It appears that the appeal of virtual reality is not only contained in gaming as popular porn website PornHub recently announced that it is launching a free channel dedicated to adult films in the virtual reality platform.
PornHub's latest announcement made the company the first free adult website to launch a Virtual Reality category into its services. Several market analysts claim that the porn's virtual reality market have a potential to grow into a $1 billion industry by 2050. With that figure, adult virtual reality contents will be the third largest sector behind video games and NFL-related contents.
PornHub is launching 360-degree adult video contents which can be accessed for free by its 60 million daily visitors. The video format is specifically designed to immerse viewers and let them interact with what is projected on the camera. The new virtual reality channel will also include 180-degree films, all of which are free to watch.
In a statement acquired by Telegraph, PornHub vice president Corey Price said, "Virtual reality is the next phase in the constantly metamorphosing world of adult entertainment. Our users are not only able to view our content, but be protagonist in the experience and interact with their favorite porn stars."
Tech experts claim that the porn industry is among the early adopters of new technologies. The industry is said to have a solid user base and is attributed to the growth of home video and among the pioneers of online video streaming.
Market experts claim that the adult films industry can help turn the virtual reality into a viable mainstream platform. It is important to note that while virtual reality is popular in gaming communities, the platform has yet to establish its grasp of the mainstream TV and film industries.
According to Fortune, PornHub's virtual reality contents can be viewed on desktop browsers. However, the contents are specially optimized to be viewed through its Android and iOS apps. Additionally, PornHub's virtual reality contents are also playable on virtual reality headsets like the Oculus Rift, Google Cardboard and Samsung Gear VR.
As part of its effort to promote its own virtual reality contents, PornHub is giving away 10m000 Google Cardboard VR headsets.