Video games have come a long way since they became mainstream in the 1980s, but some amazing advances in technology have made the future of gaming even brighter.

Here are a few examples.

Facial Recognition

3D scanning and facial recognition technology allows systems to transfer your face into the game world (so you can create your own avatar that looks just like you) or ingeniously transfer actors’ facial expressions to create animations.

On top of that, Intel RealSense 3D technology can allow developers to create games that adapt to a gamer’s emotions by scanning 78 different points on a person’s face. For example, a few frustrated grimaces will cause the system to instantly reduce the game’s difficulty.

Ultra 4K standard with HDR

We’ve come a long way from the days of basic 8-bit graphics in games. The latest advances allow gamers to experience games in fully rendered worlds with photorealistic textures. The ability to enhance the gaming experience with higher image quality makes it feel like you’re right there in the game.

To show this kind of high-tech visuals, you need a proper display. Preferably, it should support Ultra 4K resolution with HDR support.

Initially only a few could afford 4K TVs, but with increased production and increased competition, the minimum cost of such displays has decreased. However, if you want to get the best gaming experience, you can’t do without an expensive OLED display – perfect blacks and infinite contrast take the image to a whole other level.

Voice Control

Lazy to reach for your gamepad? No problem. Games with voice control are no longer fantastic – computers can now easily recognize the user’s voice commands.

Not only can you turn your devices on and off with this technology, but you can also use voice commands to control gameplay, interact with social networks, play selected items from your media library, or search the web simply by talking to your game system.

Gesture Controls

Or get rid of the controller altogether. Intel RealSense technology lets you play first-person shooters or simply interact with your device with just a few swipes. Using a 3D camera that tracks 22 individual points on your hand, gesture-based control allows users to tap into the gameplay using your body’s natural movements.

For example, the game Warrior Wave uses RealSense technology, so you can use your hand (the outline of which appears on the screen) to lead a group of ancient Greek soldiers to safety.

Virtual Reality

Although virtual reality (VR) helmets are still evolving, the technology has made a huge leap in recent years. VR applications are rapidly improving and penetrating many industries. In the healthcare and automotive industries, virtual reality is even changing the way we work. But VR has found the most widespread adoption in the gaming industry. For example, you can visit a casino, fully immersed in the atmosphere of excitement, without even leaving your room.

In video games, gamers experience and influence the gaming environment with a variety of devices and accessories, including VR headsets, gloves with sensors, special gamepads, and more.

Sales don’t seem to be too bad either – by 2020, PlayStation virtual reality helmets have sold more than 5 million units. Considering that we are talking about only one model, the number is really impressive.

Augmented reality

If the virtual world is not for you, why not play in the real world? Not limited to a TV or computer monitor, augmented reality games offer the gamer a unique perspective. They maneuver through the real world and make the object of the game visible in the real world.

For example, play tabletop hockey on the kitchen counter from any angle or solve puzzles scattered in the backyard.

The most prominent example of the spread of technology is Pokémon GO. The point of the game is simple: you have to catch Pokémon in the real world using augmented virtual reality. Moreover, the appearance of digital animals depended directly on geolocation. The game made a real boom in the world and brought the publisher hundreds of millions of dollars.

Gaming devices for fitness

The fact that “movement is life” will be confirmed by any dater who has lived to the age of 30. After all, by this age the first bells start ringing for the mistakes of youth. You will not move enough – health problems are simply inevitable – any doctor will confirm. Fortunately, nowadays it is possible to combine work with pleasure. Not necessarily to buy a treadmill or go to the dance floor to get at least some exercise.

For example, the Ring Fit Adventure from Nintendo uses a special accessory called “Ring-Con” (ring from the English word “Ring,” which translates to “ring”). Its goal is for a person to exercise while enjoying a fun game. In Japan, the project was so popular that it has already beat the sales figures of the hit The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Another option – the famous series of video games Just Dance. Here you need to repeat movements on the screen and hone your dances to earn as many points as possible. If you love to dance or want to get your kid moving – you just can’t find a better game.

Portable Gameplay

With the advent of the GameBoy and smartphones, advanced gameplay has become available anywhere, anytime. As countless people on the morning train attest, the love of digital gaming has spread beyond avid console consumers and PC fans thanks to mobile technology.

The Nintendo Switch is a full-fledged gaming system, where you can play projects like The Witcher: Wild Hunt in an airplane cabin or anywhere else. Needless to say, how convenient is that?

Cloud gameplay and streaming

Instead of building systems that require more powerful hardware, developers are looking to lighten the load with cloud technology. You no longer need to store your save on a separate gaming device like a memory card – everything is now stored securely online.

Not enough powerful computer? Pay for a GeForce Now subscription or join Google Stadia. With these services the whole game process is processed on a remote server, and you can run the most advanced game on the screen of your mobile. The main thing here is to have a fast Internet connection.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence is not just a part of gameplay. It’s part of making games. For several years now, designers have been using AI to design video games. It’s worth clarifying here that AI often refers to neural networks and other technologies of this kind.

AI can generate game assets, which frees designers from painstakingly drawing every single tree in the forest or rock in a canyon. Instead, designers can shift that work to the computer using a method called procedural content generation, which has become fairly standard practice in the industry.

There are many other applications of AI in games and related technologies: analytics, upscaling, creating advanced bots, use in defense systems, and more.