Porn makes the world go ‘round, especially when it comes to technology. In Part 1 of my series, we explored the rich sex lives of ancient civilizations. In Part 2, the Industrial Revolution made it easier than ever to share kinky stories on-screen. Part 3 broke down the Big Bang of the ‘70s and the rise of internet smut as we know it. Now, it’s time for the history of porn, Part 4.
So, let’s pick up where we left off. That’s right – virtual reality. If you’ve been online in the last 10 years, it’s likely you’ve seen some mention about this still-emerging technology. Believe it or not, VR isn’t a wholly new concept and has been milling around for nearly 200 years. Don’t believe me? It was the conception of the top VR porn sites that you love today.
Meet the Wheatstone Mirror Stereoscope
Debates about the origin of VR have gone on for decades. The first model was released in 1838. Yes, you heard that correctly. Sir Charles Wheatstone, a researcher, was awarded for his forward-thinking explanation of the stereoscope. If you’re familiar with modern-day VR, the word “stereoscopic” may ring a bell and now you get to know why.
The binocular model relied on the understanding that the brain takes two photos (i.e., right and left eye) of the same image but from different perspectives to create a sense of 3D immersion. Wheatstone’s prototype used two mirrors that were set at 45-degree angles from each eye which then reflected a picture and the illusion that the picture was multidimensional.
Does that mean people were using his invention to watch porn? It was pretty unlikely at that time, especially considering motion picture photography only made its debut 50 years later in 1893. But without Wheatstone’s ingenuity, virtual reality as we know it today may not have even existed. Can you imagine even trying to watch content from today’s top VR sites on this device?
Porn History & Pygmalion’s Spectacles
“But what is reality? All is dream, all is illusion; I am your vision as you are mine.” If we fast forward a little bit to 1935, the term “virtual reality” was first coined in Stanley Weinbaum’s science fiction novel, Pygmalion’s Spectacles.
In the novel, the main character is introduced to a professor with “goggles” that allow a person to see, smell, hear, and touch within the confines of a movie-style experience. It was a journey that told a fantastical story. Did Weinbaum dream of the day that his fantasy became a reality? The tale definitely piqued the interest of people who would then usher in the next phase.
Arouse All of Your Senses in VR
It wasn’t until the ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s that virtual reality was, well, a reality. Instead of reading futuristic books about the topic, now you could tangibly experience it. The first VR unit was created and marketed to mainstream audiences in 1958. Its name was Sensorama. You would sit in a booth with three other people and experience the future with six 3D films.
Several machines were used to stimulate sensations like touch, smell, sound, and of course, 3D video. Sadly, Morton Heilig, Sensorama’s creator, eventually had to stop production of the machine because he couldn’t find any financial backers. This has been a recurring theme with modern-day VR, too. But it didn’t stop him from laying the groundwork for the first VR HMDs.
For those of you who are already VR history buffs, the Sword of Damocles probably sounds familiar. Even though it’s now considered an augmented reality contraption, in 1966 it was believed to be the first head-mounted device (HMD) to transform your reality into a virtual one.
Did You Pick Up These VR Prototypes?
Now, we can’t really get into the history of porn in tech without mentioning how gaming made it possible. By 1995, the term “virtual reality” was slowly becoming a household name. Jumping on the bandwagon quickly, Nintendo released the Virtual Boy, which was a standalone headset with a tethered controller. Unfortunately, it flopped and has only sold one million units to date.
Sega wasn’t just sitting around twiddling its thumbs, though. The company started working on SegaVR as early as 1991. CES showcased the headset in 1993. But 40% of testers complained about motion sickness at the convention and the HMD was rendered useless. It never even made it to store shelves.
Oculus’ Place in VR Porn History
So, it’s true that gaming companies get a bad rap when it comes to delivering hardware promises and the community still struggles with that today. It wasn’t until 2012 that we started seeing virtual reality that resembles the VR that we use now and it was all thanks to a campaign on Kickstarter by Palmer Luckey, the founder of Oculus. I know you recognize that name!
The Oculus Rift entered the VR world like a storm and honestly, we were all a little desperate for some rain. It was magical. But not everyone had the space, money, or know-how to work such a powerful device. It motivated Google to come out with an inexpensive smartphone-powered version called the Google Cardboard. Now anyone could explore the mysterious metaverse.
It wasn’t just tech companies getting excited, though. In 2013, Ela Darling was the first pornstar to produce VR content via webcam for her followers. She popularized VR in a POV-style which has since become the standard. Ela would talk to the camera, ride sex toys, and pleasure herself while pretending you were right there in the room with her. And it sure felt like it, too.
Discover the Top VR Porn Sites
Once Ela got the VR ball rolling, there was no looking back. Major pornsites all wanted a piece of the virtual pie. But before the big guys caught on, VirtualRealPorn hit the scene in 2013. It would be another two years before Naughty America VR dropped their first scene. “Birthday Surprise” featured MILF Jaclyn Taylor giving you a killer POV blowjob.
BaDoinkVR showed up on the scene at the same time and then it wasn’t long before Pornhub also dipped its toes into the wild waters of virtual reality. Once tech companies caught on that people were using their hardware to watch porn, the value of VR instantly went up. Suddenly there were all kinds of cardboard viewers out there until Oculus dropped the standalone Go.
Oculus was on the top of their game, and other companies like Valve and HTC started producing high-end equipment. The headsets made VR porn so immersive, it was hard to look away. And come on, there’s no way I was the only one going absolutely bonkers from the comfort of my living room. Although I’d dreamed of it, I didn’t think I’d see it in my lifetime.
Porn of the Past, Present & Future
Virtual reality porn is a far cry from the early days of giant Greek orgies. Now, you can literally put a machine on your face, sit back, and relax while a pornstar fucks you silly in 8K. So what’s next? With the rebranding of Oculus to Meta in October 2021, we’ll have to be patient and see what unfolds. Will porn continue to push technological advancements? I guarantee it.
