A VR Porn Future Could Get Rid of the Need for Condoms
California's condom-requiring proposition was rejected, but what's next?
On Tuesday, California voters rejected Proposition 60, a legal measure that on the surface would have made it mandatory for professional porn actors to wear condoms in all their sex scenes. Those who supported the prop talked it up as a safety measure to prevent the spread of STIs, something they thought was a public health concern. Opponents to Prop 60, including many adult industry members, fought back against the unnecessary prop as it would have sparked “witch hunts” by allowing public to report porn performers and companies; they said current regulations already do enough.
Prop 60 was defeated by a 53.9 percent to 46.1 percent margin, but the porn industry is changing. For one, virtual reality is a largely unexplored space. The technology is only starting to come around and the content available is slim. But in a decade or two, concern over condoms in porn might seem antiquated. Because there might not be any actual sex happening.
VR is one of the hottest markets nowadays. There’s the Oculus Rift, PlayStation VR, HTC Vive, and more. Both Facebook and Twitter are joining in the VR and augmented reality arms race. And at the same time, the pornography industry has also been quick to embrace virtual reality. However, MediaPost notes that the technology isn’t completely there yet. It’s possible to import 360-degree scans of real-life models, but they lack motion in virtual reality. Then there’s VR porn animation, which audiences have found lacking.
Current VR porn is pretty much just 360-degree video, so performers still must to have actual sex to produce this content. Once making scans of real people and figuring out how to animate those becomes better developed, porn companies will be able to create immersive experiences where performers aren’t having to actually touch genitals and possibly transmit STs.
Then again, once people figure out how to create these immersive virtual reality experiences without needing actual performers, there might be no concerns about condoms, but there might also no longer be a need for performers in general.
