5 ms·

I Tried VR Porn, and It Was Weird

84 points by bswen 12y ago

zepolud 12y ago
Next keynote by Carmack might be on accidentally solving the Fermi paradox.
- brownbat 12y ago
  Sometimes I look at app game markets and think, "Wow, humanity is burning a lot of cycles on perfecting distraction... that doesn't seem safe." Usually I just load up HN or Total War to forget about it...
  - kiba 12y ago
    We'll be left with people who preferred 'RL' experience over 'VR'. They will be the ones who reproduce, while the rest of humanity are trapped by 'VR'.
    - dullcrisp 12y ago
      Do you guys think people had this same conversation when pornographic films were first created?
      - wongarsu 12y ago
        Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. I'm not even sure whether that part of history is recorded.
    - colmvp 12y ago
      I'm sure the people who would frequently use VR for their personal pleasure are doing so because they prefer VR instead of the practical reality that it has been really hard to find someone IRL. I feel like Louis CK does a great job of covering this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqITqRWhpxg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqITqRWhpxg
FLUX-YOU 12y ago
>If nothing else, it will help you hide your porn better, seeing as it will be strapped to your face. Well, they might not be able to see your porn, but you'll still leak metadata while watching it.
- monitron 12y ago
  > leak metadata Is that a euphemism for failing to discreetly watch VR porn on the train because back in reality you're sporting a raging boner?
  - FLUX-YOU 12y ago
    Not if it's done over the internet in America. GCHQ sees everything though. You might as well shag in parliament.
  - nkozyra 12y ago
    There might be a more obvious euphemism there
- hvs 12y ago
  I know this isn't reddit, but at the risk of downvoting, I had to say that this is the funniest line I've read in a long time. I literally laughed out load for a good, long time.
codeshaman 12y ago
Interesting observation: Seems like girls are better suited for full VR experience than men. Because a programmable dildo coupled with the VR action is a lot simpler to design than a programmable pussy imho. I think geeks are cutting what's left of the branch under their feet with this tech :). VR-sex junkie girls will take a bit of work to impress then.. Oh well, who cares, we'll have our own VR girls!
- stcredzero 12y ago
  What about nerds with fat bank accounts having VR intermediated sex with random "women" on websites? The women would be able to have their clients look like whatever they wanted. They could probably have their partners smell like whatever they wanted.
codeshaman 12y ago
If the experience is so real, will it be possible to fall in love with the VR characters ? The shit future generations will have to deal with is amazingly complicated, at least that's one of the good parts of getting old(er) and old-school-ish.
- comex 12y ago
  Well, considering the 'waifu' meme... probably. It will be a long time before AI is intelligent enough to be worth falling in love with, though.
- corysama 12y ago
  The question is not "Can it happen?" The question is "How widespread will it be?" A small percentage of people have already demonstrated falling in love with dating sims, realdolls and anime characters to the point of taking their "waifus" out on physical dates and couples vacations. My experience in mass-market products has taught me that when you reach a very large number of people, you are going to affect a small number of them much more strongly than you would have ever imagined. When VR goes mass market, it will be a positive force for a huge number of people and a negative one for hopefully a much smaller number. Like cars vs car crashes, we'll have to weigh the benefits based on statistics rather than possibilities.
super-serial 12y ago
Where's that guy with anxiety from yesterday? Strap this to his head and put him in extremely awkward situations of close personal contact. Have the app give instructions on strategies for dealing with anxiety so he can try those things out. Someone should make that... I'm not into VR yet and have too many other projects or I would.
- wongarsu 12y ago
  VR certainly has applications for cheap therapy.
- pizzeys 12y ago
  This is indeed an area of research, you're not unique in seeing this use (sorry! :D) I am agoraphobic and am aware of, though have not participated in, virtual reality assisted exposure therapy programs for agoraphobics. It's early days, but there's people working on it. It's particularly exciting for agoraphobia and certain other anxiety issues which respond very well to exposure, but exposure is expensive and difficult to do and takes a lot of work on behalf of the patient and practitioner, whereas VR obviously makes things easier if you can make it work as well.
dynofuz 12y ago
after legalizing gay marriage/sex, the next big hurdle will be the legality of robosexuals
- krylon 12y ago
  "If anyone asks, you're my debugger." ;-)
kaybe 12y ago
The layout that allows comments by paragraph is really interesting, first time I've seen that.
- pearjuice 12y ago
  I guess you have never read a Medium article?
justonepost 12y ago
I've tried this. I concur with not so much the author but "the friend" of the author -- you definitely will have a real sense of intimacy with the actor, especially if they make eye contact and smile warmly at the VR camera, as if they are really happy to be there with you. And what's particularly interesting is that afterwards, you can really remember the whole thing. It's like it really happened and the memory is even an enjoyable one if the acting vibes were good. What I think would be fun and wish I could try with my girlfriend would be for her to take the part of the actress and do what she does while I lied back and watched the HMD. I even volunteered for her to wear the HMD (there are videos with female POV), and >I< would do what the guy does. From what I've read you can develop an incredible sense of presence with such fun and games. No luck, of course. She just laughed and thought I was cray cray.
auxym 12y ago
I can't help to be reminded of the "Don't date robots" PSA video from Futurama. https://vimeo.com/12915013 https://vimeo.com/12915013
pearjuice 12y ago
>New York Times, 2032: waifu's rights organization want new laws regarding piracy of their members
tzakrajs 12y ago
Maybe if the author wasn't such a prude, this would have been more enjoyable to read.
- tzakrajs 12y ago
  Downvote me you prudes. Hell ban me for all I care about this wretched site.
98Windows 12y ago
I think many people will suffer from this invention. Our brain did not evolve to be in an environment with access to so much sexual stimulation, people are already becoming addicted to porn and rewiring their brains to only be turned on by pixels on a screen. This results in erectile dysfunction when they actually try to have sex and decreased energy and motivation in their lives. Just look at some of the stories on the pornfree and noFap subreddits to see what kind of problems porn can cause. Personally I'd hope to try VR Porn once or twice in my life, further than I can't see the value in it. I believe that sexual energy is a finite resource that should be spent wisely on people you love, not in cold virtual realities.
Kiro 12y ago
OT but what's up with all the references?

