered to be of great fun for the people of technical universities, larger tech labs, tech consumers and industrial zones manufacturing technical stuff.
Virtual reality is introduced as a game-changer for gaming industries and is known to offer an improved version of simple user experience, says a gaming expert from Solitaire Bliss. Nowadays, VR has turned out to be the burning topic for gaming trends which has gained the attention of the potential market. It provides lots of benefits to its users such as offering appealing virtual objects and possesses the capacity to take the user into the game in real-time. However, these benefits have enriched the gaming environment and have introduced the digital world into reality which has boosted the attention and retention of its users.
What is Augmented Reality (AR)?
After the introduction of virtual in the real world, AR came into existence which is a creative and immersive experience that allows users to feel happy after interacting personally with the digital environment. Augmented reality is a combination of game visuals along with the audio content with respect to the user environment in real-time which helps in the establishment of an artificial environment. In the gaming industry, AR is used to create a playing zone within the existing artificial environment. This technology is known to overwhelm the users if played on smartphones, tablets or gaming systems. The first commercial application of AR technology was the yellow-colored “first down” line that appeared in the football game held in the year 1998.
In the gaming industry, this technology has made a powerful impact after the introduction of the interactive experience of a real-world environment where every object of the real-world gets augmented. It has caused a great impact on the technological world covering healthcare, marketing, e-commerce automotive, education, defense, retail, etc. The valuation of the augmented reality gaming segment is on the way to achieve the targeted amount of approx. $385 billion by 2023.
Difference between Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality
VR and AR are the two sides of a coin. Augmented reality imitates artificial things in a real environment whereas VR creates an artificial environment to inhabit. In augmented reality, 3D graphics are used to superimpose the computer-generated images over the user’s view of the real world. This is possible because computers make use of sensors and algorithms to determine the orientation of a camera. However, in Virtual Reality, the computer makes use of similar senses and algorithms. But, the major difference arises when instead of making use of real cameras within the physical environment, VR technology utilizes the user’s eyes to locate within the imitated environment. This clearly means that, if the user’s head turns then the graphic is going to react accordingly. VR technology offers a convincing and interactive world in which the user responds.
Emerging industry force:
AR and VR are considered to seamlessly offer the most exciting emerging technologies on the planet for today’s life. The industries using the AR and VR technologies are forecasted to achieve the targeted valuation of over $25 billion by 2025. However, AR has occupied a special place in the burgeoning mobile gaming world. Near about 50% of global game market apps display no sign to lift-up as the handset that comes incorporated with the built-in camera which serves as a great source of Augmented Reality gaming.
The current state of AR and VR: According to the International Data Corporation report, AR and VR generated revenues of $12 billion in 2020 and are projected to reach $72.8 billion in 2024. The market is currently dominated by gaming, with 80% of all AR and VR revenue generated by gaming activity.
The world’s largest social gaming company is EA, whose share price has surged by 20% this year, thanks to its investment in AR. Sony, whose gaming division is the envy of the industry, has jumped on the AR bandwagon too. With other tech companies joining in (Facebook, Google, Amazon amongst others), it looks like the market will shoot even higher. However, to begin, let’s first explain VR and AR and the difference between them.
The unique benefits of VR in gaming:
Virtual reality is revolutionizing the way people play games. It opens up whole new dimensions in this sphere. The excitement also comes from the fact that the VR experience can be much closer to what you experience in the real world. For example, you can walk through a virtual landscape, feel the wind in your hair, and smell the flowers. Here are some of the other benefits of VR in gaming.
VR technology allows players to be physically active while experiencing all the fun of traditional games.
VR games encourage players to interact with each other. Unlike traditional gaming, which requires players to be physically present in the same room, VR offers unlimited opportunities to be sociable. Users connect to each other more naturally and build better relationships.
Online gaming has become increasingly popular among young people, and VR gaming can enable them to attend gaming parties with friends. Video games and virtual reality are certainly not mutually exclusive technologies. Combining the two technologies can help open the door to new and more powerful gaming applications.
Now it’s time to see how well gaming pairs with AR. The benefits of AR in gaming The use of augmented reality in gaming can enhance the gaming experience immensely.
Augmented reality allows players to do things differently. This means that, for any given set of choices, you can go for the strategies most likely to minimize the risks.
AR also introduces change and variety to games, in real-time. A game like Super Mario Brothers, where the characters on the screen move in exactly the same way every time, would be boring. A game in which the movement of the characters has much more flexibility is considerably more entertaining.
AR can let us play in a multi-dimensional space. In the real world, as we all know, we can move back and forth and up and down and side to side, whereas we cannot usually do this in a game.
AR games can be social. You can share your gaming experience with your friends, for instance. And you can collaborate with them in some fashion. AR is mixing the real world with virtual things that you can interact with, which is especially exciting. At present, most games just use your camera-eye view. But imagine a scenario where the entire room was the game: you could walk around and touch things, and the game would evolve. Objects would appear, and you could shoot virtual laser beams at them or something equally fun!
Types of VR Games
Now, let’s consider some of the game genres that give the user a unique experience on VR. These are not all the VR gaming options, because that would be a long list, but simply the games that we think are better played on VR.
Shooting games
Aiming with guns is quite popular in VR gaming. All of them are interesting in terms of the technologies used and the immersion they offer to players.
