Since Jumanji until Matrix, we have seen stories that pose a similar scenario: that a person can die in real life if their avatar dies in a video game or virtual world. The idea had not crossed fiction, until now. The eccentric billionaire Palmer Luckeyfounder of Oculus VR (now owned by Goal), created a virtual reality headset which can literally make the user’s head explode if they lose in a game.
At 30, Luckey has an estimated fortune of $1.3 billion and has been considered a “whiz kid” of virtual reality. At age 16 he built his first VR device, the oculus riftand in 2012 he founded his own virtual reality company, Oculus VR. Palmer sold the startup to Facebook in 2014 for $2 billion in cash and shares, according to Forbes.
In 2017, after leaving Facebook, Palmer founded the defense startup Andurildedicated to designing and manufacturing military-grade weapons and vehicles, both on land and in water. Is it necessary to explain why your new invention could be a danger to humanity?
Luckey unveiled his deadly virtual reality headset last weekend in a blog post. In short, she explained that the viewer is equipped with bombs that explode when it is detected that your avatar has been killed.
“I used three of the payload modules that I usually use for a different project, linking them to a narrowband photosensor that can detect when the screen flashes red at a specific frequency, making game integration very easy for the developer. easy. When a proper game over screen is displayed, the charges go off and instantly destroy the user’s brain.”
Real death threat provides a more realistic experience, says creator
Although the idea seems taken from a movie script goryis actually inspired by the anime webcomic Sword Art Online (SAO)from the mid-2000s. A crucial part of the plot is a team called ‘NerveGear’which is described as “an incredible device that perfectly recreates reality using a direct neural interface that is also capable of killing the user”.
In the story, a mad scientist attaches the ‘NerveGear’ device to the characters to send them into a virtual world. After trapping them in this kind of metaverse, he forces them to participate in a “game to the death”, where they can really lose their lives.
According to the extravagant inventor, facing possible death makes people feel the experience more real and interact differently.
“The idea of linking your real life to your virtual avatar has always fascinated me – you instantly raise the stakes to the highest level and force people to fundamentally rethink how they interact with the virtual world and the players within it,” Luckey explained.
“Improved graphics can make a game feel more real, but only the threat of dire consequences can make a game feel real to you and everyone else in the game,” he added.
Does the killer virtual reality headset look terrible to you? it gets worse
Palmer’s deadly new VR headset already sounds like a futuristic torture device, but it could be even more horrifying.
“This is not a perfect system, of course. I have plans for a anti-tamper mechanism which, like the NerveGear, will make it impossible to remove or destroy the visor”, pointed out the Californian entrepreneur.
According to the portal Gizmodo “The ultimate goal here is to create a killer helmet that you literally can’t take off.” That is, once it is attached to your head, there are only two ways to remove it: win the game or have it collected from your remains by the forensic service.
Additionally, Luckey stressed that it still has several flaws “that could occur and kill the user at the wrong time.” For that reason, he says, he hasn’t had the courage to use it himself.
“I am convinced that, as in SAO, the final activation should really be linked to a high-intelligence agent who can easily determine if the conditions for the termination are really correct,” he said.
This virtual reality helmet, which could well inspire the next installment in the saga Saw, has the obvious potential to become a terrible weapon if it falls into the wrong hands. But for now, it’s just a curiosity for its designer.
“At this point, it’s just a piece of office art, a thought-provoking reminder of uncharted paths in game design. It is also, to my knowledge, the first non-fictional example of a virtual reality device that can actually kill the user. It won’t be the last. See you in the metaverse,” Palmer concluded.
Editorial Team The editorial team of EMPRENDEDOR.com, which for more than 27 years has worked to promote entrepreneurship.