Casinos like Ice Casino are on the verge of something new. Many game developers are now embracing augmented reality as part of their trajectory regarding new offerings. What is the difference between virtual and augmented reality? What can we expect from the iGaming industry?
Augmented Reality Versus Virtual Reality: What Is the Difference?
It is difficult to differentiate AR and VR because they use similar technologies. The main difference is that AR, or augmented reality, uses a real-life environment.
In virtual reality, the player enters an in-game world where they can control an avatar. This avatar can be dressed up, and then it can intermingle with other players’ avatars. One of the best virtual reality games is Roblox.
Augmented reality, on the other hand, is a game that uses the current environment of the player. The best example of this is Pokémon Go. It is a game where the player’s environment, such as the street they are on, is the gaming world.
In Pokémon Go, a Pokémon may appear on the street (the real street where the player is at). It is not the job of this player to capture that Pokémon. As such, the view on the player’s screen differs from what another player in another location sees.
As you can see, the virtual reality game is completely virtual. The environment is not real but rather like a programmed universe inside the game. AR, on the other hand, uses real-life environments to make the game more immersive and realistic.
In addition, VR games require a device or a headset. AR, however, merely requires a smartphone. Having said this, the player can access AR games more easily than VR ones. Some VR games can also work with phones and computers, but the view is not life-like.
How Casinos Will Use AR
For a casino to use AR, what’s going to happen is that the platform will be overlayed on a device, like a smart glass. In this class, the player can still see the real world, but the glass is also a screen where he can see:
- Other players in a real-world casino.
- Bets stats and games happening.
- Digital representations of odds and game results.
The way experts envision this is that the player wearing the AR glasses will have a view of a real-life casino floor. Instead of going to this real-world gaming facility, the players could participate while they are away — they could play games in a real casino remotely.
That is why it is called augmented reality. In this scenario, the player’s current view of the real world is augmented by the images on his screen. Currently, the closest version to this is the live dealer casino on online gambling sites.
In these live dealer sites, there is a real-life studio where human beings — dealers — facilitate the games. However, there are no players in these studios. Instead, all players place bets from their respective homes.
Benefits of AR to the Casino Industry
Why should game developers even bother with augmented reality? What are the benefits? The main benefits are:
- Enhanced gaming experience.
- More customers.
- Combined land-based and online casinos.
Gamers will have a new experience, considering they can now access a land-based casino from their devices. In addition, it is easy for online gambling sites to deploy VR because the player only needs a mobile device to access the AR games. Unlike VR, the player needs a headset that can render the virtual world. It means that the player does not even have to go home — as long as he has a mobile device, he can play anywhere.
In this regard, players will have the opportunity for more engagement. They can explore the augmented VR world to look for games and interact with dealers. They can essentially feel the vibe of the land-based casino and even probably see people who are actually in the land-based facility.
Because of this, the gambling industry can expect a bigger market. Now that the casino is AR, even die-hard fans of land-based casinos would surely try the experience. They can leverage existing land-based casinos and then use that as the base for the online casino operation.
Overall, it is a win-win situation for the iGaming industry. The only caveat is that the current computer-based casino games will eventually fade away, but such is the nature of technology — one fades away when one is born.
The casino industry is always looking for something new. As technologies improve, so do casinos and their systems. The gaming industry is at the forefront of all these developments. So, while the metaverse is now in effect and currently available, we also know that AR is in the works already. It is only a matter of time before we see these games in action and in the mainstream.