Virtual gaming wouldn’t be what it is today without Oculus Rift designer Palmer Lucky. Lucky left Meta (then Facebook) in 2017, three years after taking over Oculus VR. Although he currently works in the field of defense technologies, his interest in virtual reality has not waned, but his latest art project has caused many surprises. Lucky claims to have created a VR headset capable of killing the user in real life based on the deadly NerveGear from Sword Art Online.
Sword Art Online fans know how important Lucky’s time was last weekend. On November 6, 2022, the fictional VRMMORPG went public, trapping players inside the game. Lucky claims to have modified the Meta Quest Pro VR headset. Twitter that “I made the OQPNVG, the first virtual reality device capable of killing the user”. Needless to say, Lucky’s latest work won’t be the best VR headset any time soon.
Calling it “a piece of desktop art,” the former Oculus Rift designer shared the details on his blog; Lucky claims that he has attached three explosive charges that are connected to a narrowband photodetector. If the headset flashes red “at a certain rate” on the game screen, that life charge will explode.
Any attempt to externally uninstall NerveGear in SAO will kill the user. Also, Lucky plans to create a temper protection mechanism, stating that it “will make it impossible to remove or destroy the helmet.”
It’s a surprisingly painful project that Lucky says is “not unlike the extreme consequences that underlie some extreme sports.” No wonder I haven’t tested OQPNVG yet, confirming that it can happen and kill the user at the wrong time,” he admits before continuing. “That’s why I didn’t design the balls to use myself.”
We’ve seen a lot of video game adaptations of Sword Art Online over the year, so it’s a bit surprising that no one has tried the official SAO VR game yet. Fortunately, for those without an explosive helmet, there’s always Zenith: The Last City if you’re looking for a true VR MMORPG.
Source : PC Gamesn
