CES 2017: Augmented reality pornography is on its way?
It’s been a full year since CNET saw a big dose of adult entertainment delivered via a VR headset. Naughty America, one of several studios delivering wraparound 3D video content for VR, is back in Las Vegas and CES with a meeting room and demos of its films. Not much has changed, based on a quick demo I tried. It was pretty bizarre to wait on a line full of quiet men to demo this at a trade show like CES, but...yes, this content still is familiar territory.
In case you haven’t used porn in VR, know that most of it is 360-degree video, or -- in Naughty America’s case -- 180 degree. In 3D. And, with surprisingly good video quality (the files are downloaded and sideloaded onto your device, versus being streamed).
But new tech is on the horizon soon: namely, haptics and AR. If you’re ready.
A partnership with adult sex toy Kiiroo, coming by the first or second quarter of this year, will mean timed haptic interactions timed to what’s going on in VR. Couples could end up watching at the same time, each watching from different perspectives and using different connected Kiiroo devices.
But don’t expect 360 degree video. “210 would be ideal,” Paul admits, but 180 degrees means lower production costs so crew don’t have to get out of the way in 360 degrees. It also means higher-quality video in that smaller field of view.
The “VR” still amounts to video, though, and nothing interactive, although Naughty America’s directing some videos in larger sets, almost like immersive theater. Paul says Naughty America can do body scans of performers to animate in 3D, but they’d be limited: “you can’t go on all fours and go under them.”
Augmented reality, however, will be on its way. Paul says the company’s “exploring augmented reality this year,” but wouldn’t specify what it would be.
Paul thinks that VR still needs better content, and needs to get more social. But not necessarily for VR. “Isolating is a good fit for porn,” says Paul. But he does want some VR hardware refinements for comfort. “I”d love to see it smaller -- and be able to dial from AR to VR.”