by Josh Klazinga

Created on: January 25, 2010

What with the upcoming release of Project Natal and the PS Motion Controller, as well as the huge success of Avatar 3D and other 3D movies, it really makes one think; what could the next step in gaming itself be?

Some of the things that are happening in the gaming world now would have been the stuff of dreams 10 years ago. We have Blu-ray, quality online gaming, heaps of high-tech perephirals, the Havok and Unreal 3 engines, 3D in movies and even some games... The list goes on. But what comes next?

Could it be virtual reality?

It certainly isn't impossible. There have been many advances in VR over the last few years, and the technology has been around for longer than the next/current gen consoles. The USA military has been using VR in specific training excercises, and it is even used in medical training.

Hell, some of you may remember the Virtual Boy, an old Nintendo "portable" game console released all the way back in '95. It neared the idea of virtual reality for its time with its headset and 3D graphics. It failed as a console, but technology has come a long way in 14 years.

So what's to stop major game developers from eventually taking current VR technology and incorporating it into new gaming systems? Prices for the hardware are fairly high, but as more advances are made and as easier methods are discovered, that will change. It may not be long before the technology is affordable enough for developers to consider.

I mentioned Project Natal before. That has the potential to get pretty close to virtual reality with its full 3D movement detection, and apparently it will be able to run through the current Xbox 360. And the PS Motion Controller is able to detect 3D movement with pinpoint accuracy and speed, all while using only the current PlayStation Eye and a hand-held peripheral. They are both exciting concepts, and they show just how far game developers are willing to go to innovate and entertain.

But how long until they've improved on old ideas long enough? Because, let's face it, both the PS Motion Controller and Project Natal look incredible. But they are also basically just 1up'd versions of older products. So when, and what, is the next major new step in gaming? And could it be virtual reality?

With all this in mind, it certainly isn't a major stretch to think that we might be seeing mainstream VR gaming on the horizon. It is more than possible to do it technology-wise, perhaps more so than any of us may know. Of course, any initial attempts at VR will be flawed, so I'm not saying that you should be expecting the ultimate Oblivion experience within the next 3 years. But you always have to start somewhere.

So anyway, here's to hoping that this actually happens. I don't know if VR gaming would be my thing or not, but I would still love to see it. And with all the cool stuff that has been announced, it's more of a possibility than ever before.

And hey, even if you think it's a totally messed up idea that no developer would ever go for, anything is better than the Wii Vitality Sensor.

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