Oculus Rift is scheduled to launch to consumers in under a year and there's good news for anyone who wants to fuck with virtual reality: pornography is allowed. According to founder Palmer Luckey, there are currently no plans to block X-rated content on the platform.
When asked at the Silicon Valley Virtual Reality conference whether or not he would ban porn, Luckey replied: "The Rift is an open platform. We don’t control what software can run on it. And that’s a big deal.” Variety reports that reps from Google and Samsung – companies that are both developing VR headsets – dodged any questions about "adult entertainment".
Oculus Rift was bought by Facebook a year ago for $2 billion, with Mark Zuckerberg adamant that the new tech will "change the way we work, play and communicate".
However, what role it will play in pornography is as yet unclear, with developers struggling to make VR porn that's actually any good. I'd imagine it'll just take a little patience - this is Planet Earth and we're all disgusting people who think about sex fifteen times a day.
So what will virtual reality porn actually be like and how will it work? There are obvious obstacles to overcome, such as the feeling of motion sickness when using VR (no-one likes wanking when they're carsick).
As it stands, the graphics aren't great either. There are a minority of people who like masturbating over Lara Croft, but it remains a curiosity at best. Filmmakers and artists like Matt Lambert and Mark Farid are investigating the more otherworldly possibilities of Oculus Rift, and virtual reality in general.
Farid is currently raising funds for an experiment where he will wear the Oculus headset for a month and live a purely VR existence, while Dazed Visionaries contributor Lambert has shot part of Love & Sex, his bold new television series on young people and sex, on 360 degree cameras for a fully immersive experience on virtual reality platforms. He debuted part of the footage on Oculus Rift at his SXSW panel, which saw audience members dropped into the technicolour world of a camgirl, complete with faceless online punters watching her from the sides.
