Sooner Than Tomorrow: Is Fully Immersive VR Sex Right Around the Corner?
All that may be necessary is to put all the pieces together
Speaking to imageantra, mixed reality developer Sam Hall postulates multisensory, thoroughly engaging metaversal erotic encounters could be commonplace in less than ten years.
The CEO of Mixed Reality Rooms (MRR), a business-to-business company specializing in virtual and augmented reality events and unique constructs like their Arcate Strange “gamified drinks-pouring” robot, Hall explains:
“We believe the future of metaverse sex will be a combination of virtual reality headsets combined with sex toys that can be linked using technology that already exists, such as Bluetooth, to help create a fully immersive experience.”
Hall continues, saying, “Immersive experiences are compelling, they simulate images exceptionally well, and when combined with haptic technology, such as sex toys that respond to stimuli and produce physical results, they will provide an experience close enough to the real thing.”
Hall foresees the fusion of smart sex tech and virtual reality to make his dream come true, where “The metaverse has no limits and will allow people to live out all their sexual fantasies,” might be here sooner than he, or anyone else, might imagine.
“No limit to the experiences they can enjoy”
Similar to many of our articles on the subject, Hall’s sexual metaverse would enable users to freely expand their sexual horizons, “They can be whoever they want to be in these virtual worlds and, in theory, there will be no limit to the experiences they can enjoy.”
Unfortunately, he also made a comment that’s become far too common, even among some researchers who should know better, “Do I think this is good for us as humans? No, but at the same time sex is a basic human desire and people will need an outlet to express themselves.”
Other research papers such as the one published by Leighton Evans from the Department of Media and Communication, Swansea University, whose “Findings demonstrate some increases in arousal and empathy in using VR pornography.”
Similarly, Modern Intimacy wrote of virtual reality adult entertainment, “The first major benefit is greater immersion. Porn is all about fulfilling fantasies and exploring imaginative scenarios through visual stimulation. Feeling as though you are within the scene could help your imagination go further and open up new avenues for sexual arousal.”
Insert tab A into slot B
Back to the question of whether or not we’ll see Hall’s sexual metaverse in ten years or less, he’s correct in pointing out the number of recent developments in providing virtual reality with realistic sensations like touch, taste, and small—in addition to VR’s already lifelike sounds and visuals.
The same is true for virtual/augmented and mixed reality hardware, as in Apple’s launch of its groundbreaking Apple Vision Pro setting a new standard—and getting the adult entertainment industry (ahem) excited about its possibilities.
As for Bluetooth-equipped sexual devices, we’re arguably in the middle of an integrative tech boom, with a range of VR adult sites promoting how well their videos are compatible with products from Kiiroo, Lovense, and others.
Now, not when?
As for how fast all these various pieces might come together to forge Hall’s sexual metaverse and why we might be able to enjoy it in far less time than he estimates, look no further than the meteoric rise of erotic chatbots.
Specifically, how ChatGPT, not neglecting the rise of other large language model systems such as Noma.ai, Replika, or Kindroid, launched less than a year ago.
Factoring in the ever-rising interest in and commercial success of sexuality-related technology—which, as Statista reports, boasts a “global market size of about 34 billion U.S. dollars in 2021“—it’s easy to see Hall’s prediction of a fully immersive, fully-sex tech integrated metaverse in ten years as far too conservative an estimate.
Today, not tomorrow
As with erotic chatbots, my prognosis is Hall’s dream will probably take a lot of people by surprise: one day, just a plethora of bits and pieces; the next, someone, somewhere, has assembled them in the right order—no doubt with more than a little help from an artificial intelligence or two—and, viola: we’ll be able to live out outrageous fantasies, experiment with various gender expressions, and experience what life and sex are like for our fellow human beings.
Wonderful though all that may sound, we have to keep our collective fingers crossed that people like Hall will eventually learn that pre-judging any technological innovation always does more harm than good.
Particularly for those for whom an erotic multiverse could mean freedom to not just play however they want with anyone they need but also where they’ll be from bigotry, ignorance, and hate.
Image Sources: Depositphotos
