Consumer demand for mobility isn't just happening on the PC front. The gaming industry is ripe and primed for big change as mobile games and virtual reality innovations are gaining ground.
One industry watcher believes the mobile wave will disrupt the console segment, predicting that it could trigger one of the biggest gaming devices being shut down.
"Over the next few months we will continue to see growth in mobile and free-to-play. More and more content of all types will be consumed over mobile," John Williamson, game designer in residence at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology in Pennsylvania, tells Tech Times.
"In the long term, mobile will be the dominant form for all media consumption and the session length/compulsion loop of content will continue to shrink as a result."
That dominance could spark longtime successful brands to revamp console business strategies.
"I would not be surprised if Microsoft didn't quietly announce that they were ceasing production of the Xbox 360 this year," adds Williamson.
Such a prediction may seen as a bit sensationalistic, given Microsoft intends to support the Xbox through 2016 at least and given the rash of game deals at the end of 2014, likely to clear out inventory for new games arriving this year, so all signs seem to point to ongoing commitment.
Yet, back in August, one of the biggest game makers for Xbox stated it will stop making games in a year. Yves Guillemot, Ubisoft CEO, stated game development will likely shut down for Xbox 360 after 2015 due to hardware sales of Xbox One.
Back in 2013, right before XBox One arrived, Microsoft stated it would continue its Xbox 360 brand for at least three years,
But then again, three years ago is a long time in the technology space, and the amazing speed of mobile advancements may prompt some unexpected strategy changes.
NewZoo, a gaming industry market research company, revealed it had to substantially raise its global revenue forecast of mobile gaming for 2014 from $21.7 billion to a massive $25 billion. That's a 43 percent increase on mobile gaming revenue reported in 2013.
It's not only consumer's love for mobile that's impacting gaming. Virtual reality, once a looming promise, has arrived along with augmented reality technologies such as Google Cardboard.
"The biggest trend we see for 2015 and beyond is the integration of virtual reality and augmented reality into mobile games for more immersive/addictive experiences," Poulomi Damany, VP of products at BitYota, tells Tech Times.
"With Facebook-Oculus, Google-VR and now MSFT-HoloLens, we are seeing the introduction of affordable headsets that can significantly evolve the game experience," he says. "Similarly, with augmented reality, the user sees and interacts with additional information or data overlay, in real time while playing a game."
It's hard to say whether gaming enthusiasts will embrace VR headsets as they have consoles, as it's still an emerging tech. But there's little doubt gamers love mobile games and that trend won't be ebbing anytime soon.
