Developments In Virtual Reality Casino Gaming

• Published: February 15, 2018
• Comments
• 

Online casino technology has kept evolving since the mid-1990s. The first development was the instant play platform that was compatible with any computer operating system. The next developments were mobile gaming and live dealer casinos, which are showing high growth rate. The next innovation seems to be in the field of virtual reality casino gaming. The leading software developers are already investing into prototypes. The progress made by Microgaming and NetEnt are outlined here.

The Microgaming product is VR Roulette that was first demonstrated in 2016. It has already received awards for innovation from reputed online gaming associations. Wearing the Oculus Rift DK 2 headset and using the Leap Motion 3D Controller you get projected into a thrilling 3D real casino world with a roulette table in front of you. You can see your hands reaching out to directly place bets on the table. In live roulette games you still place bets through your desktop or mobile device. The croupier in VR Roulette is at present a robot. It spins the roulette wheel, calls the bets and manages the chips on the table just like a human does in a brick and mortar casino. But it is not a human and this may prove to be a handicap. Live casinos offer interaction with human dealers and that is the strength of their popularity. Microgaming could be developing the virtual reality technology for other casino table games as well for release when the time is right. No launch date has been set as yet. The right time will probably be when the headsets become affordable to the mass population.

NetEnt showcased its virtual reality product recently at the 2018 ICE exposition. Surprisingly it was a slot machine. NetEnt revealed a fully playable, operator-ready version of Gonzo's Quest, which is one of its most popular titles across all online gaming platforms. NetEnt has differentiated this game by naming it Gonzo’s Quest VR. Using state-of-the-art virtual reality technology, the slot game is available through a web browser. One big advantage it holds out is that there is no specific integration process required for NetEnt operators. Nor will players have to download dedicated apps. They simply login to their NetEnt online casino on a desktop or mobile device in the usual manner. They then activate the VR tab and plug in their VR headset and are ready to play. You will enter the immersive world of Gonzo that has been uniquely developed using a real-time 3-D environment. Gonzo’s Quest VR will be released commercially in the summer of 2018.