7 Crazy Uses of Virtual Reality

7 Crazy Uses of Virtual Reality


VR is expected to be put to all kinds of great uses in the healthcare, education, and manufacturing industries.

In fact, VR is currently being explored as a means to help with pain management. One doctor recently used Google Cardboard to save the life of an infant with a failing heart.

[Related: Black Enterprise Tech Review: Google Cardboard]

However, VR is also being used in ways that are less altruistic and more bonkers. Here are seven of the craziest uses of virtual reality:

Pornography: The adult website Pornhub, just announced it is adding free virtual reality content for the Oculus and Google Cardboard headsets.

“We encourage our users to request a free pair of virtual reality goggles and visit Pornhub’s virtual reality section. There, users’ wildest fantasies will come alive as they slip into a world of heightened titillation,” said Corey Price, vice president, Pornhub.

A new take on chat rooms: AltSpace is a virtual reality app that lets users hang out with others in virtual reality. With the app, users can “watch a movie marathon, laugh at improv comedians, practice your Spanish, play Dungeons and Dragons, attend a lecture, or join our newest trivia game, Sketchy Quiz,” says the developers.

More vomit-inducing roller coaster rides: Six Flags recently announced its new Superman virtual reality roller coaster ride. According to a statement from Six Flags on its website, the ride is “a traditional coaster that is equipped with cutting-edge technology to allow you to wear a wireless VR headset during the ride. You’ll be able to feel the heart-pumping adrenaline of steep drops, inverted loops, and powerful twists and turns as gyros, accelerometers, and proximity sensors synchronize all of the action while viewing a remarkably realistic 360-degree virtual world.”

Interact with your devices using your eyes and thoughts: LookxID Labs is working on a VR headset that allows wearers to control devices based on where they look and what they think.

Scare yourself silly: VR horror content is rapidly emerging as a new app/film genre.  Dread Halls, Elevator Horror, and Paranormal Activity are considered some of the scariest VR apps.

Show up for work as a hologram: Experts say that VR/AR tech will hone holographic computing. In the not too-distant future, commuting to work will mean projecting your holographic self into the office. Here’s a great Medium blog post on the subject.

Get a sense of smell during gaming: The FeelReal is an add-on that fastens to virtual reality devices such as the Oculus Rift or Samsung Gear VR and provides a sense of smell in VR apps and games.


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