Exploring the world of Adult VR apps [NSFW]

Exploring the world of Adult VR apps [NSFW]

How do I find the best adult VR apps?

The last couple of years have represented the time when VR became accessible to the people. From Google Cardboard to the popularity of the Samsung Gear VR just a few weeks ago, we've seen experiences that can take us around the world, right to the Avengers Tower. For some of us though, there has been a lingering question, is there adult content for VR floating out there on the internet?

Plenty of folks have been wondering about adult content for VR out there, and how well it was done. So I took it upon myself to hunt it down, and let everybody know whether it's worth your time — and money.

Finding Adult Apps

I already knew about adult apps on Android, but I wasn't sure what I was going to find for VR. After all, Cardboard is still a relatively new product. Even when you jump right onto the bandwagon, apps and experiences take time and support to develop, so I was wickedly curious about what I might find out there. While there are experiences or apps that aren't really child-appropriate, there isn't any strictly adult content available in the Oculus Store, and Google's policies on adult content are fairly clear.

Instead I headed over to the Google Play Store to download Sideloader VR. This app lets you access non-Oculus apps by building custom .APKs to sideload. But Sideloader VR has its own small app store, with about a dozen apps, but this is where I managed to come across my first adult app. VRTube.xxx is a live cam app that allows you to speak to women in real time, and is the only strictly adult app available through their marketplace.

My second stop was over to Mikandi, to check out their app store. Since Mikandi already has an extremely diverse selection of adult apps, this is where I was hoping to find the first real batch of apps. There isn't a dedicated VR section, which was expected, but searching for 'VR' and 'Cardboard' got me to the apps available right now. They come in three flavors: simulators; 360-degree photos; and video. For now there are half a dozen or so adult apps, and one of them was VRTube.xxx. A few of these apps were made with Cardboard in mind, and they have a small cardboard icon to make them easy to find.

Still, I was convinced that there was full blown explicit content out there to be found. There are a few websites that provide most of the content through downloads at their websites. Badoink has really gone all in for VR pornography, which was actually pretty exciting to see. The Adult industry is definitely excited about the possibilities that VR holds for them. There are paywalls, which is slightly less exciting, but this is a business after all, so I'm not overly surprised.

Thanks to the extensive adult marketplace available through Mikandi, I could easily find adult apps.

Finding adult VR apps was for the most part pretty simple. Having an app like Sideloader VR is an invaluable tool in making sure that the content you want to watch or interact with, is saved properly. Thanks to the extensive adult marketplace available through Mikandi I could easily find adult apps, and I know where to look first in the future. While I did have to do a little bit more hunting for adult VR video, it wasn't hidden too deep either. Finding the content you want is as simple as a google search.

The absolute best app for adult content in VR is Sex like Real. It offers tons of options for videos, and provides a superior user experience to any other website or app out there. It works across all three of the big VR units, and lets you easily see the content that you want to access without dozens of hoops to jump through in the process.

Using Adult VR Apps

After you've found the Adult apps, the next step is of course to give them a whirl. Each experience is a bit different, which is to expected considering each one is coming from a different developer. While some of them seemed really exciting at first prospect, issues getting the videos to load correctly often crop up. For the most part, using these adult apps isn't difficult, though.

So for the time being there are three basic categories of apps available: video of real people; simulators; and still photos. Mikandi only has one live feed, one app for 360-degree photos, and two for simulation apps. That's it. I hope we'll start seeing a lot more content soon.

The other thing to remember is that just because you are using an adult app, it doesn't mean you're going to see the same degree of explicit content. For example, two of the simulation apps I used had hentai girls that danced around and stripped for you. You'll see them naked, and be able to look as you please, but it doesn't go any further than that. The other simulator was a full blown sex simulator that put you in the first person, experiencing sex through the app as the man involved. It was definitely an interesting experience, though I'll be avoiding the full blown sex simulators in the future.

It's easy to see the thought and planning that each developer has put into their project

Simulated experiences definitely appear to be a more popular category of Adult VR apps, with more simulators available than other adult apps. It makes sense, allowing you an immersive experience that you wouldn't be able to have without this technology. For now we're only seeing a narrow type of simulator, but hopefully we'll see more variety as time goes on. Considering how popular dating sims on mobile phones can be, it's easy to see why adult simulators are popular. For me, the idea of being able to explore something different from my own experience in a fully immersive environment is an exciting prospect, so I'll be keeping an eye on adult simulations to see what becomes available.

The other popular area for adult VR content is for video. This seems to be coming in one of two formats: live chats with women; and full blown pornographic video. The live chats are available through VRTube.xxx and are definitely interesting. There is a beautiful virtual landscape of a garden, with the video screen laid atop it. I'm pointing this out because it's easy to see the thought and planning that each different developer has put into their product, and in this one, as much thought was put into the background as was put into where the stars of the show would be shown. While VRtube.xxx looked a little strange in terms of how close the video was, I really was stunned by the gorgeous virtual landscape I found myself in and initially I spent more time looking around and noting the little details than I did watching the women who were there to give a show.

