If you’re old enough to have lived through the nineties as an adult, you probably remember that there was a lot of hide behind virtual reality or VR. In particular, there are a lot of people a lot of futurists who thought that by now we will be dining at goggles and all sorts of paraphernalia so that we would be having sex via long-distance or with a machine. Eventually though the promise of you are singing to be vaporware, and it fell off of the map.
Fast forward to today. Oculus Rift realize that all of the advances made in smartphones meant that they had all of the equipment they needed to make viable VR. This also made companies like Google realize that we are all carrying the proper equipment for a somewhat limited VR experience in our pockets. This further made porn companies realize that hey we now have fairly easy access to equipment necessary for enjoying pornography in virtual reality so to speak.
If you have a smart phone in your pocket, you probably have most of the equipment you need to enjoy someone immersive pornography in your own home. All you need is a device known as Google cardboard. While there are better headsets for holding your phone, the original and many of them that find online are in fact made of cardboard. Simply go to your favorite streaming website, look to see if they have a virtual reality section, put your phone in the Google cardboard, and you’re ready to spank to 3D porn. Add a Fleshlight or similar product, and you’re golden.
So what’s it like? Depends on who films it. Most of it that I’ve seen tends to be fairly Gonzo comma and pretty cheesy in my opinion. On the other hand, it’s hard to complain about the quality of the image when you are watching a woman’s tits bounce in her face while you’re watching it happen.
My own personal opinion is that it’s not going to take off until we have more immersive virtual reality. In particular, we’re going to need better and more affordable peripherals for sensing what is going on. There are peripherals that will go on male and female genitals, and in that way you can have the sensation of having sex with the other person.
It’s frustrating, too, because many of the pieces are already there so that two people can get each other off over long distance. There are sex toys which work for men and women, which can connect via Bluetooth, and can interact with one another. It is currently technologically possible for a webcam performer to use a dildo on herself, and for you to feel it as if you’re getting fucked by her. The main hangup at this point? Patent trolls. That’s right; there are companies who own patents on connected technologies, but aren’t allowing the tech to be used.
Virtual reality pornography is probably also hampered by a lack of better artificial intelligence. It’s one thing to watch a 180 degree or a 360 degree video of people having sex and being able to visually put yourself in the situation, and another to hopefully one day have a one-on-one session with a camgirl, but it’s another to have an interactive experience where you get to experience having sex with your partner. Truthfully, I think it probably script most of the experience of having virtual reality sex, with some interaction based on tactile support through gloves and through genital sensors and hand force feedback. We’re still in the early days even though it’s been nearly 30 years since we first heard about it. Bummer, but that’s how it is.
So is it time for virtual reality sex? We’re close, sort of, but we’re still in the early days I think that the best is yet to come. There are some worried that this will affect sex workers and their ability to make money at it, but I think it has the potential to make for a much safer experience and has the potential to make the experience of being a sex worker as safe as being a camgirl, and make it possible to have a safe, long-distance casual sexual relationship with someone else. Of course, much like porn itself, it’ll never replace the joy of having enthusiastic sex with a willing partner, but exciting times are ahead for the world of porn and sex work.