The state of gaming in 2016: Here’s what to expect

 

 As the year comes to a close, our focus shifts to 2016. What games will we be playing this time next year? Will virtual reality and game streaming see astronomical success, or are we in for another year of major missteps? In a way, the last few years feel like they’ve been building to this moment.

The consoles have a solid install base new, long-awaited VR helmets are making their way into the hands of consumers, and we’re finally seeing new games instead of just sequels. The potential is exciting, but nerve-racking all the same. So let’s jump in, and examine exactly what the new year has in store for us.

Virtual reality

Back in 2012, a crazy little crowdfunded upstart called Oculus kicked off the modern VR gold rush. Nearly four years later, three big-name VR headsets are scheduled for release in the first half of 2016: the Oculus Rift, the HTC Vive, and the PlayStation VR. For better or worse, next year will be the turning point for this generation.

Consumer-grade VR has been tried before, but the technology just wasn’t ready yet. After a series of flops, it took decades to convince companies to invest heavily in it again. Nobody is in a position right now to say if this current crop of hardware will be successful, but most folks in the game industry are hopeful that this will be the biggest step forward for the medium since the introduction of polygonal graphics.

We’re still not sure how much these headsets are going to cost, or even how many games they’ll support at launch. If consumer-focused VR stumbles out of the gate, this generation of hardware might fade even faster than the PlayStation Move and Kinect. Virtual reality seems like an inevitability, but it might take decades to recover if all we get next year is a series of failures.

Nintendo NX

Nintendo is in an odd place right now. The Wii U was a severe disappointment, the lumbering Japanese giant is just now dipping its toe into the app store, and the whole company is still reeling from the untimely death of Satoru Iwata earlier this year. With so much up in the air, it seems that 2016 will define where Nintendo sits in the modern landscape.

Over the last few weeks, numerous patents have surfaced showing a crazy new touchscreen controller and a scalable modular console. Nobody outside of Nintendo knows for sure exactly what the NX will look like, or how it will function, but the longest-running popular theory points towards a merger between handhelds and traditional consoles.

At this point, it’s unlikely that Nintendo is ever going to try to compete head-to-head with the likes of Sony, Microsoft, and Valve. Quirky controllers and family friendly franchises make Nintendo what it is. And since the Wii and DS lines saw such success in the last decade, I find it hard to imagine a world in which Nintendo abandons the infamous blue ocean strategy.

Steam Machines

Unless there’s some sort of catastrophic financial event next year, Valve and its hardware partners will continue to work on further consolizing the PC market. Surely there will be some attempts at selling high-end machines running SteamOS, but it’s inevitable that the price will trend downwards. And as stick PCs start to gain traction, it seems likely that Valve will push for small, cheap machines that can play hundreds of smaller releases. And considering how well streaming tech has progressed, we might even see something along the lines of PlayStation Now.

As for AAA releases, it’s hard to imagine a future where SteamOS (and Linux in general) receives significant support. Sure, a few notable games like Street Fighter V are coming to SteamOS, but that’s not standard operating procedure. Based on the history of the industry, it’s safe to assume that AAA support for Linux and OS X will be half-hearted at best. But if you’re looking for a cheap way to play loads of indie titles, the future is looking bright for Steam Machines.

Gameplay streaming

Over the last two years, gameplay streaming has become surprisingly solid. With Remote Play on the PS4, local gameplay streaming on the Xbox One, and Steam Link for PC games, it’s never been easier to play your games wherever you are. In 2016, expect this trend to continue.

Just a few weeks ago, Sony confirmed that a Remote Play client is being developed for both Windows and OS X. And since it’s already up and running on select Sony smartphones, it’s not hard to imagine iOS and Android clients as well. If Sony crosses the line into those markets next year, it’s reasonable to expect Microsoft to do the same.

Obviously, nobody wants to try to play a console game with just a touchscreen, but pairing a Bluetooth controller to an iPad sounds pretty compelling. I occasionally use my Vita for PS4 Remote Play, but instead I usually end up using the PSTV in my bedroom simply because I can use a real controller. If I could use my iPad instead, I’d jump at the opportunity.

Game releases

Of course, none of this tech matters at all if we don’t have games to take advantage of it. 2015 was jam-packed with some outstanding releases, but 2016 is looking even better right now. Technological powerhouses like Uncharted 4, Gears of War 4, and Final Fantasy XV will undoubtedly wow us with production value, but there are a few other games lined up for next year that are much more intriguing than those well-worn franchises.

No Man’s Sky is taking procedural generation to the next level, and populating a galaxy with countless worlds that nobody has ever seen before. Details are still worryingly slim on what the moment-to-moment gameplay will consist of, but hopes are incredibly high. And since it seems that the small team at Hello Games is getting some sort of financial backing from Sony, they might just be able to deliver on some of the hype.

As I mentioned above, 2016 is the year of VR. So, what titles can we expect to play on our fancy new headsets? Eve Valkyrie seems like a home run — the cockpit-centric gameplay plays to the strengths of the hardware. Rez Infinite made a great showing at PSX, but it loses some of its appeal without that expensive full-body vibrating suit. And if you’re into absurdity, No Goblin’s 100ft Robot Golf will be right up your alley.

The Witness, Horizon: Zero Dawn, ReCore, Tacoma, Quantum Break, Firewatch, and Hellblade. What do those games have in common? They’re all brand-new franchises. After sifting through dozens of sequels this year, I couldn’t be happier to see a completely new crop of games. There will assuredly be some disappointments in the bunch, but with so many new games on the schedule, there’s bound to be something that tickles your fancy in the new year.