Sex toy startup will make virtual reality porn much more, um, immersive

The Oculus Rift virtual reality headset hasn’t shipped yet, but adult entertainment companies are already making sex toys that they swear will make porn in VR better.

Lovense, a manufacturer of sex tech toys, and Virtual Real Porn are announcing a partnership today to introduce “haptics,” or touch feedback, to porn VR videos. The sex toys will be integrated with porn applications that will run on the Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR headsets as well as other such gadgets.

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As GamesBeat’s Jeff Grubb reported last June, porn is always one of the first things to go big on new technology platforms. And VR has become one of the most anticipated new platforms. In May 2014, we reported that SugarDVD, the self-styled Netflix of porn, is already working with a motion-capture studio to build an interactive adult experience. There’s already quite a bit of VR porn available, based on this directory.

Essentially, the toys give haptic feedback and create an even more immersive experience, the companies said. The toys come with a Bluetooth wireless dongle that pairs with a computer or smartphone. Virtual Real Porn’s movie player recognizes the device. The toys then automatically sync to the movements of the performers.

The “male toy” contracts (using air pumps) based on the speed of the female performer, and it vibrates every time the performers’ bodies collide. The head of the “female toy” rotates based on the speed of the male performer, and the clitoral stimulation arm also vibrates when the performers’ bodies collide.

“This was an unexpected partnership, but we believe it is a positive development for Lovense,” said founder Dan Liu in a statement. “Our focus is to use sex tech products to solve problems for consumers, but when they approached us, we immediately saw the potential. They are the top virtual porn content producers, and we are a leading teledildonics [computer-controlled sex toys] company, so the partnership felt natural. We are both pioneers in our respective industries.”

So far, the toys will work with the Oculus DK1 prototype, the Oculus DK2, and Oculus Rift Consumer Version (when it comes out in the first quarter of 2016). They also support Android smartphones, iOS smartphones, and the Samsung Gear VR.

Virtual Real Porn is developing its own apps for iOS and Android, and the toy integration will be available when it is released. The Android app is expected to be released in the next couple of months. It’s betting that its Virtual Real Player porn will catch on big once the commercial versions of the VR headsets finally ship late this year or next year.

Virtual Real Porn offers VR point-of-view porn, and it is now releasing a video per week with plans to accelerate production. The company says its VR films are high quality because they are filmed in 180-degree stereoscopic viewing.

Lovense created its first interactive vibrator for sexual stimulation in 2010, and it released two-way interactive teledildonic sex toys in 2013. Both Virtual Real Porn and Lovense were formally founded in 2013.

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Liu started his company after he had a long-distance relationship with a girlfriend in China while he was in the United Kingdom. It was tough to communicate sexually, so he began to explore options for long-distance sex. That’s how he eventually came upon the idea for Lovense’s sex toys.

Meanwhile, Leonor Laplaza started Virtual Real Porn after she and her husband noticed that there weren’t any companies creating porn for the Oculus Rift. They started working on the technology and consulted a mutual friend who was a porn actress. They husband-and-wife team invested their honeymoon money in the project.

Rivals for Virtual Real Porn include Huccio. Oculus declined to comment on porn, but its own VR store does not permit porn apps.