Hey everyone, Oppaira here. VR has been a new trend in porn in general but this is especially true in JAV. Many popular studios have gotten into it and at this point most big name actresses have starred in it multiple times. I think it's fair to say VR isn't just a fad, it's the next big thing and it's here to stay. Hell, there are even regular JAV videos themed around VR now that just goes to show how mainstream it is. In this post I'll be giving a rundown of what it's like, what you can expect, and give an honest review about whether you should buy into it or not. Just as a note, all images and videos shared in this post are 2d (monoscopic) equivalents of the experience so keep that in mind while reading.

 

 

VR was something I kept putting off for a while and I got into it late last year. Since then I've seen around 80 videos. It's definitely not something I watch every day and I would say traditional JAV still dominates in terms of what I watch but I do watch a solid amount of VR. Of course, I did watch a good amount of VR in preparation for this post so that number is quite a bit inflated. I think on average I was watching less than once a week before I decided to write this post (which was admittedly a number of weeks ago). In preparation I've been watching a wide range of themes, genres, actresses, and plots to ensure that I can be as informed as possible.

 

 

The VR headset I have is an Oculus Go. It's a midrange, standalone headset. There are definitely better quality headsets around but I wasn't interested in breaking my bank for it knowing the primary reason I'd use it was for JAV. I decided to opt for a standalone so that I could be flexible in where/how I watched. Some VR headsets require you to be connected to a computer and I just didn't want to have to always watch in a singular place. I can get up to about two hours on my headset which means I'm basically charging it after every use. Since I don't use it frequently enough I find I have to charge it before each use instead since the drain while not in use is quite high. While that is annoying I think that the benefit of mobility outweighs the battery life. You can also buy headsets that are cheaper that use your phone to power it, all the way down to a Google Cardboard that is basically just some cardboard and a couple of cheap lenses.

 

Overview

 

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Let's first start at the beginning. At first VR was more of the new hot thing and studios were trying to get a foot in the door and make sense of it. Videos were short and meant to show off the technology rather than be a full experience like traditional JAV does. You might have found yourself watching a 15 minute video instead of a full length video. You might imagine it as one of those costume change videos where the goal is to have a bunch of short scenes that try to capitalize on something unique, except the entire video is one scene. That's just not at all what I want in a video, and honestly, part of that is due to reviewing. It's really difficult to compare videos when one is 2.5 hours long and the other is 15 minutes long. It’s also just hard in general to enjoy a video that's so short because once you start getting into it the video's over.

 

 

VR nowadays tends to be more like traditional JAV, a lengthy video with multiple scenes. Whether they're tied together and tell a story or an assortment of scenes is up to the video though I do find they tend to be more of the latter. I generally find there's less VR with plot and more that just use something to create a setting. Things like titty pub, masseuse, office lady, teacher, your significant other - basically very generic themes. A very common theme is having sex with your girlfriend where they draw out a video and extend every part. Those videos are often around an hour long too, and I find in general that VR is shorter than traditional JAV. Where traditional JAV is more like 2 - 2.5 hours long, VR tends to be 1 - 1.5 hours long. There are a lot of reasons for these differences that I'll get into later.

 

 

VR now is also a lot higher quality than when it first started. Right now they mostly film in 4k which is great. The older 2k stuff from when VR JAV first started really isn't that pleasant to look at. You can immediately tell the quality isn't there and when you're watching something so immersive I find the quality difference is really drastic. If I'm watching a poor quality webcam video on a streaming site I know what I'm in for but I find I always expect good quality in VR. It's kind of annoying that a good chunk of those earlier videos just don't have good quality but at the same time they also had the issues described as above; basically, early VR is not that good for multiple reasons.

 

 

At this point most notable actresses have done VR if they've been active sometime in the past 2-3 years. There's a few actresses who have only done VR once or twice, like Hitomi who just recently had her second VR come out. Quite a few recognizable names haven't ever had the chance, like Ai Uehara and Anri Okita who just barely missed out on the craze. Actresses who retired long before then, like Rio Hamasaki, Momoka Nishina, or Maria Ozawa obviously never got the chance. There are a few names that are big now that still haven't done it including one of my all-time favourites Meguri. She's actually a lone holdout among my top 50 active actresses so I hope it's just a matter of time. Also not every studio does VR. Oppai, for example, hasn't done VR yet, and actresses on their roster like Hitomi have gone to Moodyz to do VR.

I find I don't watch VR all that much and I still prefer watching regular JAV. I personally find VR is a little much in terms of a hassle to go through so I tend to do it very infrequently. I need to make sure I'm alone and undisturbed, that I can set aside a chunk of time for it, and that my headset is actually charged (yes, I've had a few times where it wasn't). As far as watching habits otherwise go I tend to keep a lot of the same habits, so not too much has changed.

