5 WEIRDEST Ways People Are Using Virtual Reality
You know i'm not really bald, it's just virtual reality. Speaking of virtual reality, it's mostly used for video games these days. But that doesn't mean that there aren't some people out there that are using it for other, weirder things. Fascinating, but weird. Here are the 5 weirdest ways people are using virtual reality.
5. UNDERWATER
Number five is underwater.
VR apps can give you the illusion that you're pretty much anywhere, but the experience gets 10 times better if you actually feel like you're there. In the past few years, companies have been trying to develop waterproof VR headsets for the public. So instead of just viewing the Great Barrier Reef, these headsets would let you get in the water and feel like you're really scuba diving amongst the coral and tropical fish. Of course, without Jaws sneaking up behind you. Even astronauts have started using virtual reality headsets underwater in order to train for the weightlessness of space. In the summer of 2015, four astronauts used it in an underwater lab. The headsets create an augmented reality that gives the illusion of performing tasks while floating in space. They're specifically using a product called the HoloLens, which is being used in deep space right now, as it has the potential to let mission control see what the astronauts see in real time with no delays.
4. WORK
Number four is work.
If you weren't sick of your job already, virtual reality has the potential to let you be in the office 24/7. The job simulator app is an office-based game where you get to try and not be fired. But you know, if it's been a rough day, you can always let off some steam by throwing paper clips or giving the copier a beat down. An icelandic company, Break Room, creates a virtual replica of the user's actual workplace, but with the bonus that you can block out noise and distractions. Virtual reality is being adapted in real workplaces, replacing video calls to save on travel for business meetings and even for job interviews. Virtual reality is also a health and safety dream for the workplace. Risks for potentially hazardous products or materials even in nuclear facilities can be tested without putting anyone in danger. Architects can even use VR to do walkthroughs of realistic designs of their buildings to find hazards or flaws before breaking ground.
3. FACEBOOK HANGOUTS
Number three are Facebook Hangouts.
Facebook bought Oculus, the virtual reality hardware and software company, in March 2014 for $2 billion. and in March of 2017, Mark Zuckerberg gave the world the first insights into how he wanted to use it. Enter Facebook Spaces, which at least in the prototype Zuckerberg posted to his Facebook page, is like hanging out with your friends, but everyone looks like a cartoon avatar. A lot of virtual reality gaming as is lets users hang out with other users in fictional universes while fighting bad guys. But Facebook's vision is to have virtual reality be less solitary, and be used in and mimic our day-to-day lives, by making the experience more social and relatable. The new app logs into your Facebook account and literally puts you into a 360 Facebook world. It lest you choose your own avatar and interact with your friends who also have Oculus. You can even go back into your old photos, which really makes all of those 360 pano shots way more interesting.
2. IMMERSIVE ENTERTAINMENT
Number two is immersive entertainment.
Thanks to virtual reality and immersive entertain, FOMO is going to be a thing of the past. This technology lets users feel like they're anywhere, from Coachella to the Super Bowl, in real time without leaving home. In 2016, Fox Sports VR did special VR broadcasts that let users feel like they were at football games in real time. Even theme parks like Six Flags are getting into the VR with roller coasters. You still get to ride the real rollercoaster, but wearing a VR headset changes everything. The movements of the coaster are synced with the virtual world. So instead of the parking lot flying by, you could be transported into outer space or in the middle of a fight between Superman and Lex Luthor. And because the headset takes away your sense of scale, the virtual world can feel even more extreme than what you're really experiencing, like making a 68-degree drop feel like 90. I just thought this could be used for naughty applications. That's next, that's the final one?
1. SEX
And number one is sex.
Okay, it probably comes as no surprise that one of the most popular users of virtual reality is porn. In March of 2016, PornHub launched a VR section on their website and gave away 10,000 free VR headsets as part of their partnership with the VR porn firm BaDoinkVR. That is a fantastic name. VR pornography that lest users have the illusion that they're, you know, getting down and dirty hass been around for a while. But developers are working to make it even more realistic. The Japanese adult company Tenga has invented a full VR suit for men called Illusion VR. The suit has a Samsung gear VR headset that's worn by the user while engaging with an anime character. The suit is full of sensors that send electric impulses across the user's body, and is equipped with one of Tenga's hands-free male personal pleasure devices that make the whole thing feel real. And all that without an actual partner. The suit even comes with a pair of fake anime breasts that sells for $400 as an add-on. Well, talk about upsell.