By Daniel DiLallo
Special to YNOT
Before I begin this month’s article I want to start off by saying: I am more tired of talking about VR/AR than you guys are of hearing about it. Trust me! I hate trying to convince others of a technology shift. It’s not fun.
I hear these quotes in my head every time I defend Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality:
“This ‘telephone’ has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us.” — Western Union internal memo, 1876
“Television won’t last because people will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night.” — Darryl Zanuck, movie producer, 20th Century Fox, 1946
“There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in his home.” — Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), in a talk given to a World Future Society meeting in Boston, 1977
“The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to no one in particular?” — Associates of David Sarnoff responding to the latter’s call for investment in the radio in 1921
“I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.” — Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943
Yes, Facebook has poured over $4 billion into VR/AR and yes, there is this company called Magic Leap that is investing even more into a completely separate platform with Google and Apple. And yes, people still think it’s going away. That is our reality.
Perhaps 95 percent, or more, of the adult industry still refuses to invest in VR/AR content. Yes, it’s crazy, but what’s even crazier is that porn is the #1 content currently consumed in VR. And AR will be the same. How is this possible? While a huge portion of the adult industry has turned its back on VR a significant number of risk takers/adult newcomers have busted onto the scene and are taking full advantage of the big dawgs turning a blind eye to VR. And, incidentally, these guys are filling their pockets with cash.
To find the pioneers, check out VRPORN.com for full list: https://vrporn.com/studios/
We have a huge opportunity to drive another pivotal technology forward. Here is a great article that tells how porn innovators are driving the VR industry: https://www.vrfocus.com/2018/04/how-vr-porn-is-secretly-driving-the-industry/
The problem is the adult industry as a whole is not involved. Only about 10 percent of the adult space is investing in VR and less than 1 percent in AR. The people causing the adult industry to drive the VR industry are newcomers, tourists many of them. They are slipping in right under the adult industry nose.
OK, so maybe I convinced a few of you to take another look at VR and AR. How do you do it without losing money or embarrassing yourself? You get in today! Don’t wait! If you wait another year, you will look like an old fogey at a college party, and you will have to spend way more money in marketing to earn VR/AR users’ respect. The VR/AR community and gaming communities are very similar. They enjoy familiarity, especially with User Interface (UI). That is why Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare was so successful. CoD defined the standard of how the users interact with military first-person shooters. Users got used to it and everything else they touched felt foreign and was quickly rejected.
The good news is you are not too late. Actually, you are right on time. You don’t have to do all the heavy lifting. The crazy camera arrays and long weeks of stitching videos are a thing of the past, thank goodness.
I know it sucks making a change or taking a risk. It’s like not breaking up with a partner because you don’t know if you will find a better one out there. I’m here to tell you: there’s a better one out there.
Also, there are plenty of ways to minimize your risks.
Email me dan@3xstudios.com if you want to learn how to minimize your risks and take a first or next step in VR/AR and UI content. If you are an adult star/entertainer and want to capitalize on The HUGE marketing opportunities, please DO IT! Get that money boo! VR porn is the #1 content consumed on headsets. I can push you to the right studios.
—
Daniel DiLallo is a former Activision game developer now known as an adult industry pioneer in VR and AR. He is the creative director for 3x Studios, which achieved prominence with its work on blockbuster games including Transformers, Guitar Hero and Spider Man. 3x Studios works exclusively with Vivid Entertainment toward the common goal of redefining what adult entertainment can be. To see their work, visit VividVirtual.com. DiLallo welcomes readers’ questions and may be reached at dan@3xstudios.com.