Racing games
With VR, racing games are now more realistic than ever, thanks to head-mounted displays, which make it seem like you’re actually in the game. Since players can now move around freely, game developers are currently developing a broader range of VR racing games. They are incorporating buttons that are easier for players to reach while wearing the equipment, leading to games with motion control devices.
Horror games
As we all know, horror games occupy the top spots on Xbox or PlayStation platforms. They always attract new players because of their graphics and scary experiences. For some reason, though, they still find it hard to make the grade on VR platforms.
Because VR is so different from regular gaming, horror games creators have to think hard about how to exploit this new medium. Instead of simply telling the players what is happening, they have to make them experience it. They have to show them the monster and let them see the surroundings and even feel the creature’s breath.
In turn, this means that horror games have to be more interactive than regular games, which requires a lot of extra development work. But it’s work that must be done. We’re sure to be seeing many good horror games within a few years, and with VR they’ll prove much superior to games based on flat graphics.
Adventure games
Adventure gaming in VR is a genre that’s only just starting to get off the ground. It’s a tricky genre because the gameplay is built around a quest. It’s fun to explore, get lost, and solve problems, but that’s only part of it — you have to have a motivation to keep playing because the quest is not enough on its own.
City-building games
City-building games in VR make for an extraordinarily innovative and entertaining branch of the genre. The experiences offered by such games are potentially groundbreaking, their releases promising to usher in a new era for urban design games, virtual reality, and gaming in general.
Types of AR Games
Now let’s delve into the types of AR games and see what makes them special.
Real time Strategy games Real-time strategy games do a good job at imitating the perfect world. Each player controls a small number of units, and each player’s game moves are based on their immediate situation, which can change rapidly.
Multiplayer Games
Multiplayer Games are probably the best category of games to play entirely in augmented reality. They combine two core aspects of entertainment: competition and cooperation. In multiplayer AR games, each player is controlling a character in the game. This can be a cartoonish character, an animated monster, or a real person. The other players see your character in the real world, controlled by you.
Virtual character simulator games The technology that enables AR games also allows for virtual characters. Virtual characters live in your environment and interact with you, making the game more like real life as we know it.
What are the most popular AR/VR games?
2021 was the year when VR finally really caught on with mainstream gaming. Countless experiences tore down the barriers to make VR not just an immersive technology but a whole new way of playing games. And the same can be said for augmented reality.
So now that we've covered some of the best games to play using both AR and VR, let's explore some of the most popular ones.
Resident Evil 2
No game has been more prominent than Resident Evil 2. More than anything else this year, Resident Evil 2 showed us what VR could do and proved that it could deliver. Resident Evil 2’s gameplay and graphics were impeccable, and it told a great story. It’s easy to criticise Resident Evil 2 for its predictability and lack of innovation, but you have to give it plenty of points to bring a top-quality game.
Batman: Arkham VR
Though the franchise may have already concluded on conventional platforms, Batman: Arkham VR is the follow-up to Arkham Knight virtually none of us were expecting Not long after Rocksteady Studios revealed its third entry in the Batman Arkham universe would be its last, the developer announced this exclusive to PlayStation VR that would later make its way to PC VR headsets.
Batman: Arkham VR is more of a self-contained detective story than a canonical sequel or prequel to the established Arkham mythos and you won’t be knocking goons unconscious with a VR-reimagined version of Rocksteady’s signature combat mechanics. However, you can expect a 90-minute, DLC-sized story mission at a fraction of the cost of a full-priced game that turns you into the caped crusader himself.
Lone Echo 2
Lone Echo and its sequel Lone Echo 2 are Oculus Rift games that are specifically designed to be played through your PC via the Oculus Rift headset. But by using the Link cable or Air Link, you can play these phenomenal space explorers on your Quest or Quest 2, too.
This is by no means the first VR game to put you in space; a number of spaceship fighter sims have already attempted it but the experience of floating through the environments by pushing yourself, grabbing and climbing, and pulling through zero-G spaces is completely unforgettable and the level of graphical detail is impressive.
Sure they can be a little motion sickness-inducing - so we recommend trying out the free-to-play Echo VR game to get a feel for the movement first - but if you’re a VR veteran these games are some of the best that the medium has to offer.
Minecraft VR
It's official: the world's most popular block-'em-up is now on VR. Minecraft Windows 10 Edition is available on the Oculus Rift (and Meta Quest 2 headsets via Air Link).
We're not sure what excites us most about exploring Minecraft in VR — legging it from creepers in the dead of night or burrowing into the landscape like goggle-wearing, pickaxe-wielding mole-people. A bit of both, probably.
Half-Life: Alyx
Some were afraid that Half-Life: Alyx, one of Valve's first VR games and the first new entry in the series in over a decade, might not live up to the expectations. But, without a shadow of a doubt, this is a Half-Life game that fills the roomy shoes that Valve left behind in 2007. To say Half-Life: Alyx is simply a good VR game would be an understatement - it's comfortably one of the best.
It is, like its forebears, a mind-bending joyride with a physics system to die for. The inventive, head-scratching scientific puzzles you’re used to from the PC games? They’re here. Tense jaunts through zombie-infested death pits that instill terror better than most ‘horror’ games? Alyx has got that in droves.
Conclusion
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