The most fascinating advances in gaming tech

Motion sense technology could remove the need for controllers in the future.

Some of the first real world uses of new pieces of technology come from the gaming industry.

Those working within entertainment are always looking for new ways to engage people, meaning that they're often keen to jump on the latest bit of tech and see how they can use it.

Within the gaming industry this is really prevalent, leading to some huge technological leaps due to the commercial success that comes from willing consumers.

We're going to take a look at some advances in gaming technology that have either shaped the way that we play today, or are right at the cutting edge at this moment.

Augmented reality

Pokemon Go brought augmented reality to the masses.

It wasn't so long ago that augmented reality was the stuff of sci-fi films. You'd see a spy with glasses updating him on the vital stats of his enemies, or watch as a crowd saw a hologram of their leader projected in front of them.

You might be scratching your brain trying to think of any games that employ this kind of futuristic technology, but you probably already have it downloaded on your smartphone. Pokemon Go was a pioneer of bringing augmented reality to the masses.

Augmented reality is quite simple to understand. It keeps elements of reality whilst changing or overlaying digital elements. In the case of Pokemon Go, the augmentation is very straightforward.

You open your phone to catch a Pokemon and it appears as though you're taking a photo of it, superimposed in your actual landscape, through your phone's camera.

While no other game has managed to use this technology on such a scale yet, it shouldn't be long before they start to pop up.

Random number generators

Our next technological advance is one that happened a long time ago, but is such a necessity to the world of gaming that it deserves to be highlighted.

Random number generators work by taking a seed number, running it through a complex equation, and coming up with a new number that's incredibly close to being truly random. This is useful for all kinds of games that require an element of randomness, like where NPCs will spawn, or where findable items will be placed on the map.

As well as this, random number generators are used in all kinds of casino games. They help to ensure total fairness, which is essential in this sector. For example, in a game of online blackjack cards are dealt randomly, which means they need to be shuffled first.

Obviously there isn't a person behind the screen shuffling cards. Rather. a random number generator is used to simulate the shuffling of a deck. RNGs are also useful for slot games and roulette to help establish where the reels or wheel will stop spinning.

Motion sense technology

Our next tech pick has been used for a long time in the world of film and television. Motion sensors are often placed on the hands, feet, and joints of actors who will move in front of a green screen.

These points will then be used to map the movement of the actor and create a computer generated model of whatever creature they're supposed to be acting as. Gollum from the Lord of the Rings trilogy is a great example of a computer generated creature that used motion sensors to create realistic movement.

What's interesting is how motion sensor technology is now used in the world of gaming.

Instead of using a controller, there are some games that are moving towards being able to understand gestures, facial features, and more. Rather than clicking to kick a ball, you could actually make the motion of a kick with your foot and the game would understand the input.

A very early pioneer of this technology was the Nintendo Wii, which at the time was set to change the face of gaming. It would be fair to say that it didn't quite change it, but the baton shaped control did enable people to move in a normal way and play sports as though they were actually there.