Inside Asian Gaming

MArch 2016 inside asian gaming 29 Tech Talk After launch, Rogers doesn’t foresee Virtual Rush Boxing or other VR games on offer at betting shops. “I can’t see a 55 year- old in the UK donning a VR headset,” he says. “I’m not sure if the industry is ready for it. Even self-service betting terminals are a relatively recent addition to betting shops.” The most popular context for play he reckons, will be online; as in young men having friends around on a Saturday, in the same way as they would to watch a soccer match. Social consumption could be a big part of VR gambling. Rogers says, “The social aspect always comes up when we ask players what they like about our products; meeting mates at a betting shop for chat and banter. I’ll bet you that Liverpool will beat Man U. That sort of thing.” Casino gaming is therefore an obvious application of VR. “The casino experience brings people together,” says Rogers. “Imagine sitting at gaming table in Las Vegas with a girl dealing cards and friends playing each side. But in reality one of your friends is in North Wales and the other is in Bangkok. And you’re not getting ripped off for drinks.” Perhaps this line of thinking is behind Microgaming’s choice of roulette as its first VR development product. The Isle of Man- headquartered e-gaming creator invited visitors to London’s ICE trade show this year to put on Samsung Oculus Rift DK2 headsets. Once so equipped, they found themselves sitting on an asteroid, with a robot croupier manning a roulette table in front and, if they turned their head around to look at it, a giant planet hovering behind. Each headset was fitted with a Leap Motion 3D Controller; a kind of “touchless mouse” that detects and maps a user’s hand movements in three- dimensional space. A player in this way could reach out his or her hands, which appeared, robot-like in VR, and place bets on the table. “The product was devised by our research and development team, who are tasked with looking three to five years into the future and experimenting with disruptive technologies,” says Microgaming’s Head of Product Channels Neill Whyte. “Mass adoption is what the industry is waiting for. Remember, mobile was talked about for many years before its tipping point was reached. What we’re doing with wearables feels very similar to how we approached mobile; we are preparing for what could be around the corner.” Whyte says his company is “working on several other exciting concepts, including the use of online slots” on the Samsung VR headset. Virtual Reality promises more intense, more immersive gaming experiences to a “Imagine sitting at gaming table in Las Vegas with a girl dealing cards and friends playing each side. But in reality one of your friends is in North Wales and the other is in Bangkok. And you’re not getting ripped off for drinks.” generation that has grown up with all of the bells and whistles that modern consumer technology can provide; such as Xbox games consoles and giant, 4K televisions. But is it here to stay? Or will it go the way of 3D TV and Google Glass? And for gambling, does it really have something lasting to add? Of course the honest answer to this can only be that we don’t know. Steve Rogers says Inspired has invested “in the lowmillions” so far as part of “innovation in ameasured approach.” “I’m skeptical,” he says. “I’m not going to go down the route of developing all of our games with VR in mind.” Says Rogers, “You develop one or two cool products, get user groups involved, and then see how the market reacts. There is a speed at which you can evolve and you have to take the player with you.” “The idea is that you’re more involved … And instead of just betting on your team, crossing your fingers and hoping things are going to happen, you can actually impact the outcome … With VR you’ve got money riding on yourself. We’re crossing over from passive observation to a skill-based product.”