Although there has been no official statement as to the release date of the PlayStation 5, it’s looking likely that it will hit shelves in Q4 of 2020 – that’s according to industry analyst Michael Pachter. With the current offering from Sony still performing well, there is no need for the tech giants to rush. We all know that the PS5 is coming, though, and when it does Sony will be looking to continue its dominance of console markets. With the gambling industry also on the rise and projected to hit previously unprecedented heights in the same timeframe, would it make sense for Sony to get in on this lucrative sector and add gambling options to the PS5?
Gambling on the Rise and Incorporating New Tech
The gambling industry is rapidly growing, and its rise has been due to the fact that it always moves with new technology. When the internet came about, online casinos quickly followed. Then the sites evolved to incorporate more things, such as live streaming and social interaction between players.
Now online casino developers like Microgaming are making offerings using virtual reality, a platform which is expected to become hugely popular in the next few years. Microgaming have developed VR Roulette, and if this game hits the mainstream, it could lead to full VR casinos. Online casinos have yet to collaborate with consoles, but if they did in the future it could bring about an even greater number of new innovations.
Previous Gambling Options Haven’t Offered Cash Returns
There have been a number of games in the past on various PlayStation consoles which have been based on popular gambling games or involved forms of gambling. However, these games have never given the player the opportunity to win real money.
One of the most popular mini-games that involved gambling was in the 2010 Rockstar Games offering Red Dead Redemption for the PlayStation 3. In the game, players were able to take a break from the action of the main storyline and partake in high stakes poker games in various saloons within the game world. Released at the height of the poker boom, this small detail was a massive hit among players of the game. Players had the opportunity to play Texas Hold’em with other outlaws, and could throw chips into the middle of the table. It was enjoyable, but perhaps if there had been the chance to win actual money it would have had gamers playing for longer. They were, however, able to win in-game currency to spend on weapons and upgrades.
Some games that have focused purely on gambling rather than including it as a mini-game haven’t earned such notoriety as the Rockstar Games offering. While Prominence Poker from 505 Studio is regarded as one of the best console gambling games, it was never a major hit due to its niche. Within the game, players were only able to play poker for fun. It didn’t have an edge over internet poker rooms because there were no real stakes involved. Part of the rush of poker for many is the slight risk involved when betting with one’s own chips.
PlayStation May Have to Innovate to Continue Dominance
Sony should seriously think about offering gambling options that give players the chance to win money on its next console. The abovementioned games were popular, but if there had been the chance to win money on them they could have been even more successful.
The gambling market is growing at a lightning-fast pace, and by 2020 when the PS5 is expected to drop, the industry is projected to rake in an annual revenue of $59.79 billion. Considering that the money earned from the sector in 2010 was $22.87 billion, that’s a serious increase. The projections for the online casino industry correlate with those for the virtual reality market, which is also expected to boom at around the same time. This could be down to the fact that developers are seeking ways to incorporate VR into gambling games.
With PlayStation already offering a successful VR option, Sony would be poised to benefit greatly from allowing players to enjoy VR gambling options from their consoles. The company would also be way ahead of Microsoft and the Xbox in this regard, as the main competitor to PlayStation doesn’t even have a VR option yet. If one of PlayStation’s rivals got into gambling before them, though, they could have a chance of overthrowing the dominance of the leading console. This is why Sony should take the plunge first.
If Sony were to begin offering gambling games on the PS5, it could boost its sales even more and bring about a totally new way of playing. It’s something that the tech giants should seriously consider in the lead up to the release of their new platform.