 

Settings

 

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VR gives you a few settings you can play around with to help make it a little more enjoyable. My headset lets me change the height, angle, and viewing distance. I find the distance the most useful of the bunch since the camera is naturally quite close to the actress. Moving it backwards allows me to get a better picture of everything going on, which I frequently do. I generally quickly set all the settings right as the video is starting so it’s thankfully not too much of a hassle.

 

 

The other big setting is monoscopic vs stereoscopic. I think the easiest way to explain stereoscopic is to say it’s like the 3D mode on the 3DS. In short, it gives each eye a different view like you would get in real life so it creates depth of field. Monoscopic is more like what you see on your phone or TV where it’s both eyes looking at the same image. I find I prefer watching in stereoscopic mode because I like the added realism it provides. Not every video is the best so I do use monoscopic sometimes, but still these days I’m watching more in stereoscopic.

 

 

How It All Works Out

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When it comes to viewing VR I find that there are some really good aspects and some really poor aspects. The best aspect is by far the point of view. All VR is shot as a POV from the main actor so you really do feel like you're in the scene. This is especially true with the immersion created by the extra vision VR inherently adds. This also works as a detriment to the video at times though. It's not that POV isn't good, it’s great, but when every video is in

 

POV it does get a bit tiring. VR obviously does compare much closer to the real thing as a result, but I feel like after years of exposure to porn I've gotten used to viewing from different angles POV can't support. Seeing an actress from a side position during doggy, for example, is really enjoyable and something I'm sad I can't really experience in VR. 

 

 

There are a lot of exceptions that come with being unable to view from different angles and honestly some themes just don't work out in VR. I've seen a few videos that have other guys in them and they're really hit or miss. Sometimes watching another actress have sex in front of you just isn't what you want to see. I feel like this is heightened a lot with VR because the guy being in the shot is much more in your face, especially if you're also participating. The more guys you add to the scene the worse it becomes; bukkake is actually quite awful to watch. In bukkake they have to find a way to give you a good angle, make you part of the content, but also have guys cumming on the actress from the front. Simply put, it's a mess in more ways than one. On a side note, the censorship in VR scenes is often quite bad too. They just blur a large area and call it a day and it can be distracting in some cases. The bukkake scene shows perfectly how obtrusive it can be since you can't really see that much of the good stuff.

 

 

Another thing is that you're made to basically not move around. Whenever they want to actually move the guy around they actually do a transition and move off camera, which I find makes the video feel really disconnected. While you can certainly lie on a bed and let someone else do all the work it feels really lame to not be moving around. I've seen some newer ones that do support moving around but never during anything sexual. Basically put, there's no way for them right now to have VR where the camera moves around freely during the actual action. It's quite annoying in my opinion and it does hurt the realism of the video. I've gotten used to it now but I certainly do hope they can get past this at some point. In the clip above Ririka gets caught naked outside her apartment and is slowly walking away from you... it's not great and yet it's the best I've seen.

 

 

The sexual positions in VR are also a little underwhelming. When I watch a scene I'm usually looking for there to be a variety of action. Some different acts during foreplay such as blowjob, titty fucking, and 69; VR typically obliges solidly in that department. During intercourse the bare minimum I expect are the positions I refer to as the big three: missionary, cowgirl (regular or reverse), and doggy; VR is quite bad at meeting even this minimum. VR always focuses the most on cowgirl because it's the one that's the best combination of easy and enjoyable. The guy can just lay on his back while the camera is positioned so they can film it pretty effortlessly. Seeing a busty babe ride you during it is really nice though, so you kind of take the good with the bad. Yes, it does get boring at times as it feels like you're watching the same thing over and over again. I find my favourite videos tend to have a good amount of variety to them.

 

 

Similar to the sex being underwhelming actress performances are often underwhelming as well. I think actresses get inspired by the guy and if you look at the devices they shoot VR with it's just not the same. Interacting purely for a camera can be difficult and actresses seem to struggle being as vibrant and expressive as usual. That's not to say they can't be, some still manage to do well in VR, but many do exhibit trouble with it. I have a feeling that none of this will improve significantly for a long time so I think it’s just something we’ll have to live with for a while.

 

 

Another important aspect of VR is how actresses look. The depth of field that you get from it really allows you to get a sense of their body. This can be either a really good or really bad thing depending on their body. I find some actresses have great bodies and they're more enjoyable in VR. I think it actually incentivizes me to watch them more than I normally would just because of how nice they look. Other actresses don't have the nicest bodies and in VR you also really get to see that as well. 

 

 

I find VR struggles with certain themes and does others well, and in general there are good and bad aspects to everything. You can't really do a risky theme where you need to be mobile and you can't do anything outdoors either. That's not to say they can't be done and that attempts at it aren't good but it's a lot more difficult to turn out well. It's quite difficult to manage risk in a scene when you can't move around to hide when you're about to get caught. You're really at the mercy of the other person not turning around or something and the fact you have to remain stationary limits it a lot. Some videos try having different positions but the movement being off camera hurts the realism. That being said the actual intensity of the risk is elevated quite a bit. In VR with you actually being the person who could get caught I find it's more intense.

