Inventor is creating a terrifying VR headset that kills you if you die in the video game
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The man who created Oculus rift is creating a virtual reality (VR) headset that kills you in real life if you die in the video game.
Yes, that’s right, you read that correctly.
Palmer Luckey's killer headset is connected to three explosive charges that are primed and ready to go if your character gets killed in the virtual world.
The charge modules are placed directly at the user’s forebrain, and should the player hit zero points; their head would supposedly explode.
Luckey, who is the founder of Oculus, wrote in a blog post explaining the device: “The idea of tying your real life to your virtual avatar has always fascinated me—you instantly raise the stakes to the maximum level and force people to fundamentally rethink how they interact with the virtual world and the players inside it.
“Pumped up graphics might make a game look more real, but only the threat of serious consequences can make a game feel real to you and every other person in the game.”
Luckey unveiled the design of the VR headset on November 6 to commemorate the anime novel Sword Art Online (SAO).
According to Luckey, SAO first made gamers interested in raising the stakes in the virtual world.
In the story, players would wear NeveGear headsets and have to escape a 100-floor dungeon to prevail.
And if players die in the game, they die in real life.
Today is November 6th 2022, the day of the SAO Incident. I don't normally do this, but if that means anything to you, check back later today.
— Palmer Luckey (@PalmerLuckey) November 6, 2022
But Luckey added he’s ‘halfway’ to making a real-life NerveGear headset.
However, there are limitations: “This isn’t a perfect system, of course.
"I have plans for an anti-tamper mechanism that, like the NerveGear, will make it impossible to remove or destroy the headset. Even so, there are a huge variety of failures that could occur and kill the user at the wrong time.”
He continued: “This is why I have not worked up the balls to actually use it myself, and also why I am convinced that, like in SAO, the final triggering should really be tied to a high-intelligence agent that can readily determine if conditions for termination are actually correct.”
But at this point, Luckey pointed out that the headset is merely a piece of ‘office art’, serving as a ‘thought-provoking reminder of unexplored avenues in game design’.
I don’t know about you, but I might just stick to Mario Kart’s Rainbow Road to raise my blood levels.
Featured Image Credit: Palmer Luckey. Roman / Alamy Stock Photo.
Topics: News, Gaming, Virtual Reality
