Virtual reality (VR) is one of the hot new crazes to hit all aspects of the tech world. One of the surprising uses for it has been VR casinos, which place you in a simulated casino that looks just like the real thing.
The strengths of VR have always been in how the tech can make you feel present in the world of the game. This applies whether you’re fighting aliens, driving a racing car or simply enjoying some time in a casino.
If you’re wondering how a VR casino works, it’s very similar to the real thing. You’re placed in a virtual building with everything you might expect a physical casino to have.
That means there will be slots, roulette, blackjack and all the classic casino games. Using your VR set’s controls, you can look and walk around the casino with full freedom, feeling like you’re really in the room.
Online casinos have grown in popularity in recent years and there are plenty of great casinos available on the internet, as explained by BonusFinder’s Shallyn Goodhead.
Technology has allowed casino providers to experiment and create gaming hubs for their players such as VR casinos.
So how does VR casinos compare to the real thing? There are a number of pros and cons to using a VR casino, such as:
The pros
The first pro is the realism of a VR world. It is much more engaging to be able to look freely around a casino than it is to look at your computer or phone screen, and this makes the whole presence more enjoyable.
A big part of any casino experience is the atmosphere, and this is missing when you play on your own online. VR helps capture some of this atmosphere, giving you a change of scenery from your home without having to make the journey to a physical location.
This isn’t just about interacting with the games, such as being able to pick up your poker hand. You can even look out of the windows and be treated to views such as Las Vegas or the view from a high-rise tower.
There’s also the social element. While many online casinos have chat functions, these are no replacement for actually being able to talk to people.
With VR, you can use voice chat and talk to the people in the casino with you, including the dealers (depending on which VR casino you use). It adds another level of feeling like the real thing, which can make gaming much more fun.
It also adds a lot to certain games, such as poker, which relies on the social element. Bluffing is extremely hard online, but being able to hear your fellow players’ voices can make it a lot easier to work out if they have a good or bad hand.
The views of the casino games are also real-time, giving you the ability to properly play with others rather than just playing on a computer. It slows things down a bit, giving you time to watch the blackjack dealer handing out cards or the roulette wheel spinning.
This is all much more exciting and engaging than simply sitting at a computer. But there are downsides to everything, and VR casinos are no different.
The cons
The big downside of VR casinos is that in order to access them, you will need a VR headset. This isn’t the end of the world, but they are expensive pieces of tech that won’t be accessible to everyone.
VR also takes up room. You will need to leave yourself plenty of space when you play, as you won’t be able to see your physical body while the headset is on.
This means you might end up knocking things over if you move your arms in the casino without being able to see where they’re going in real life. You’ll need to give yourself room to manoeuvre, which again isn’t something that everyone has access to.
It can also be difficult for some people to use VR at all. Some users report feeling motion sick while playing or having issues wearing the headset while wearing prescription glasses.
Even if you can use the headset with no issues, VR can become uncomfortable over time. It’s definitely not for everybody, and your mileage will vary, but it’s a big risk to buy a VR set before you’re sure you’ll get on well with it.
Overall, everyone will have a different opinion on VR casinos. For some, they’re a fantastic way to spend time feeling like your part of the real thing.