For most, porn is an escapist pursuit. After all, if you’ve ever had sex IRL, you’ll be aware that cacophonous simultaneous orgasms, eight-inch dicks and a conspicuous lack of lube during anal are not exactly true-to-life. 

However, new strides within the sex-tech space are aiming to make the fictitious world of porn much more immersive and, dare we say it, life-like. The 3D, imaginary worlds of virtual reality (VR) tend to dominate much of this discourse but, of late, mixed reality (MR) porn – often marketed as augmented reality (AR) – is coming into focus. If you’re unfamiliar, AR overlays virtual images onto real locations (think Pokémon Go).

A number of companies, such as Sex Like Real (SLR) and Naughty American, have come to specialise in the immersive porn world in the past decade – often working on a paid-for, subscription model in a way which challenges the MindGeek empire of mass, free, aggregated porn available on various tube sites. And while immersive porn was once driven by grand ambitions and a frankly substandard product, the tech has been radically improving in recent years. 

Specifically, as a result of the improved technical specs of headsets like the Meta Pro Quest 3 – which offer more defined visuals in full colour rather than black and white – there has been a major surge in user interest. There’s also the fact that these headsets enable pass-through mode, allowing you to also see the world around you while using VR, creating an MR experience which provides a sexual entertainment experience which is getting closer and closer to mimicking actual sex. 

It’s not just about sexual enjoyment – although that’s a huge part, obviously – it’s about giving the user a safe place to try out their fantasies

Founded in 2015, SLR has been hard at work. In 2024, the company reported a significant uplift in users, and now one of its most popular features – alongside ‘haptic sex toy scripts’ which allow toys like strokers to move in tandem with a VR/AR experience, like real sex – is what it markets as ‘AR passthrough mode’, a form of porn which blends 3D modelling with your everyday surroundings. “Our AR porn content places the world’s most attractive men and women into the user’s room at home, as though they’re actually there with them,” says David Chapman, Senior Press Officer at SLR. “It’s not just about sexual enjoyment – although that’s a huge part, obviously – it’s about giving the user a safe place to try out their fantasies.”

It all sounds great, right? Well, there are some potential issues in the world of immersive porn. One of the most popular genres in the space is point of view (PoV) porn – a type of erotic content which, in its most widely enjoyed iterations, is shot from the position of a cis-het man dicking down a cis woman. In the main, AR, MR and VR content still prioritises this form of male-gaze-led PoV content, which leaves gay, trans and female viewers feeling somewhat cold. Tellingly, when approached over email, Naughty America described their AR and VR audience as “men that are looking to compliment their existing sex life”. 

Traditionally, there have been barriers to women delving into immersive tech – even beyond the world of porn. There’s an impression that these technologies are made for and by men, with research also suggesting that women are more likely to experience motion sickness when using a VR headset, introducing a clear deterrent for non-male users. As a result, female uptake of VR technologies has been slower, with a 2024 Pew Center survey of US youth showing that 32 per cent of teenage boys play games on a VR headset compared to 15 per cent of teenage girls.

When it comes to the meeting of porn and immersive tech – two areas heavily associated with cis-het men – there’s the impression that this type of content has little to offer women and marginalised genders. But when it comes to diversifying the immersive porn experience, efforts are already being made. SLR’s female viewers make up for just 20 per cent of their overall user demographic, but they’re keen to attract more diverse audiences – pointing to their content aimed at trans and gay users, as well as the recent creation of their very own “high-end female POV studio SLR For Women”, bringing a wider range of perspectives to immersive porn.

The feminist porn director Erika Lust has also recently opened House of ERIKALUST, an erotic exhibition featuring a VR experience. “Technology is pushing the limits [of porn], before AR and VR technology, the screen was flat,” Lust explains. “Now, [porn] can become a whole other world.” Alongside the creative appeal, the director has noticed anecdotally that her female visitors tend to be more likely to be using VR headsets for the first time. “There’s a very interesting gender imbalance there, because men tend to have a bit more curiosity about these technologies.”

When it comes to feminising the immersive porn space, experiences like Lust’s exhibition could be key in broadening user interest and creating awareness of what this technology can offer – especially since they don’t require the hefty investment of buying a VR headset upfront. This cost barrier is crucial to explaining differing, gendered approaches to immersive tech and the male-skew of current content offerings – however, it could also contribute to inequalities within the industry. 

Currently, OnlyFans is providing erotic creators with further agency, allowing them to make their content and market it directly to their audience. But if the appetite for immersive porn grows, they might struggle to keep up – and the power will once again shift into the hands of the studios, in particular those who possess the technical capabilities to produce high-quality VR and AR porn (which, FYI, is currently no easy feat). 

So, should erotic creators be worried? Reed Amber Thomas-Litman, an ethical porn director, sex worker and the award-winning podcast host of ComeCurious, says there will likely be hurdles, but warns against catastrophising. Firstly, she doesn’t think immersive porn will be challenging tubesite hegemony any time soon – although it could in future. “If the erotic content space pivots mostly to VR and AR porn, it would be a huge shift. This porn is mostly for people who can afford the technology, who have the money to pay for porn, and that’s not something everyone can afford,” she explains. “VR and AR isn’t going to go away, it’s going to get bigger and more accessible. Don’t reject it because it might be a threat, lean into it and move with it.”

This porn is mostly for people who can afford the technology, who have the money to pay for porn, and that’s not something everyone can afford

While creating the content to be viewed through a VR headset might not be possible without a studio behind you, VR streamers are already taking root on Twitch – perhaps, in a couple of years, VR porn streamers could be the future. Regardless of what form their content might take, Thomas-Litman recommends erotic creators find ways to experiment with VR and AR – and that they come together to do it. “Competing with these technologies is maybe not something that individual creators can do right now, because it is so expensive,” she explains. “Band together with a couple of other content creators and buy the tech to experiment with. You can also lean on companies who have an interest in VR and AR, attend events like the SX Tech Festival and Conference in Berlin and be proactive with networking, so that when an opportunity opens up in the space, you can jump at it.”

If they have an open mind, immersive porn can offer both female consumers and erotic creators opportunities to unlock new horizons – be it sensual or professional. But what about those who are already using this tech? Well, a quick scour of Reddit reveals plenty of happy customers revelling over the realism offered by passthrough porn and exchanging tips on how to maximise the experience. But whenever you dig deeper and inevitably read a testimonial of a man using passthrough porn, alongside an automated stroker, all while “high on weed, taking hits of poppers as you go”, well, it begins to sound a bit much. A bit compulsive, a bit like users are isolating themselves from the real world. 

Could it be that immersive porn will provoke – or exacerbate – problematic compulsive porn consumption? There is currently some speculation among academics that VR technology could become addictive in itself, but the topic hasn’t been empirically investigated. And, as the sex and relationships therapist Eoli Halatsa Kalian points out, there is even less research on where this area intersects with porn. 

If you’re struggling with your porn use – AR, VR or regular 2D – you might want to ask yourself questions about whether you want to stop but can’t, if there is a pattern of escalation, if it has any negative consequences, and if you are using it to avoid difficult emotions. Ultimately, as Kalian points out: “[Porn consumption] is a problem only when ‘it is a problem’. Not for us to decide, it is up to each individual.”