There’s no question the rise of the phone has been the most significant event in the history of gaming.
Even prior to app stores, embedded games like Snake on feature phones probably doubled the number of people regularly playing games.
Of course, the arrival of smartphones exploded the quantity and quality of games available, taking gaming’s global audience to 1, 2, 3+ billion people.
So what happens next?
There are – and have been plenty of – attempts to build on the ubiquity of mobile devices but to-date both wearables and (mobile) virtual reality have been flops.
Augmented reality has more potential and can point to Pokemon Go as a success story, although the importance of AR in this predominantly location-based game is arguable.
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More importantly, AR is a native mobile experience. You don’t have to buy anything new to experience it, nor do you necessarily have to hold or interact with your phone in a different way than you typically would.
That said, the vast majority of apps and games currently using augmented reality are heavily limited, not least by their need to be used in a well lit room in which there’s a flat surface onto which they can place their virtual objects.
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That said, I think mobile AR will turn out to have been just a short stop in the technology’s overall development.
Whatever you may have thought of Google Glass, it seems pretty clear some sort of extremely lightweight headset is the most appropriate ultimate form factor for AR, just as a wirefree head mounted display is for VR.
And, in a more general sense, what will be interesting to see is how each of these technologies maps to people’s individual needs. The best case scenario for them over the next 10 years would be – like games consoles – every home has a VR headset, while – like a mobile phone – the AR headset will be a more personal viewing device.
Indeed, the growing incidence of short-sightedness in children, which is partly caused watching screens too close to your eyes for too long, could provide an ironic opportunity to ‘solve’ two problems at once.
AR spectacles on prescription from your healthcare provider? You heard it here first.
Source: Pocket Gamer