With the release of Mark Zuckerberg’s newest virtual reality headset, the Meta Quest Pro, upon us, the technology is at its strongest yet. New games, apps, peripherals, and even businesses are being created every day to round out the immersive experience that the Metaverse promises to be. However, while most people have been passively curious about the technology for the last decade, we think the release of the new hardware could bring in more adopters than ever.
First and foremost, this technology came about to enhance the already rapidly evolving field of gaming, but our hopes and dreams are elsewhere. More specifically, we believe that online casinos have much to gain from this tech on the rise. We have a few hopes for the technology and if those wishes are realized, there’s not much we think can hold VR casinos back from really flourishing.
VR Variety
One reason online casinos have been as successful as they are is the way they’ve been able to expand upon beloved games. Online slots, for example, have been able to maintain all of the charm and popping personality they became known for at physical casinos and expand upon that. Eagle Strike, Firebird Spirit, and Starburst are just a few slots that benefit from being online as the aesthetic polish they have is largely thanks to their presence on a digital slot. Slots went from largely static images to fully animated with the help of online, and with VR we expect the next step in that evolution will be something incredible.
With the help of virtual reality, we can expect to inhabit the worlds those slot machines are set in. Starburst could put us in the middle of outer space and Eagle Strike could have us flying through the air. The point is, virtual reality will help us take a step behind the screen and enhance the immersion in a way we never thought possible.
Talk the Talk
Furthermore, in the same way players will be able to inhabit worlds created by games, we expect they’ll also be able to implement a chat system in the casinos similar to their Horizon Worlds software. VR chat has been such a huge success in the virtual reality world that we think bringing fellow gamblers together could be a big step in simulating interactive chat rooms.
Customers could also speak to each other during games. This could pair well with a social media angle as players could plan on meeting up at certain games each day, which would foster community growth naturally.
Walk the Walk
Lastly, we expect VR to be such a huge step for online casinos because of the physical aspect ingrained in VR. Although there have been many attempts to get us physically moving around in VR, nothing has quite stuck yet, and that’s a shame. Because if successful exercise trackers and standing desks have taught us anything, it’s that people like to mix in exercise with their daily activities. Some companies are trying their hands at giving us that ability, and once they do you can expect customers will be demanding to walk around their go-to casinos from the comfort of their office desks.
So even though a truly perfected VR technology might be some years away, you can expect its growth to have an impact on the online gambling industry. As a matter of fact, we’d bet on it.