 

 

Videos instead tend to focus on themes or settings where you're able to be stationary and still enjoy it. Things like massage, soapland, bedroom, titty bar, those kinds of settings make a lot more sense and wind up being what's pushed. It's also a much better opportunity for 1-on-1 action as opposed to group action because you can't be mobile. That action does get limited though because the guy doesn't ever speak. It often amounts exactly the same as traditional POV content. Dramas typically involve a story where the guy is a part of the storytelling so it severely limits their ability to carry a real story through the video, hence the very simple themes being primarily used. I don't really have any problems with those themes being used but it does limit the variety of the content. I find I have to try really hard to look for different varieties in videos and if you're not looking you may just wind up watching the same few themes over and over again. Even when you find things that are different it's not often story related.

 

 

Group videos in VR tend to be about the same as they are in traditional JAV. Too many actresses on screen is still difficult to manage regardless. When you've got four actresses on the screen you can't pay attention to everything going on. This increases as you find even more in scenes and I've seen as many as 10 in a single scene. I haven't found VR itself contributes to any difference in my capacity to manage them. On one hand I find that the extra view gives me some increased capacity to manage things but the VR medium itself means there's just more to consume.

 

 

Another great aspect is how nice supporting visuals can be. This is just something that inherently comes for free with the technology but you can really sell things like cosplay or special effects. I think studios recognize that the visuals matter a lot when it's so immersive and so they go the extra mile when they can. There aren't a ton of videos that have cosplay or nice special effects but they often stand out because of just how good they are. Succubus is a theme that's so much better in VR because of all the effort that goes into it, not just with the costume but with the lighting and other special effects. Don't take my word for it though, the gifs speak for themselves. Especially in Kyoko Maki's succubus film you can really see how everything ties together, including the idea of her milking you dry when you spurt an enormous load.

 

 

 

Recommendations

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I figure this is also a good opportunity to give a few recommendations for VR. I've tried to give a few of my favourites that also show what VR is capable.

 

DSVR-411 - I Summoned A Succubus - Kyoko Maki

 

MDVR-092 - You Get To Fondle Hitomi's O-Cup Titties To Your Heart's Content! - Hitomi

 

RVR-030 - Breast Milk, Cum Juice, Bodily Fluids Galore! - Nozomi Hatzuki, Rena Aoi

 

URVRSP-006 - Oh Shit! I've Been Caught Cheating But My Girlfriend Joined In - Arisa Hanyu, Natsuko Mishima, Yuri Oshikawa, Marina Yuzuki

 

Conclusion

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So is VR worth getting? Not only is it worth getting you should throw away all your old JAV.

 

 

Just kidding, don't throw away all your old JAV. But definitely it's worth investing into. It's gotten past the initial new technology phase and has actually produced some good results. Yes, there are some aspects that still need some work, and it's not something you'll do every day, but the experience is still enjoyable. Most actresses (if they're active) have done it so there's plenty of good content to see.

 

 

If you're buying into it I suggest you look at what you'll be using with the device and try to find a headset at an appropriate price. If you're really not sure there are several cheap headsets that make use of your phone, so as long as you have a fairly new device you can use that. It's won't be the greatest device but the investment is low, and people I know that have cheap ones don't dislike them. Google Cardboard (literally a piece of cardboard you fold up and attach some lenses to) is under $10 USD and the Gear VR is under $50 USD, so you can invest extremely cheaply just to test things out. If you're looking to play games as well like Beat Saber or Half Life Alyx then getting a more expensive headset makes sense. I've heard a lot of good things about the Oculus Quest, though it is a bit pricier at around $400 - $500 USD. If you're like me, you want a headset that's actually decent and usable but won't break the bank. The Oculus Go was around $150 USD when I bought it on sale and I'm relatively happy with the results I got without being too expensive. Yes, I don't get to play all the best games but that doesn't bother me. I think it ultimately just depends on what you're doing and what your budget is. VR isn't prohibitively expensive anymore so you can buy something cheap and join the craze.

If you're looking for VR to watch go check out SexLikeReal's JAV section. They've got videos starring a lot of amazing actresses including Yui Hatano, Mao Hamasaki, Kaho Shibuya, and Kurea Hasumi. I would highly recommend The Terror of the Suite Room which stars Honoka Mihara and Natsuko Mishima, two of my favourites, plus director Nao Masaki makes an appearance. Nao brings out her two play things to give you the experience of a lifetime and watching Honoka ride you as Nao takes Natsuko from behind is ansolutely fantastic. They even have uncensored VR starring Rena Fukiishi, one of my all time favourites.