84 points by bswen 12y ago

zepolud 12y ago

Next keynote by Carmack might be on accidentally solving the Fermi paradox.

brownbat 12y ago
Sometimes I look at app game markets and think, "Wow, humanity is burning a lot of cycles on perfecting distraction... that doesn't seem safe." Usually I just load up HN or Total War to forget about it...
- kiba 12y ago
  We'll be left with people who preferred 'RL' experience over 'VR'. They will be the ones who reproduce, while the rest of humanity are trapped by 'VR'.
  - dullcrisp 12y ago
    Do you guys think people had this same conversation when pornographic films were first created?
    - wongarsu 12y ago
      Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. I'm not even sure whether that part of history is recorded.
  - colmvp 12y ago
    I'm sure the people who would frequently use VR for their personal pleasure are doing so because they prefer VR instead of the practical reality that it has been really hard to find someone IRL. I feel like Louis CK does a great job of covering this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqITqRWhpxg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqITqRWhpxg

FLUX-YOU 12y ago

>If nothing else, it will help you hide your porn better, seeing as it will be strapped to your face. Well, they might not be able to see your porn, but you'll still leak metadata while watching it.

monitron 12y ago
> leak metadata Is that a euphemism for failing to discreetly watch VR porn on the train because back in reality you're sporting a raging boner?
- FLUX-YOU 12y ago
  Not if it's done over the internet in America. GCHQ sees everything though. You might as well shag in parliament.
- nkozyra 12y ago
  There might be a more obvious euphemism there
hvs 12y ago
I know this isn't reddit, but at the risk of downvoting, I had to say that this is the funniest line I've read in a long time. I literally laughed out load for a good, long time.

codeshaman 12y ago

Interesting observation: Seems like girls are better suited for full VR experience than men. Because a programmable dildo coupled with the VR action is a lot simpler to design than a programmable pussy imho. I think geeks are cutting what's left of the branch under their feet with this tech :). VR-sex junkie girls will take a bit of work to impress then.. Oh well, who cares, we'll have our own VR girls!

