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The technology for virtual reality has only been around for a few years but we are already seeing it being applied to more and more markets. And the porn industry definitely has not ignored the potential for using virtual reality.
Virtual reality porn in combination with the latest in haptic (touch) technology will bring a whole new dimension to both porn and sex in general. As the technology gets better and better, long distance relationships suddenly won’t seem so hard to maintain!
In this short article, we’ll take a look at the highlights and what you can expect to see in the future of virtual reality sex.
The Technology Behind Virtual Reality Sex
Virtual reality will change the industry in a few ways by making experiences and interactions possible that were never possible before. Here are a few ways that virtual reality tech will affect the porn industry:
- 360 degree cameras. These will allow for virtual reality porn movies. Viewers can watch from any angle they choose and feel more fully immersed in the scene since the perspective makes them feel like they are right there. This will also make it possible to have a first person perspective of the action which will let viewers feel like they are actually there and taking part.
- Haptic wearables. Haptic technology is the technology to cause a person to feel a simulated version of what they would feel if something really happened to them. There is already a basic version of this in some game controllers. When something explodes, the controller vibrates to simulate the explosion. As the tech gets more advanced, it will be able to simulate a variety of different touch sensations. This can allow viewers to actually physically feel what they would feel if they were really there.
- Immersive Headsets. We have already seen some virtual reality sex games that aren’t really fully immersive but they are a start. These games allow you to control a virtual avatar and maneuver to engage in various sex acts with other avatars. With a virtual reality headset, users can become fully immersed in the virtual world where their avatar is doing its thing. This will allow them to become fully immersed in the action as if they were actually there.
- Virtual reality sex toys. In addition to controlling an avatar, people may soon be able to remotely control sex toys. Companies in the porn industry are working hard to develop internet-enabled toys which would allow two people to have “sex” with each person controlling the toy that the other person is using. In some cases, they are also making the toys compatible with porn videos so that they move/vibrate in sync with what is happening in the video.
- Full body simulated contact. Two companies also recently released “sex suits” which are full body suits that feature haptic technology. This allows for simulated touch sensations across the entire body of the person wearing the suit. They are internet enabled so that another person can control what touch sensations are simulated or it can be linked with online games. And while this is definitely going to have a lot of uses for simulated sex, it can also help simulate nonsexual intimacy like hugging and cuddling.
What Challenges Does Virtual Reality Porn Face?
There is already a strong market for adult sex video games—especially in Japan—and they have wasted no time in adapting virtual reality technology to their games. This includes allowing for changing perspectives, 360 degree views, and interactive live-action content.
But one of the big challenges to overcome going forward will be minimizing virtual reality sickness. This is a kind of motion sickness that can happen with virtual reality because your field of vision is completed limited to the virtual world and what you see there doesn’t always match up with your actual movements.
However, this is usually only a problem after wearing the virtual reality headset for a long time or when there’s a lot of rapid movement that doesn’t match with the user’s own movements. The more realistic the experience gets, the less likely symptoms of virtual reality sickness will be a problem.
The Future of Virtual Reality Sex
Basically, we are going to see a growing trend toward more immersive engagement with porn. Rather than just being a simple 2D movie to watch, porn will become more like a virtual reality sex simulator in which active viewers can act and feel sensations as if they were actually there.
At the moment the more advanced products available are still pretty expensive but as the market grows and the technology becomes more affordable, the prices will drop and make these exciting new products available to more and more people.
Final Word
In short, the porn industry is developing new applications for virtual reality technology that will not only make porn a more interactive and engaging experience but will allow people who are far apart to have simulated sex that is surprisingly close to the real thing—which can help relieve some of the stress and hardship of being in a long distance relationship.
So they could become the heroes that are helping couples stay together! And beyond that, as they work on improving the tech for their purposes, those improvements will be helpful elsewhere to. Better haptic technology can make any virtual experience more immersive. In the end, better virtual reality sex technology will mean better virtual reality technology across the board!