CES 2021: The VRPorn.com Report

Every year CES brings together the most forward-thinking designers, creators, and analysts in the world of consumer electronics. With the continuing COVID pandemic ruling out the usual in-person conference and the physical presence of more than 170,000 attendees, CES 2021 went virtual. Presenting online, almost 2000 exhibitors gave the rest of the industry and the world at large a look at their latest, most exciting developments.

VR and AR were predictably ever-present this year, with a handful of new product concepts and prototypes suggesting even more powerfully immersive virtual sex is getting nearer to landing in your lap. Here’s a look at what virtual porn fans can glean about where tech will soon be taking their beating off.

Touch and Response

Image: SenseGlove Nova

Tactile devices and haptic feedback featured prominently at CES 2021. Aiding everything from health monitoring systems and COVID infection protection devices to VR-augmented real-world esports and physically immersive entertainment, this year’s conference confirmed that consumers are poised for a wave of tactile augmentation. This will obviously carry over to the sex industries, too. As virtual porn and live broadcasting meet and require quite a bit more than vibrators and cock-sleeves to convey realistic communication via touch, streamlined versions of products like TactSuit X40 and SenseGlove Nova – both unveiled at CES 2021 – will become the new sex toy smash. Although, with some truly sophisticated tech at play, calling such tools “toys” seems almost ridiculous. SenseGlove Nova is already being touted as truly game-changing for VR training in a wide range of industries. Its magnetic friction braking system provides users with an equivalent force-per-finger of 4.4 lbs. Weight and subtleties of pressure make up so much of any physical, sexual interaction. Add the simulated body temperature enabled by Lora DiCarlo’s latest advanced vibrators Drift, Tilt, and Sway, and you have many of the essential sensations of sexual activity remarkably well taken care of.

Masked and Autonomous

Image: Lenovo ThinkReality A3 AR Smart Glasses

Amid the seemingly hundreds of face mask designs littering the virtual exhibition halls of CES 2021 – some of which were truly astonishing, kitted out with all manner of smart tools to better protect wearers and the public at large – other headwear managed to grab some attention; headwear more relevant to the porn world.

Image: Panasonic’s as-yet unnamed VR glasses

Smart glasses outfitted with AR capabilities have long been considered the make-or-break device for the technology. CES 2021 saw many companies vying to be the first to truly overcome the hurdle of slow AR adoption. Lenovo’s ThinkReality A3 AR Smart Glasses, compatible with PC and select Motorola smartphones, offer enterprise-level tech for business and high-end consumer use with mobile versatility. Vuzix NGSG (Next Generation Smart Glasses), an ultra-stylish item that appears to the layperson as regular specs, aims to close the gap between aesthetics and hardware. With Apple also expected to deliver a similarly fashionable piece of AR headwear within the year, the latest from Lenovo and Vuzix both bode well for further AR adoption and more powerful, versatile, and affordable hardware.

Safe and Sound

The biggest takeaway tech stories of CES 2021 revolved around health, hygiene, and dealing with the current pandemic. Much of the discussion surrounding entertainment focused on home viewing experiences and the perseverance of different sectors of show biz. Though few would openly be discussing the porn world on a CES panel, anything that keeps your favorite adult workers safe and busily banging away to the delight of their audiences can only be a good thing. With plans in place for a return to normal for 2022, CES’s first all-digital edition proved just as valuable as any in-person version could.