Today’s technology affects almost every waking moment, from transport, food, healthcare, socialization, productivity, and much more. We owe some of this success to the world wide web, which has enabled objectives, communities, and resources to be shared between people effortlessly. Many trends have stemmed from this impact, from datafication, computing power, 3D printing, and extended reality. As a result, it has made its way into other industries.
One of the first industries to be affected by these trends is the $290m video gaming industry because it is so integrated into our culture and daily lives, so much so that gamers hardly notice when these trends sneak into their favorite games. Thanks to technology, today’s gamers are used to exploring hyper-realistic 3D worlds and interacting with one another from anywhere in the world.
From being able to take advantage of play live free spins with gaming on the go, facial recognition, powerful computers, super-speedy 5G, and cloud networking, tech trends have revolutionized how we game and will continue to do so long into the future. So let’s get up to grips with some of the tech trends shaping the gaming industry over the past several years, with some of the most notable we list below:
Gaming On The Go
Portable gaming has always been a thing, but only in the last several years have we seen a considerable rise in gaming on the go. From being able to play Tetris on our Gameboys to exploring the kingdom of Hyrule in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on our Nintendo Switch Lite, portable gaming has gone from strength to strength in the most recent years.
One of the most recent emergences is mobile gaming, which refers to playing video games on mobile devices in the place of gaming consoles through our smartphones, tablets, and other accessories. In today’s world, just about everyone has a mobile phone, and due to this, more games are being created to fit these more-condensed, portable screens.
Unlike some of the most popular games you find on the likes of the PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox, mobile games are simpler to use since you can skip the set-up and remain in one place to play. Moreover, you can find just about any genre of game to play in the palm of your hand, from first-person shooters, puzzle games, strategy games, and much more, which attract various audiences.
One of the most popular genres in mobile gaming is online casino games, which give you access to a whole horde of traditional and modern casino favorites, plus bonuses like play live free spins. Consider learning more by visiting mobile sites like PlayLive casino, where you can browse their mobile-based games, read how-to guides, take advantage of their play live free spins, and much more.
More Ways To Pay
Back in the days of dial-up connections, making purchases over the internet was risky as it was easier for your sensitive information to get stolen or hacked into. However, technology trends have made this process much easier (and safer!) since users are no longer required to share their personal information, considerably reducing the risk of any safety breaches.
Not to mention, online users can choose from a wide array of payment methods nowadays instead of just being limited to one. Due to this, users are more likely to select a payment method they’ve used before (and therefore trust) to place online orders, making them feel much more confident with the online payment process.
They can also choose which currency they wish to complete their transaction in, whether it be the Euro, Pound, or alternative currencies like Bitcoin or Ethereum. Some consumers have started preferring the latter currency since crypto wallets don’t ask for any of your personal information, meaning you can shop entirely anonymously.
Cloud Gaming
Since the birth of gaming in the 70s and 80s, gamers have had to accept that they’d have to upgrade to the latest console every decade to play the newest releases and get more storage space! However, thanks to the trend of cloud gaming, this bitter pill is becoming less and less swallowed. Almost every business specializing in video games, like Microsoft, Sony, Amazon, and Google, has started offering its latest and greatest releases via the best cloud-subscription technology.
Eliminating the need for gamers to invest time and money into upgrading their consoles, all that is needed are smart T.Vs and streaming devices like FireTV or Chromecast. Combined with the super-fast speeds of 5G, cloud gaming has made it easier for gamers to get their hands on new releases and is a trend that we’re sure will continue to take the gaming industry by storm. With cloud computing, consoles could become a thing of the past, with cloud gaming becoming the future.
Virtual Reality
How many years have gamers played action role-playing games like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and wondered what it would feel like to slay dragons first-hand? Or, wanted to feel the exhilaration of shooting down a horde of demons in first-person shooters like Doom Eternal while the rock and heavy-metal anthems of Mick Gordon egged you on?
Thanks to virtual reality (VR), gamers’ dreams can become a reality. In the past several years, we have seen significant franchises like Doom, Minecraft, and Grand Theft Auto hop onto the VR trend using headset technologies. Since they can be used as stand-alone devices or paired with a gaming PC to enhance the experience further, they are becoming popular additions to gamers’ toolkits and help them take advantage of a more graphically rich experience.
Nowadays, just about every games developer has released their version of headset technologies, with some of the most popular being the Oculus Quest 2, Sony PlayStation VR, HTC Vive Pro 2, and the Valve Index VR Kit, with many more household names like Apple is expected to release their version in the future.