What is VR porn and how does it work?
VIRTUAL reality technology has never been better – so it's no surprise that the adult industry is getting involved.
But what is VR porn and how does it work? Here's a quick guide to the immersive tech and its relationship with the sex industry.
What is VR porn?
Watching virtual reality porn involves donning a VR headset – or a smartphone fitted into headgear.
Rather than watching people in third person, the scene is shown from the point of view of one of the performers.
Performer Brett Rossi, who has starred in adult VR films, told us in 2018: ""You are the only one who talks. With VR porn, it's a first-person perspective, so you have to be the entertainer.
"You have to pretend like there's someone there. There is someone there, but you have to pretend like they're communicating with you.
"But really, the male talent that you're using is a prop, they're just keeping an erection. They can't talk, they can't move, you have to do everything.
"They can't touch you most of the time, they're just there. So you just use him for your own benefit."
VR porn evangelist Lisa Moore told us in 2018 that the amount of detail captured presents challenges for performers, and that "every detail of the performance is magnified".
According to Lisa, female models are usually the "most natural in front of the camera".
She added: "If they are feeling uncomfortable or uneasy, VR will bring that out."
In 2017, award-winning adult film star Sasha Grey said VR porn was "too lifelike" and vowed not to use it.
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How is VR porn made?
VR porn is also known as 360 camera porn and is shot in point of view (POV) style.
The process of making VR porn doesn't feature lots of cameras like standard shoots.
Brett said: "There is a male partner, he's laying on his back typically.
"And the camera is, I would say, level to where the viewer would be, to make it feel like first-person.
"Some companies don't want males touching the female counterpart, because they don't want it to disrupt the reality of the viewer."
Brett says performers have to remain in an "invisible triangle" to create the best visual effect.
Creating a VR pornography can also be a much longer process than typical porn productions.
Brett added: "I've worked on some sets where it only takes five hours, but it's definitely much longer than a normal boy-girl scene.
"Because a lot of time is designated to setting up the camera, and measuring the male talent, and making sure the camera is right.
"If you touch it while you're filming, you've f***ed it all up."
Because VR technology is so new, many companies are still struggling to master the format, and not just in the porn industry.
Lisa said "setting up the proper scale, video stitching, and maintaining a steady shot" are essential.
She added: "If you don't get that right, then nothing else matters.
"An interesting issue that affects the medium of [point-of-view] VR videos is that there is only one camera angle for a particular scene, so if you make a mistake, there is no backup angle to switch to."
How does VR porn work?
To watch VR porn, you'll need an internet connection and a headset of some kind to create the immersive experience.
You can build or buy cardboard headsets that can be used to position your smartphone in front of your eyes, or there are more expensive options.
But Alex Novak of VR platform SexLikeReal told that "no smartphone experience is any good", while Kacper Zieliński of VR Bangers told the publication that though smartphone set-ups are cheaper, they'll "give you only 20 percent of VR porn’s potential".
At the moment the tech can be quite challenging to use on phones, there are battery life issues, fast forwarding, pausing and other basic playback buttons still quite difficult to interact with, and you may need to download special apps in order to play VR videos.
There are dedicated VR devices which offer a more satisfying experience.
One of the more popular options, the Oculus Quest 2 128GB version retails for around £299.
It's easy to use, and you need only navigate to the porn site of your choice and open a VR video to start.
However, as Oculus is Facebook brand, you will have to have a Facebook account to use it.
There are various others you can use that don't require this, with Apple rumoured to be entering the market in 2022.
VR experiences are becoming increasingly sophisticated, but will it go mainstream in the porn world?
Brett isn't convinced that it will, and argued that 2D porn will remain the norm.
She blamed the reluctance of companies like Sony for not allowing porn content on the official PlayStation VR store, for example.
However, Lisa is much more optimistic about the format's prospects: "As the price comes down and the quality goes up, there will be very little reason for users to stick with traditional porn.
"That's because VR can do anything that can be done with standard video, plus anything else you can imagine.
"At one point, streaming videos on the internet seemed like advanced technology, now it accounts for almost all adult content consumption.
"I think we'll see the same thing with virtual reality tech."
This article was originally published in 2018 and has been updated. Featured Image Credit: Unsplash