The idea of having sex in the metaverse may be off-putting to most, but a VR expert believes people will ‘lean into convenience,’ just as they did with dating apps.
Sam Hall, managing director of Mixed Reality Rooms, predicts that in 10 years, people from all walks of life will strap on VR headsets to avoid the effort or the risk that can be associated with in-person sex.
He also suggested that VR headsets will be more accessible in the next decade, phasing out pornography apps and websites just like the two did to magazines.
And when this happens, we will reach a point where VR sex toys and ‘multi-sensory’ VR with smells will become a ‘new normal,’ Hall said.
’Immersive experiences are compelling, simulating the visuals exceptionally well, which, when combined with haptic technology, like sex toys that respond to inputs and produce physical outcomes, will provide an experience close enough to the real thing,’ said Hall.
‘Connected sex toys will make VR sex ‘real’
Hall has suggested that with the rise in VR headsets will come accessories – like connected sex toys.
‘I expect there will be more of an integrated link between Bluetooth sex toys that use haptic technology and VR headsets,’ he said,
The technology carries ‘huge ethical concerns’ in terms of consent, Hall warned.
This is due to the threat of using people’s images or virtual versions of them without consent, among other things.
A 2017 report shared similar concerns, noting that VR porn could lead to unrealistic expectations for the sexual experience or could even have more extreme effects by allowing some to ‘push the boundaries’ and delve into violent and abusive content.
Multi-sensory VR will add smells and touch
Multi-sensory VR, which uses technology to immerse people in metaverse experiences complete with sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste, will make metaverse sex ‘the norm,’ Hall said.
‘We can expect that multi-sensory VR will see sex in the metaverse become the norm for most people in technologically advanced areas,’ he continued.
‘We believe the future of metaverse sex will be a mix of VR headsets combined with sex toys that can be linked using technology that already exists, like Bluetooth, to help create a fully immersive experience.’
While ‘smelling’ in a virtual world sounds like science fiction at the moment, researchers in Sweden developed a device in 2022 that sends aromas up your nose while you play video games in virtual reality.
It contains liquid scents directed to the nostrils at various times during a game while wearing a headset.
The system links ‘physical smells to a synthetic VR environment’ and brings the concept of ‘Smell-O-Vision’ to the 21st century.
Smell-O-Vision was a system created by Swiss professor Hans Laube in 1960 to release scents to an audience while watching a film.
People can have intercourse anywhere
During the incident, another user ‘watched and passed around a bottle of vodka,’ the report claims
The metaverse will take people out of their homes when it comes to sex, enabling them to hook up in different simulated locations, Hall said.
‘The metaverse has no limit and will enable people to live out all of their sexual fantasies,’ he continued.
‘It makes it accessible for people to have virtual sex in different locations across the world, real or fictional, in private or public, and even perhaps in front of a virtual audience, simulated or human.’
Lonely men could benefit the most
Hall said studies show that a small number of men (10-20 percent) get the majority of the women (80-90 percent) – and that this is due to dating apps making it easier to select from different partners.
The metaverse will ‘balance this out’ and serve as an alternative outlet for those who struggle to find sexual partners.
‘They can be whoever they want to be in these virtual worlds and theory, there will be no limit to the experiences they can enjoy,’ Hall said.
‘Do I think this is good for us as ‘humans’? Not, but at the same time, sex is a basic human desire, and people will need an outlet to express themselves.’
How quickly will this happen?
People are already finding romance in the metaverse, and it will start to develop once technologies such as VR, metaverse spaces and sex toys overlap, Hall said.
‘People do already use online multiplayer games and simulations that replicate sex virtually with their partners and strangers, he explained.
‘There are sex toys (hardware) that can be operated remotely, but as far as I know, there is not a great functioning overlap of these technologies just yet.’
