One of the internet’s biggest free pornography sites has today made a big step forward in delivering the inevitable: VR porn.
PornHub has launched a new channel in partnership with adult entertainment group, BaDoinkVR. Currently, this section offers trailers for both 360 and 180 degree content, each around five minutes in length. As with YouTube’s 360 videos, this content can be viewed in a browser by clicking and dragging the screen in the direction you want to view. More importantly, however, each can be seen in VR through Google Cardboard, Gear VR and other smartphone-based devices. It’s even possible to download them and play through an Oculus Rift compatible player on PC.
The channel has been launched to promote BaDoinkVR’s own site, featuring longer versions of each video and more, pulling in subscribers in the process. There’s even a 33% discount for signing up through PornHub as well the chance to grab one of 10,000 free Google Cardboard sets. Take note, however, that content on display is in 2D. It’s early days for 360 degree video altogether, of course, so expect 3D video and other features such as parallax to come later down the line.
Talking about the deal to Fortune, BaDoinkVR CEO Todd Glider spoke of ambitions to bring VR porn to everyone. “Porn is already mainstream,” he explained. “It’s a persistent topic of conversation in the media. This deal is most important because it broadens mainstream awareness of virtual reality. VR is still nascent tech. Innovators and early adopters have caught the wave, but this deal ushers in the majority of consumers.”
The only thing surprising about this move is just how early it’s been made in VR’s life span. At a time when many still need convincing of the viability of head-mounted displays, it’s rare to see leaders in any industry embrace the tech so quickly. That said the arrival of new technologies has been supported by the porn industry time and again over the past few decades and VR is no exception. This is going to be far from the last you hear of VR porn.
