15 Bold Gaming Predictions For 2018

2. AR Gaming Starts To Gain Traction

The Prediction: Augmented Reality gaming will become the next big trend by the end of the year, replicating the big VR boom of 2016.

Why It Will Happen: VR's sheen is starting to wear off a little, which will create more room in the gaming gadget market for an expensive new toy, especially without any major console launches due to happen this year.

Microsoft's impressive HoloLens tech is unfortunately far too expensive for the average consumer right now and lacks sufficient content, but expect mobile AR to blow up something fierce this year, especially with the enormous success of Pokémon Go back in 2016.

Though we're still a few years away from AR glasses costing "only" a few hundred bucks, expect some pretty sophisticated AR titles to be released for phones, which will inevitably pave the way for full fat AR games in the future.

Why It Might Not: AR is still in its infancy, and with so many consumers having invested in VR tech over the last 18 months, it might be short-sighted to start hocking other means of immersive gaming already. Plus, with Pokémon Go releasing two summers ago, why hasn't the AR deluge already begun?