stcredzero 12y ago
What about nerds with fat bank accounts having VR intermediated sex with random "women" on websites? The women would be able to have their clients look like whatever they wanted. They could probably have their partners smell like whatever they wanted.

codeshaman 12y ago

If the experience is so real, will it be possible to fall in love with the VR characters ? The shit future generations will have to deal with is amazingly complicated, at least that's one of the good parts of getting old(er) and old-school-ish.

comex 12y ago
Well, considering the 'waifu' meme... probably. It will be a long time before AI is intelligent enough to be worth falling in love with, though.
corysama 12y ago
The question is not "Can it happen?" The question is "How widespread will it be?" A small percentage of people have already demonstrated falling in love with dating sims, realdolls and anime characters to the point of taking their "waifus" out on physical dates and couples vacations. My experience in mass-market products has taught me that when you reach a very large number of people, you are going to affect a small number of them much more strongly than you would have ever imagined. When VR goes mass market, it will be a positive force for a huge number of people and a negative one for hopefully a much smaller number. Like cars vs car crashes, we'll have to weigh the benefits based on statistics rather than possibilities.

super-serial 12y ago

Where's that guy with anxiety from yesterday? Strap this to his head and put him in extremely awkward situations of close personal contact. Have the app give instructions on strategies for dealing with anxiety so he can try those things out. Someone should make that... I'm not into VR yet and have too many other projects or I would.

wongarsu 12y ago
VR certainly has applications for cheap therapy.
pizzeys 12y ago
This is indeed an area of research, you're not unique in seeing this use (sorry! :D) I am agoraphobic and am aware of, though have not participated in, virtual reality assisted exposure therapy programs for agoraphobics. It's early days, but there's people working on it. It's particularly exciting for agoraphobia and certain other anxiety issues which respond very well to exposure, but exposure is expensive and difficult to do and takes a lot of work on behalf of the patient and practitioner, whereas VR obviously makes things easier if you can make it work as well.

dynofuz 12y ago

after legalizing gay marriage/sex, the next big hurdle will be the legality of robosexuals

krylon 12y ago
"If anyone asks, you're my debugger." ;-)

kaybe 12y ago

The layout that allows comments by paragraph is really interesting, first time I've seen that.

pearjuice 12y ago
I guess you have never read a Medium article?

justonepost 12y ago

I've tried this. I concur with not so much the author but "the friend" of the author -- you definitely will have a real sense of intimacy with the actor, especially if they make eye contact and smile warmly at the VR camera, as if they are really happy to be there with you. And what's particularly interesting is that afterwards, you can really remember the whole thing. It's like it really happened and the memory is even an enjoyable one if the acting vibes were good. What I think would be fun and wish I could try with my girlfriend would be for her to take the part of the actress and do what she does while I lied back and watched the HMD. I even volunteered for her to wear the HMD (there are videos with female POV), and >I< would do what the guy does. From what I've read you can develop an incredible sense of presence with such fun and games. No luck, of course. She just laughed and thought I was cray cray.

auxym 12y ago

I can't help to be reminded of the "Don't date robots" PSA video from Futurama. https://vimeo.com/12915013 https://vimeo.com/12915013

pearjuice 12y ago

>New York Times, 2032: waifu's rights organization want new laws regarding piracy of their members

tzakrajs 12y ago

Maybe if the author wasn't such a prude, this would have been more enjoyable to read.

tzakrajs 12y ago
Downvote me you prudes. Hell ban me for all I care about this wretched site.

98Windows 12y ago

I think many people will suffer from this invention. Our brain did not evolve to be in an environment with access to so much sexual stimulation, people are already becoming addicted to porn and rewiring their brains to only be turned on by pixels on a screen. This results in erectile dysfunction when they actually try to have sex and decreased energy and motivation in their lives. Just look at some of the stories on the pornfree and noFap subreddits to see what kind of problems porn can cause. Personally I'd hope to try VR Porn once or twice in my life, further than I can't see the value in it. I believe that sexual energy is a finite resource that should be spent wisely on people you love, not in cold virtual realities.

Kiro 12y ago

OT but what's up with all the references?