Human beings live in a remarkable age of exploration, discovery, and technological advancements in every field. An average person’s grasp on reality has never been this contested since the creation of Holography. With human intelligence growing and evolving faster than ever, things that bend our conception of reality become the norm.
Gaming has since transcended from simple arcade machines to headsets capable of creating simulated sandbox worlds where the player can experience physical aspects by using VR peripherals. The newest addition to reality-bending concepts is the invention of Augmented Reality, which in retrospect, only belonged to science fiction.
What Is Augmented Reality?
Augmented Reality is a technology added to existing video or image capturing devices such as smartphones where superimposed information is added to the “reality” instead of being computer-generated like in VR. The technology is relatively new and is in its early stages, but more prominent companies such as Niantic have reproduced this effect quite convincingly.
Pokemon go AR is a massive leap in mobile gaming as it lets the user experience a virtual fantasy without having to spend a fortune on equipment like you would with VR. The experience is vastly different from VR, as the user has the freedom to make the world alive with animations from games.
Augmented Reality At Present
What used to be a futuristic pipe dream is now a common occurrence with newer smartphones in the market, but AR has been around for longer than most people know. Earlier adaptations of the theory behind the process and technology have been lying around for decades but only met fruition with bigger companies’ efforts with lesser financial constraints.
As AR got developed further and handheld devices getting more potent processors, the technology has since slowly introduced itself to everyone’s lives. The Star Walk app from Vito Technology, for example, allows the user to see the names of stars and constellations by just merely pointing their camera at the sky.
Pokemon Go is the most successful adoption of Augmented Reality we’ve seen so far. It peaked at 100 million concurrent players at its prime, and even though the numbers have dwindled, society got a taste of what the future of mobile gaming could hold for enthusiasts in tomorrow’s world. One can only imagine what Augmented Reality will be in the next five to ten years.
Looking Toward The Future
Mobile gaming isn’t only restrained to handheld devices as the technology of wireless and portable gaming is slowly being researched; we might be able to see an actual hands-free virtual headset in the near future. There are also numerous propositions to introduce AR into eyeglasses, contact lenses, or visual aids to provide a more diverse and immersive experience to those who are impaired.
The only problem with this is that there will be many human rights issues and privacy agreements being breached as AS is still very much a new technology that isn’t well optimized to suit everyone’s needs. It is, at its core, a gimmick that devices can utilize to market their brand better. This won’t stop production and development, though, as companies like Google are already on the move.
Takeaway
You can’t deny that the mobile platform is becoming a serious competitor in the gaming community, and it’s no secret that companies are taking notice of this change in perception. The leading smartphone brands are already securing partnerships and patents for new features in their products, and it is exhilarating to think about what’s next to come.
If you’ve dabbled with mobile gaming in any form, then you will be delighted to know that Augmented Reality is here to stay if you haven’t experienced it yet. Pokemon Go is an excellent way for a first-timer to share this new technology, and within a few years, more games will introduce this feature as a staple gaming experience worth the time and effort.