AR and VR can effectively replace traditional video games in the near future.

The virtual and augmented reality market is a rapidly growing segment that is projected to reach an astounding $80 billion by 2025.

While there are many exciting use cases for AR and VR, it remains to be seen whether AR and VR can effectively replace traditional video games in the near future. Here are some reasons why virtual and augmented reality cannot replace video games just yet.

Virtual Reality Is Incredibly Immersive But Only In Certain Situations

VR is incredibly immersive and can truly transport the user to a virtual world. However, this is only true in certain situations when the user is not required to do anything. When people need to actually interact with the real world, VR’s immersive experience can actually become a hindrance.

One example is when people need to read something. When people try to read in a VR headset, it is incredibly difficult if not impossible to process what they just read. This is because reading requires eye movement, and when people move their eyes, their brain focuses on that movement. When people read in a VR headset, their eyes don’t move, but their brain still focuses on eye movement, so they can’t process the words they just read. This is not to say that VR cannot be used for reading; on the contrary, some companies have developed applications that allow people to read in VR.

AR Will Require a Lot of Hardware Upgrades

In order to create an AR experience, companies need to install sensors that can map the surrounding environment in real-time. However, AR sensors currently cannot detect detailed changes in the environment, like a person walking in front of the sensors. This means that AR hardware cannot be used to track moving objects, which means that AR experiences are only useful for stationary objects.

Some AR hardware also requires a direct line of sight to the sensors in order to map the environment. This means that mapping is not accurate if there are objects blocking the sensors from seeing the environment. It also means that the sensors cannot track objects behind things, like if there is a desk between the sensors and the object.

Games Are Already Very Immersive

Games are designed to be immersive, but they are also designed to be played with others. This means that people usually play games with other people, so they have to communicate with each other. Virtual and augmented reality technologies are immersive and can actually replace a conversation in a game.

However, most games are social in nature, and immersive technologies can actually hinder communication. For example, when players use voice chat features in games, they can’t type everything they want to say and then send it. Instead, they have to think about what they want to say, say it out loud, and then process that they just sent a message. This means that the player has to focus on communicating with other people, and they may not be able to focus on the game.

Conclusion

The future of gaming is undoubtedly exciting, with VR, AR, and MR all set to be massive growth drivers in the industry. However, while these technologies are incredibly exciting and have the potential to revolutionize the gaming industry, they are not a panacea to issues that plague the industry today.

While VR is already revolutionizing gaming, and many gamers have already adopted it as their primary gaming platform, AR and MR adoption has been slower than expected especially given the amount of hype around it. This is probably because it’s not quite clear how these technologies will be adopted in the long term.