Despite the incredible artistry that goes into video games and the emotional stories they can tell, it’s hard to avoid the fact that the medium is inherently tied to technology. This has caused each and every video game ever produced to be a product of its time—whether it be through the limitations of arcade cabinets way back in the ‘80s, or the limitations of hardware and infrastructure today.
But these limitations are far from static. Each and every year we witness huge leaps forwards in the technologies surrounding the gaming industry. Allowing for the plethora of exciting new innovations which make gaming one of the fastest-changing forms of art and entertainment there is.
With this in mind, let’s have a look at some upcoming gaming technologies you should be excited about.
1. VR
Virtual Reality has been around for a while. Whether you recall the previous wave of VR in the 1980s or the current one which started in the mid-2010s, we are currently living through the most exciting time for virtual reality and it’s VR games. This is mainly thanks to consumer-level hardware bringing experiences to both consumers and businesses, imbuing them with the passion to truly consider the medium.
Headsets like the Oculus (Meta) Quest 2 really shifted VR from a niche pastime for enthusiasts towards a part of the popular consciousness.
As a result, there’s no question that VR will witness more leaps forward in the coming years, as those who joined the community in the past two years finish development on their projects and products and push them out into the market to inspire even more creatives.
2. Foveated Rendering
Sticking with VR, one of the greatest limitations of the medium is processing. That’s because VR games not only have to deal with complex hand and head tracking but they have to work twice as hard to render games—literally rendering one version to each eye, often at resolutions higher than the standard 1920×1080.
Foveated rendering hopes to change this.
This idea here is to utilise eye-tracking technologies to allow the computer to only render the part of the screen which you’re looking at with the highest resolution, leaving the peripheral image at a lower resolution. If widely adopted, this would be a total gamechanger for the processing potential for VR!
3. Advanced Haptics
If you’ve ever played on a gamepad or with VR controllers and felt a vibration, that’s haptics. While most devices use rather basic forms of haptics, they really make a difference, especially when taken to the next level.
Sony really pushed the envelope of controller haptics with their DualSense controllers, which provide incredibly tactile feedback through the triggers. In many ways, these controllers reminded the gaming community of how big a difference haptic feedback can make.
Lots of different haptic devices are in development—especially for VR. From full-body haptic suits to gloves, faceplates and much more.
As more haptics get integrated into hardware (and software) gamers will be introduced to a whole new level of immersion.
4. AR
Alright, so we all know about Virtual Reality at this point but what about it’s slightly more mysterious cousin—Augmented Reality.
If you’ve ever played Pokémon GO, you’ve tried out one of the most successful augmented reality devices to date. But games like Pokémon GO just scratch the surface.
Upcoming AR applications, devices and headset hope to disrupt the world of gaming and productivity in a huge way. Allowing games, productivity applications and much more to step closer to the real world. Merging VR and, well R—reality itself!
5. Cloud Gaming
Stepping away from XR, cloud gaming is already revolutionising how gamers play games. If you’ve never heard of it, cloud gaming is like a streaming service for games. With cloud gaming you don’t need game disks, big downloads or even powerful machines to play games. Instead you just need a compatible device and a strong internet connection and you can stream the game to your device—even if it’s the most demanding of AAA experiences.
Services like PlayStation Now, Xbox Game Pass, Google Stadia and NVidia GeForce Now and more already offer Cloud Gaming. So, you can already play popular titles like Fortnite over cloud gaming services. Speaking of which, if you’re looking to own desired Fortnite skins, head over to Eldorado where you can pick up Fortnite accounts that have the most rare skins in the game’s existence!
As these platforms become more commonplace, they will become stronger and more efficient.
6. The (so-called) Metaverse
I know, I know. We’re all sick to death of hearing about the Metaverse—especially the version pushed by Meta. But if we put all that baggage aside for a moment, we can revel in the good ideas that lay at the heart of the Metaverse.
The concept of interconnected game worlds within which players can enjoy other forms of entertainment—such as live concerts and events—and revel in a more integrated digital life is at least exciting.
While we don’t agree with Zuckerberg’s concept of living, working and playing in the metaverse 24/7, it’s hard to refute the opportunity for enjoyment that comes from a more diverse and integrated digital space to socialise. When paired with VR and AR developments, the metaverse becomes a concept that’s hard to resist.
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