But while VR gaming is fantastic, watching movies in VR is a real treat as well. Sitting back and seeing an entire room's view of a movie helps to keep you enveloped in whatever it is that you're watching. Speaking of which, there is a certain type of movie that's well-suited for VR -- and that is none other than good old-fashioned porn.
To be more specific, VR porn is shaping up to be one of the main drivers behind the more widespread adoption of VR technology. Whether it's the use of wide-angle lenses, higher resolution cameras, a higher number of frames per second in video recordings, or even better audio quality, VR porn is one of the biggest reasons why VR tech keeps getting better and better. Because of this, the world is inching closer and closer to a time when VR porn could become mainstream. And when that happens, according to one expert, there could be a major societal consequence.
According to Robert Weiss, a digital intimacy expert and the author of a book called Sex Addiction 101, it's getting to a point where so-called virtual encounters somehow feel so real and intimate that most people will find it extremely difficult to pull away from them. In an interview with Sun Online, Weiss warns against the future dangers of VR porn, saying that, "VR porn is going to change a generation. The people creating the tech have said that they think people will end up having virtual sex before they go on a date."
In his view, VR porn is going to drastically change the dynamic between both sexes. "The whole development of relationships and connection and sexuality -- and the organization and order of it all -- is all getting tossed up in the air," he added. In the worst case scenario, he imagines that an entire generation could never leave their bedrooms thanks to VR porn.
Weiss says there could be a couple of ways in which VR porn is thrust onto the general public. Firstly, it could be due to so-called VR "camming," which is the act of webcamming with the use of VR headsets. But in VR camming, it isn't just one person talking with another person on the other end of the line. Instead, it's usually a model who typically performs certain acts while they are being recorded and streamed live on camera, being watched by one or more people who are considered fans, and who pay a sum for the privilege of to be one of the viewers.
And then there's also standard VR porn, where porn is recorded in first person view, and a viewer is given the illusion that a porn actor or actress is performing various sex acts on them. The use of a VR headset makes it so that a viewer can see their supposed partner more up close and personal than they would on a screen.
What makes these prospective VR porn scenarios so dangerous is that people have shown that they have a propensity to get addicted to these sorts of things. As Weiss notes, "I used to work with men who had phone sex problems. They would spend hour after hour on the phone, spending £3.99 a minute all to get some woman to say 'I want you'." In relation to VR porn, this could very well translate to "men sitting behind their screens who will never leave them, paying for virtual smiles."
Whether or not these predictions happen could be anyone's guess at the moment. All that's clear is that, for all of its supposed benefits, VR does pose some risks and dangers to human health. So when dealing with VR, it might be best to proceed with caution.
Read more about what's coming next for VR in VirtualReality.news.
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