If you die in The Matrix, you die in real life.
Virtual reality makes gaming feel more realistic than ever, but what if we could step it up a notch? Imagine dying in real life if you die in a game. It’s an idea we’ve seen dozens of times in movies, but now we have a real-life concept thanks to Oculus co-founder Palmer Luckey.
In a blog post titled, “If you die in the game, you die in real life,” Luckey briefly talks about gaming and how he was fired from Facebook after it acquired Oculus. Then, he starts talking about the game Sword Art Online and the idea of dying in real life while playing a video game.
While in The Matrix, if you die, you die in real life because “the body cannot live without the mind.” We’re seeing a similar yet different approach here, where Luckey’s concept VR headset will destroy your brain when the game ends.
His version of this popular piece of fiction is a VR headset loaded with explosive charges just above your forehead. If the VR headset recognizes an “appropriate game over” screen, it’ll detonate and destroy the user’s brain.
Thankfully, Luckey is still working on the concept, and so far, he’s only figured out the half that kills you. The system uses a “narrow-band photosensor that can detect when the screen flashes red at a specific frequency,” this sets off the deadly “Game Over” sequence on the headset, and you’ll be taking a dirt nap.
No one is actually playing games on this VR headset, and Luckey says he doesn’t dare try it himself, at least not yet. That said, it would undoubtedly take gaming to an entirely new level. It’s worth noting that the deadly tech is likely only a modified Meta Quest Pro and isn’t functional.
Ultimately, the creator says his VR headset is just a thought-provoking piece of art.
via ArsTechnica
