Where next for VR mobile gaming tech?

2016 was a breakthrough year for consumer-ready VR headsets like the Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR. And although mobile virtual reality devices like the Samsung Gear and the Google Daydream View offered a cheaper and more convenient alternative, the quality lagged behind the more expensive options.

This is why 2017 is widely expected to be the year where mobile VR becomes more widespread so that we can all enjoy our compact mobile games with an added degree of realism.

One of the most exciting products of 2017 so far has to be the acclaimed Pico Neo CV. This mobile headset looks bump up the resolution to dual 1.5k displays at 90Hz that would definitely be handy for many of the more data-heavy mobile VR games that have been emerging recently.

This could be joined by what’s expected to be HTC’s debut entry in the mobile VR market. A leaked video hinted that the company’s Vive headset could soon be gaining a mobile equivalent. This would be great news as the HTC Vive was a high quality headset and the brand have already established their Viveport M app store that caters specifically for mobile VR products.

But whilst the hardware for mobile VR gaming is undoubtedly growing in terms of diversity and quality, it seems that the gaming options are still fairly limited. Whilst Bombsquad VR was a pretty entertaining introduction into mobile VR, it’s a game that few are going to still be playing in 2017.

And although there was a lot of hype about EVE Gunjack, it still highlighted how we’re still trying to understand what would make a good mobile VR game. Perhaps a better idea would be to keep things simple by developing a VR version of a simple mobile slots game like Gong Xi Fa Cai so that gamers can get used to the initially disorientating mobile VR experience.

But regardless of the slow uptake of virtual reality tech, it looks like it’s mobile VR that could signal the best chance for a widespread public use.

At this year’s CES, the Oculus co-founder, Jack McCauley, has hinted that mobile VR looks like it will be the future of virtual reality. This is because considerations of weight and cost continue to stop more people jumping on the VR bandwagon and means that we’ll be continuing to stay on standard mobile slots games for the near future!