More: How to watch porn on Oculus Rift

As far as I was able to tell, VR Pornography is only available through one app. Instead you'll need to go to a website hosting the content you want, and download it direct from the website to your phone. It's places like this that the Sideloader VR comes in handy, making sure that the videos you want to watch are saved in the right format, so you actually can watch them. When it comes to VR porn, the leader of the pack here is BadoinkVR. They've already got dozens of different videos available for download, and although there is a paywall, it's clear that these are currently the best done VR pornography. If you check out the main Badoink website, you'll see they've really gone all in when it comes to VR.

More: The best accessories for porn in VR

Badoink isn't the only porn company that has jumped onto the VR bandwagon, but they are the ones currently doing the best job. Sex like Real is starting to give them a serious run for their money though and is probably going to pull into first place here soon. It offers a superior UI and actually works like a real app, instead of a website. There are plenty of videos for you to peruse, and on top of that, they pull from multiple different websites. This lets you use the app as a hub for your adult entertainment needs, and hopefully it's indicative that producers have started to realize just how popular adult content in VR has become.

More: Everything you need to know about porn on Gear VR

Experiencing adult content in VR takes a little bit to get used to. It's not really like any other VR experience I've had the opportunity to check out. Some apps or developers have managed to pull off a better product, but there weren't really any out and out duds that I found during my little journey into the adult side of Android. I'd suggest being willing to check out the apps that wouldn't usually catch your eye, and to give them a fighting chance. There aren't any 100% polished products right now, and that's because the industry is still finding it's sea legs in a manner of speaking, but what I did find was intriguing and showed real promise for the future.

The Future of Adult Apps

In many ways, phone based VR is still in its infancy. That means that while some of us have been enjoying Cardboard apps for a while now, many people haven't yet used one at all. The apps that we see are just the beginning, and that holds true for the adult entertainment industry as well. There is a lot going on behind the scenes, and the most exciting part is that the developers of adult apps are really excited for the opportunity that VR gives them. I had the chance to talk with Jen McEwen, the Co-founder of Mikandi, to talk about where adult VR is now, as well as where it's going.

While apps created specifically with VR in mind are still a niche, Jen assured us that's bound to change over time. What we as consumers aren't seeing is just how excited developers and chatter on industry boards is. Every day more developers are jumping on the VR train, and there are definitely more studios for adult VR than there were a year ago. Only with time, as more people start to explore VR and support the developers already in the adult app ecosystem are we going to see more apps.

What we're really seeing is developers who have naturally progressed towards VR.

This excitement about VR is starting to translate over as well. Mikandi is a marketplace, so they don't develop the apps themselves. What they're beginning to see are mostly games, along with a live cam app, developed for Cardboard. There is still a lot of content in development right now as well, so there is definitely more content on it's way to the Mikandi marketplace. When it comes to the most popular type of adult VR, and Jen told me that there is a ton of video production going on right now. What we're really seeing is developers who have naturally progressed towards VR, and games are evolving into something greater as well.

Immersive worlds have a strong future with adult games in VR. We discussed how the technology changes adult games as well. VR has made adult games much more intimate in ways you wouldn't expect, as Jen explained. It's surprisingly sweet, when a sim leans in to hug, or to kiss you. There are even identity exploration games in development, allowing you to explore an immersive world where what you are seeing and experiencing is entirely different from you day to day life.

"You can enter one of these worlds and see something entirely new, it's like your daydream come to life." -Jen McEwen

While there are plenty of fantastic projects in development, getting to see them isn't necessarily a sure thing. "The developers need support to keep making these awesome games," she said. Without support from fans and consumers these projects could become dead in the water. Jen doesn't think we need to worry too much about that right now though, since everyone is excited about the potential, and new frontier that VR offers. Some companies like Badoink have gone all in for VR, many others are trying it out, and there are so many awesome projects currently in development.

Adult Entertainment most definitely has a future with VR, though only time will really tell what that is going to bring us. When asked, Jen explained 2017 will be the year that adult apps bring us some really exciting projects. By that point with more consumers, we'll see more sites, services, and apps. We're right on the edge of some very exciting things when it comes to where VR technology and adult entertainment meet up. This is an entirely different way to experience adult apps, and so long as there is support for developers, the future holds good things for Adult VR.

Are adult apps worth it?

That really depends on which types of adult apps you're interested in using. The content that is out there now are the very first of their kind, so they might not always seem the most polished. Likewise there were some bumps in getting access to some kinds of adult content meant for VR. If you enjoy adult apps, and you know what you're getting into, it's definitely worth your time. This is especially true since we're only going to be seeing more VR apps in adult marketplaces as time marches forward.

You aren't going to come across anything astonishing or truly mindblowing right now, but I firmly believe that is only true for the moment. There is an exciting future for Adult VR, and missing out on it if you enjoy adult apps just doesn't seem like a good idea. We're on the adult VR frontier right now, so things might look rough around the edges. That should excite you though, and it definitely excites me, because the potential to deliver some amazing adult experiences is already right in front of us.

Samsung Gear VR

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• Inside Samsung's Gear VR web browser
• Gear VR vs. Google Cardboard

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