Virtual Reality Gaming: 8 Important Things To Know

Virtual Reality Gaming is a new and upcoming technology that is slowly making its way into the mainstream. With VR games, you can explore incredible environments and immerse yourself in amazing worlds as though they were real – all without ever leaving your house. The Virtual Reality gaming experience creates an artificial environment that gives players a sense of presence – a feeling that they are inside the game world rather than looking on from outside through a screen.

Let’s look at the benefits, limitations, what kind of games you can play, and where, if you’re in Arizona!

The Difference Between Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality

VR creates an artificial environment that gives players a sense of presence in the game world, while AR adds elements into your real-world surroundings to enhance or change your perception of them. AR requires special equipment like cameras or other sensors, while VR creates its environment that you see through goggles.

What You Need to Play VR Games

To play Virtual Reality games, you will need a headset (or “goggles”), headphones, and sometimes controller(s). These can be bought separately or in bundles and the sets vary in price and quality as in terms of which devices they can play, what operating system the games run on, how many sensors the headset has, and more.

However, the more favorable option is visiting VR Zones where you can pay for play. The benefit of having a play at a VR zone is that you can try out all of the devices available to you at that center (Jake’s VR Zone is the most popular in Arizona). Zones are located in most major cities, so you can try VR for quick adrenalin shots, trying games that home headsets just can’t play.

Types of Games Available for VR

Some have been developed specifically for VR, while others have been ported over from more traditional video game platforms or mobile gaming.

VR games are mostly for action, adventure, puzzle-solving, and horror genres. Some other common types include driving simulations (for racing games), education (which relies on your sense of observation), and even multiplayer online games like battle royale or MMOs.

An important thing to note about these games is that the traditional genres do not apply to most VR games. This means that many first-person shooters, platformers, and RPGs are unplayable unless they’ve been remade specifically for the system. However, there are still some classic titles like Resident Evil and Bioshock that can be played like this.

The Games Limitations

Some games just go better on an ordinary screen than they do inside a headset. This is because the space in which you move around within Virtual Reality is limited to what’s directly in front of you, so any game that requires moving around quickly can easily cause motion sickness due to the disconnect between what your body is doing and what you’re seeing.

This means that very fast-paced action games like first-person shooters (FPS) are virtually unplayable in VR because it’s hard to shoot anything without bashing into something.

VR Gaming’s Real-Money Potential

Though there are many free or inexpensive Virtual Reality games available online or at hardware stores, the main way that developers make money off of this new system is through paid video games. These can be purchased at hardware stores and downloaded onto the headset like you would any other game.

On the other hand, some games are free to download but require you to pay for enhancements, i.e. special weapons or equipment which helps you advance through the game and defeat stronger bosses. This is because VR games tend to be more complex than ordinary video games and therefore take longer to play and complete, so developers need a way of offsetting those costs and earning back their development costs.

VR Gaming’s Benefits

The chief benefit of VR gaming is that it enhances performance and responsiveness by making you more “present” in the game world through a headset that immerses your entire field of vision. This means that you can recognize dangers quicker, improve hand-eye coordination, dodge attacks with ease, and do all sorts of other complex movements that are difficult to pull off on an ordinary screen.

It also helps players learn skills faster, practice more accurately, and be able to react much faster than they would without the headset since it’s easier for them to see all the details. It also appeals to gamers who enjoy fast-paced action games by letting them feel as though they’re actually in the game.

VR Gaming’s Drawbacks

There are many benefits to VR gaming, but there are also drawbacks as well. The biggest drawback is motion sickness, which can occur when your body and eyes tell you one thing while the images displayed on the screen suggest something else (like if you’re moving around a lot and your character on screen is still or vice versa).

Another issue is the price of both hardware and software. A headset can easily run you a few hundred dollars, while some games are more expensive than others (especially ones with enhancements, i.e. weapons). Hardcore gamers willing to invest should be able to get their money’s worth; casual gamers might want to wait a few years until the technology has improved, and more games have been developed.

Virtual Reality Gaming’s Future Potential

Currently, VR gaming is most frequently used in fast-paced action games like first-person shooters or car racing games. However, there are many other types of games that work well with the technology, like adventure and exploration games (the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is one example).

VR gaming also has the potential to be used for non-gaming purposes as well, i.e. it could potentially be used at theme parks or museums to enhance exhibitions. Eventually, VR technology could also be used to create virtual classrooms, which would allow students to attend live lectures from anywhere in the world so long as they have a headset and an internet connection.

VR gaming is an exciting new technology that has a lot of potentials. It’s still in its infancy, but the benefits are clear, and it looks like this type of gaming will only get more popular as time goes on. While it’s not for everyone, those who do invest in VR hardware and software will be rewarded with unparalleled levels of performance and responsiveness, as well as some truly immersive gameplay.