Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Gaming Trends of the Past, 2016 and Beyond

As technology evolves, so does the advancement of gaming technology.  The two industries go hand in hand.  They both use and interact with the same infrastructures; computers, networking, internet and the cloud.

Black and White, 2 Tone Gaming

In early years, gaming and computers shared black and white, two tone, graphical interfaces in the 70’s.

Gaming in Color

As technology progressed, so did the advancement in the look and feel of games and gaming devices in the 80’s and 90’s.

3D Effects and the Evolution of Gaming Equipment

We started seeing more color, 3D effects, and first person shooter games.  Gaming companies invented more and more gaming devices that immersed the user in the game and enhanced the gaming experience.  While futuristic gaming is the next step into the world of gaming, the classics will always remind us of where we began and will always be popular amongst many old school gamers.  PS4 arcade sticks are a reminder of 80s-90s arcade days and will always have a place in gaming with both old and new games of today and tomorrow.

Lifelike, Realistic Graphics

In 2000 and recent years, graphics have made remarkable advancements that have progressed as technology and the movie industry have, making some gaming graphics hard to differentiate from actual reality.  With the advancement of graphics, ability to upgrade video cards, and availability of gaming devices and some of the best gaming keyboards, computer gaming has become very popular.

So where does gaming go now?  Here are some advancements we can continue to see and expect.

Virtual Reality and Immersive Gaming

3D has always been a popular technology.  In fact, it existed 100 years ago, but couldn’t progress as much as it has today due to high costs and lack of technology and equipment.  With improved hardware capabilities, virtual reality is becoming more and more popular in gaming.  Virtual reality devices like the Oculus Rift, a VR head-mounted display (HMD), features a massive field view (107 degrees), quick-response (ultra-low latency) head-tracking system, and incorporates immersive stereoscopic 3D rendering capabilities.

Virtual reality headsets can now also incorporate your mobile phone as a viewing screen and can be used for many applications.

Boom in Gaming Devices

As the LCD market boomed, so did the devices that use them.  This has enabled gaming to span across mobile devices, phones, tablets, and more.  Gaming platforms have incorporated touchscreen LCDs in their gaming devices to enhance the user experience.

Nintendo Wii U
The Wii U, for instance, features a built-in touchscreen that can serve as a supplement to games.  The second screen allows access to other elements in the game, like inventory, extended gaming information, and more.

Microsoft Xbox Smart Glass
Microsoft Xbox has it’s Smart Glass app which can be downloaded onto smartphones and tablets as a supplemental screen to enhance the gaming experience.

Sony Cross Play
Sony has integrated it’s PS Vita with their “Cross-Play” feature, enabling gamers to stop playing on one device and resuming on another.

Open Source Gaming and Game Development

The open source market has been around in gaming for a while now, though new devices and technologies have opened doors for more home brew gaming.  The popularity in mobile apps has also made game development popular, with the enticement for developers to make some case in the iTunes and Google play marketplace.

Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality gaming brings you all the bells and whistles on top of everything.  Smartphones and other gaming devices enable interactive features that allow gamers to interact in real-time.  Eventually, augmented reality gaming sessions may enable gamers to be independent of gaming consoles and devices, making the game as real as being on the gaming grounds and in the gaming realm.

Cloud Gaming

As mobile devices continue to spread, and as Internet connections continue to advance and improve, so will the availability of gaming on the cloud.  As software companies are now migrating and offering their software and services on the cloud, so are gaming companies.  The aim for gaming industries is to make games as easy to access as music and streaming movies.  Many smart TVs now offer this technology in it’s preliminary stages.

Conclusion

The future of gaming is exciting and offers many bells and whistles.  Who knows where humanity will push it’s limit.

The post Gaming Trends of the Past, 2016 and Beyond appeared first on Information Technology Blog.



from Information Technology Blog http://ift.tt/1TDok3c

No comments:

Post a Comment