An Attendee Tries On The Oculus VR Inc. Rift Development Kit 2 Headset At The 2014 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) In Los Angeles, California
An attendee tries on the Oculus VR Inc. Rift Development Kit 2 headset at the 2014 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, California June 11, 2014. There has been a rising interest in virtual reality platforms among publishers and developers, who hope the years-old technology -- which creates a 360-degree view that immerses players in fantasy settings -- can finally become a viable platform to reverse shrinking video game industry revenues and draw a new generation of users. Picture taken June 11, 2014. Reuters/Kevork Djansezian

Virtual Reality is currently a booming subject in the gaming industry. Its recent overwhelming growth has spurned the Consumer Electronic Association to announce the expansion of the Gaming and Virtual Reality Marketplace at the CES 2016.

The 2016 edition of CES will house more than 40 exhibitors who will showcase the various facets, VR systems and environments can offer. It will also be showcasing the latest hardware, software and accessories from the gaming industry.

The Gaming and VR Marketplace will expand by 77 percent this year over CES 2015. According to a CEA research, virtual reality headsets are expected to have a sales increase of 500 percent. The total revenue is projected to reach $540 million by the end of 2015. Eminent developers from the Virtual Reality sphere including Oculus, Virtuix and Sphero will be taking part in CES 2016.

“Developments in virtual and augmented reality have made significant strides to allow us to engage in a 360-degree gaming experience, explore the inside of foreign landmarks, treat phobias, better train medical professionals, virtually attend an event and much more,” said Karen Chupka, senior vice president of corporate business strategy and CES in a press release to the International Business Times Australia.

CES 2016 will also be showcasing the latest in augmented reality technology including headsets, structure sensors and softwares from exhibitors such as ASRC Federal for NASA, Marxent and Occipital. A minimum of 3000 net square feet will be allotted for the Augmented Reality Marketplace.

Until recently, VR technology has not made a lot of strides. But this year, there have been a couple of developments in virtual reality technology, especially in the field of gaming. Recently, Epic Games, the mastermind behind franchises like “Unreal Tournament” and “Gears of War,” unveiled its brand-new virtual reality game today.

The first-person (FPS) shooter titled “Bullet Train” was introduced by Tim Sweeney, CEO and founder of Epic Games, during the Oculus Connect 2 livestream, as reported by Endgadget. The FPS uses Oculus Touch experience to pick up weapons, shoot and interact within the game’s environment.

Oculus Touch uses motion-sensing technology that lets players control the game. This immerses the player to interact with the game in ways that would not be possible with regular controllers. Apart from its VR gaming technology, Oculus has announced that a new VR headset is also being developed along with Samsung.

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"Bullet Train" demo (Credit: YouTube/Unreal Engine)

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