The most successful video game tech in recent years

I recently touched on some video game tech that did not go down as well as everyone hoped it would, but now it is time to do some positive thinking and focus on the tech that actually exceeded our expectations.

Here are some of the most successful pieces of gaming tech in recent years.

Oculus Rift

In 2012 a Kickstarter campaign launched to help fund a new Virtual Reality headset idea, which led to the $2.4 million being raised for Oculus Rift. Two years later and Facebook purchased the same project for $2 billion dollars.

Since then, Oculus has been more than successful, partnering with the likes of Microsoft, and signing contracts with hundreds of publishers around the world.

The Xbox One will soon see its own version of Oculus Rift, as the company plans on releasing a revamped “Scorpio” console late next year for VR.

Industry analysts predict that Oculus sales will skyrocket above $2.6 billion in 2016 alone, and this will be thanks to the whopping 9.6 million units sold in 2016

PlayStation 4

The PlayStation 4 released in 2013 and although many people had their doubt about the success of the console, it has surpassed everyone’s expectations.

Sony has continued to sell consoles like hot cakes, and they have reported to have sold over 40 million units since launch.

The PS4 has also received a great software lineup over the past few years, which compliments the console’s hardware, and adds to the overall appeal of the library.

One cannot argue that the PS4’s success is a re-imaging of the classic PlayStation 2, where Sony sold over 150 million units in its 14 years on the market.

The PlayStation 4’s success is a warm welcome after the bumpy release of the PS3 back in 2006, where Sony released the console way above the budget of the average consumer.

You can’t help but but appreciate how well the PS4 has done over the last few years and the impact it has made on the industry.

Xbox One

Although the Xbox One has always been in the shadows of the PS4, the console has come far over the past few years. Microsoft’s initial plan for the Xbox One was very different, with its always-on DRM requirements, no sharing games, and even the mandatory Kinect functioning.

Since then, Microsoft has moved in a complete new direction with the console.

The company has scrapped Kinect almost completely due to the Xbox One S not even supporting it without a USB adapter, and almost every game that releases now does not have any Kinect features.

Sure, Microsoft might be trailing behind Sony in terms of console sales – as it just hit 20 million back in March – but the success of the Xbox One is based on the lengths Microsoft has gone to to improve it.

Mobile Devices

If you go back 20 years from today, you will live in a time where mobile gaming was exclusive to dedicated gaming platforms.

This has changed drastically over the past few years, making mobile phones and tablets one of the most successful pieces of gaming tech in the world.

Forget Candy Crush and all those games, we are talking about the ability to run console-like games on your mobile device.

Games like Final Fantasy IX, Infinity Blade, Oceanhorn and more have broken the barrier in mobile gaming and created a new platform for entertainment.

With the ability to stream console games to your Windows devices and PS4 apps, gaming has become a seamless feature, displaying the potential to grow even more over the next few years.

The more tech grows and mobile devices become more powerful, the greater the landscape for change grows too.