In 2015, the world was gearing up for the virtual reality revolution. The technology was supposed to be the biggest thing since the internet, but when hardware like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive dropped in 2016, they were met with a lukewarm reception. The online casino industry had started to prepare for VR with offerings like VR Roulette, but this title seems to be off the menu for the time being.
Roulette is One of the Biggest Games in the Casino Industry
It came as no surprise that roulette was one of the first games to get the VR treatment. After all, the spinning wheel is one of the oldest and most iconic casino table games. Developers are constantly working on ways to keep it relevant, and this has been seen with the variety of roulette games online. There are classic options alongside themed games like Age of the Gods Roulette. Live streaming titles are also found in abundance.
VR Roulette was initially designed to bring online players closer to the tables and recreate the physical casino experience. But this has been achieved with live streaming, a platform that blew up in VR’s place. This suggests that developers may have to rethink their ideas for VR roulette and other table games to reflect the growing interest in live options.
VR Options of the Game Could be the Future
When VR does become a household item, there’s no doubt that developers will work on creating new VR offerings of roulette. But their vision may have changed slightly since Microgaming’s VR Roulette in 2015. That version of the game had players standing at a roulette table in a space-like setting, with the game operated by a robot croupier. Nowadays, though, casino players have grown accustomed to seeing real-life dealers operating the wheels through live streaming.
Maybe developers will look to combine VR with live streaming to improve the realism of the overall experience. Currently, live streaming gives players the sense that they are sitting in a casino, but they are still separated from the action by a screen. VR would up the immersion levels significantly, but the technology may not yet be capable of pulling off such feats.
Will Have to Wait for VR to go Mainstream
For VR roulette and other casino table games to go mainstream, they will need the hardware to hit the big time. But some people are now pondering whether this will ever come to pass. Many predicted VR spikes have been and gone, and the technology is still far from being a household item. Still, analysts now believe that 2025 could be the year that VR finally takes off and rakes in more than $1.4 billion in revenue. This could be thanks to a combination of greater advancements in the tech, and the availability of cheaper headsets.
Players who remember seeing VR Roulette and getting excited about it may think the idea has been shelved. In fact, it’s probably just waiting in the wings for VR to go mainstream. When games like this do hit the market, they will likely be way more advanced than the title that was shown in 2015.
