The
gaming console has gone through a major evolution
in the past decade. Originally seen as a device for
kids to enjoy their downtime with friends, it has
become an important part of the living room for many
family members... both young and old!
With
streaming services, built-in media players and the
ability to connect to the Internet, it is easy to
see why these consoles are finding their way into
many a living room.
Gamers
now have the ability to connect with players from
all around the world, with connected gaming
changing the game-play experience and influencing
how developers create them.
Connectivity
was a huge step forward in immersive gaming
as well. Entire virtual worlds now exist within games,
and players are able to connect with other gamers
and work with or against them to achieve gaming glory.
Virtual
Reality: the next level of Immersive gaming
Often
seen in movies, Virtual Reality (VR) has always been
a vision for the future of computing. The ability
to put on a headset and be transported to any point
in a virtual world at any time has been an exciting
prospect for many people, especially gamers.
Realism
is an important factor in many gaming types, and the
ability to immerse gamers into a virtual world has
been the Holy Grail for many developers.
The
problem has always been the technology has never really
been able to match the vision.
What
is Virtual Reality?
Virtual
Reality, in its simplest form, is a three-dimensional
image that is created by a computer. The most common
form allows the user to interact with the image using
devices like goggles, clothing or gloves.
While
early examples of VR exist, it wasnt until the
last couple of decades that the technology started
to make significant advances.
The
major issue with VR in the past was the challenge
of creating an image that felt significantly lifelike.
Previously,
when you turned your head to look at something on
the screen, VR goggles took a while to register and
move. In come cases, this resulted in players experiencing
motion sickness.
Now
with screen technology, developers have been able
to create more lifelike images and advancements in
processing speeds have helped developers create software
with less latency and delay.
Watch
what happens when two families who have never met
are brought together by their passion for gaming.
The
next step in VR
Perhaps
the biggest step forward in VR was when Palmer Luckey
invented the Oculus Rift in his parents garage.
The VR headpiece has been through numerous iterations
over the last couple of years and was recently bought
by Facebook for $2 billion.
The
Rift has arguably done the best job of creating a
lifelike experience with the least amount of motion
sickness. This has rekindled peoples love for
VR, and in turn inspired the creation of other devices.
Sony
is dipping its toe into the VR world with its own
product Project Morpheus, while many other
gaming companies have started to create software specifically
for VR.
While
VR is becoming a larger part of the home entertainment,
it is also facilitating entertainment outside the
home. There are also hubs popping up globally that
are free-roam virtual reality experiences.
Melbourne-based
Zero Latency is an example of this type of VR gaming
experience. A group of friends can roam around a room
using a VR headset and be completely immersed in the
digital world.
Given
the rapid advancements in the world of gaming, it
wont be long before we can control games with
sensors on our body instead of using traditional game
controllers - the possibilities are endless!
The
ability to be able to interact with these virtual
worlds may well be determined by your broadband connection.
Check your address to see if you can connect to the
nbn network.