Our games have evolved rapidly since we've started mastering electronics, and new tech has been pushing the boundaries of what's possible in this industry. This fast-paced evolution means that today's games are impossible to compare with what we used to play only a decade ago.
For the same reasons, the games of tomorrow will probably be beyond our current comprehension. In this article, we will explore how new technologies are enhancing the online gaming experience for players worldwide, whether it's in the video game industry or when playing at a casino. Nonetheless, it's interesting to explore the technologies behind this evolution.
Exploring this innovation will help us understand how these technologies are enhancing online gaming experience for players around the world.
4 New Technologies and Their Potential Impact On Casino Games
1. Virtual Reality (VR) Gaming
VR has been a long-running fantasy for many people. So much so, that the history of virtual reality goes all the way back to 1968. However, we've come a long way since the "Sword of Damocles" or even the Virtual Boy. We now have more affordable headsets like the Meta Quest, packing unprecedented tech with a lightweight product. Even though there's still a long way to go, it's safe to say that VR isn't just a dream anymore. It'll start to become more present in our daily lives.
Immersive Gameplay
VR has the power to make our casino gaming experiences more seamless, bringing another layer to simulated worlds. For instance, you can launch a game at a live dealer and feel like you're actually sitting at a poker table, without any intrusive interface. All you'd need is to move the chips to bet and use the motion controllers to look and hold your cards.
However, it doesn't have to be only about realism. This technology can also serve to immerse you in the fantastical world of a slot machine, with colorful characters and bonuses displayed in the space around you.
VR could also bring a lot to the gameplay of these casino games. Most online games rely on clicking a few buttons, but what if instead of that you could manipulate your cards, pull the lever of a slot machine and have meaningful interactions with other players. The casino industry could use many ideas of VR video games and include it in their games for a more seamless experience.
Realistic Interactions
The use of a controller or a mouse and keyboard, or worse a touch screen, limits the range of interaction with a casino game. VR solves this issue rather brilliantly. Most headsets will use motion controllers, allowing for more natural and intuitive actions and reactions from the player. If you want to place a wager, you have to pick up your chips, count them, and put them in the right place like you would in real life.
It breaks the usual logic of simply pressing a button, making even the most basic casino game more engaging. However, the most exciting aspect regards social interactions. Games like poker could finally integrate the human element properly to the game with the attitude of each player being reflected in the game, from the way they tinker with the chips, to the way they handle the cards.
2. Augmented Reality (AR) Integration
Augmented Reality (AR) is often associated with VR because both technologies can be blended together, but it's still a different beast. It places 3D elements in the real world, requiring less processing power than VR. It's possible to use it on your smartphone; for instance, Google Maps is a good example. Yet, it's not as easy as you may think to create worthy AR experiences.
Interactive Gaming in the Real World
AR promises to bring the game directly into your world. The challenge resides in creating 3D models able to blend and adapt to where you are, and everyone will have a different experience with it. Moreover, it relies on camera systems to analyze your surroundings and calculate the size and placement of every model. From this, we could envision a future where you get to play card games with your headset or smart glasses without isolating yourself from the outside world. It could allow you to play during the commute without any danger.
Social Gaming Experiences
It's hard to talk about AR without mentioning Pokémon Go! This mobile game took the world by storm as it offered people the opportunity to become part of the iconic world and chase after the cute creatures in the neighborhood. It could have been a simple gadget people tinker with for a few hours. Thankfully, Nintendo was smart enough to organize worldwide events where people had to reach a specific location to find the best Pokémon.
We haven't found examples of this yet, but it's entirely possible to imagine a long-lasting casino game allowing you to find rewards in your environment worth real money and usable in-game, like free spins for a slot or a promotional offer. This would then be offered by the operator as a way to gamify their site, which is a big priority nowadays.
3. Cloud Gaming Services
AR and VR bring new hardware tools, but the future of gaming may really lie in Cloud Gaming. It promises a world where you only need a stable internet connection to enjoy games, just like Netflix, but with games. This is a critical aspect for the future of gaming because it could mean games are easier to develop with only one platform to take into account, but more players to consider since it would become more accessible.
Accessible Gaming Anywhere, At Any Time
Gaming without hardware creates an interesting world where you can start playing on your 4K TV with your controller, then keep playing with your smartphone on the same game. It frees players from the physical machine. A simple subscription to a service associated with a strong internet connection is enough. It lets you enjoy the latest graphical candy, like Ray-tracing, no matter the power your device is packing. It could easily be used to integrate the casino games to smart glasses or a mixed reality headset without requiring a download and removing the need to go to a website.
Solving Environmental Issues?
Creating new products, like graphic cards and everything you need to build a device, is done at the expense of our environment. Cloud gaming could help reduce this impact by having fewer devices produced yearly. Since a supercomputer can enable several players to enjoy their entertainment, it doesn't mean zero-emission. Still, it's a step in the right direction, and it would also help people unfamiliar with tech get access to more powerful devices.
4. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Integration
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is revolutionizing online gaming by enhancing non-player characters (NPCs), improving game mechanics, and personalizing gameplay experiences for individual players. It may now also become a standard for cutscenes with the new OpenAI Sora, which can generate incredible videos from a text prompt. Sora opens a new world of AI, including accessibility for creation by some who typically might not be creating videos.
Intelligent NPCs and Enemies
We've been talking about AI when referring to NPCs in the gaming world wrongfully because it wasn't actually AI. However, initiatives like NVIDIA's ACE could finally bring actual AI to our simulated worlds. The various showcases of this technology showed NPCs entirely created with AI, from their physical appearance to their behavior. It could be adapted to casino games with NPCs sitting at the same game table as the player and providing unique interactions based on the player's action, like betting or folding.
Adaptive Game Worlds
The latest version of the Unreal Engine 5 revealed new AI-assisted features. It enabled anyone to quickly generate a massive open world and to adapt it to what was needed without coding knowledge. The AI was able to calculate the asset's emplacement and adjust it to the world in a matter of seconds. It's a game changer for developers and players since talented developers will be able to implement AI in dynamic environments to make it evolve more easily during game sessions.
However, a game world isn't only defined by its environment, but also by what can happen in it. It means that AI can create objectives, and write subsequent dialogues and situations for the NPCs in order to immerse the player. It's only experimental at this point, but it has the potential to become real in a few years due to the economic benefits for editors.
Still, NVIDIA has been heavily investing in AI. They've already been using it with their latest graphic cards to calculate frames and make games look better. Perhaps it's the start of a future where they also play better. It has a new level of interactivity and life-like randomness that will keep players on their toes. Casino games could then take place in massive realistic worlds and go beyond the traditional look, and we could for instance see a blackjack game set in an environment reminiscent of a post-apocalyptic world, and the possibility to create a detailed character to represent the player in this world.
Innovation as a Means to Entertain
Technologies like these are used to entertain, because it's the simplest way to finance it: by selling a product. It couldn't exist without innovation and investors believing in it, but it goes nowhere without the public's support.
Yet, implementing these technologies in the iGaming world is often a means to an end. When it's widely adopted, and we get used to it, technology starts to be employed in other sectors. It can even replace old technologies in our daily lives. In a way, this is what Apple is attempting with the Vision Pro and what Mark Zuckerberg dreams of accomplishing with his Metaverse. These initiatives aim to make new technologies part of our habits, like the iPhone in its era.
It's all about creating new ways to interact with each other. In other words, the future is bright and filled with promising technologies that we have yet to master, whether it be the gaming, video, or another emerging industry.