'Odor simulation' included in China's national VR plan

China's government has published a plan for the nation's virtual reality industry and included a suggestion to promote research in "odor simulation" – suggesting Beijing has decided the time has come for the Internet of Smell. The plan is typically Chinese. It sets a target of shipping 25 million devices a year by 2025 and …

[bertkaye]

Who Nose What Troubles We Will See

Great. Not only will we have to deal with VR vertigo issues, but when we're playing The Island of Bad Smells adventure game we will have to avoid the Swamp of Fetid Aromas, the Cave of Too Many Cats, and the Silent But Deadly weapon which only a true villain would wield.

[GruntyMcPugh]

Re: Who Nose What Troubles We Will See

Can't wait to drop a Cyber Fart in a VR meeting and see the avatars wince, and open virtual windows.

[TeeCee]

Re: Who Nose What Troubles We Will See

Especially when you can tune the fart to its audience.

Anything from "vaguely miasmic hint of something rotten", through "eggy" to "Chicken Dopiaza and five pints of Kingfisher the night before". Also sound ranging from "SBD" via "mild squeak" to "full bass with reverb".

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Who Nose What Troubles We Will See

So now I not only have to get fully dressed for team meetings (since they're getting legs), I have to shower first???

[GruntyMcPugh]

"Smartphones are also to be upgraded so they serve as VR displays – which sounds like the end for Google's Cardboard VR viewer."

Oh, I kind of think the opposite, Google Cardboard was kind of fun, if limited by resolution and frame rate. The Experience was quite immerive though, there's a lovely 3D Van Gogh mash up I quite enjoy looking around. If the res and frame rates get better, I can see aftermarket headsets you slip your phone into making a comeback.

[imanidiot]

Google cardboard was and is a nice gimmick. Most of those "Smartphone in a headset" contraptions equally so. VR or AR really only works with proper 6DOF tracking of sufficient fidelity and accuracy. We're still a very long way off from smartphones having enough ooomph onboard to make that happen.

[iron]

Indeed, using phones as VR displays is exactly what Cardboard does so better phone displays surely means moar Cardboard!

[b0llchit]

Great Wall

I'm wondering what will be blocked by the Great China FireSmellWall.

Icon: Big Brother is smelling you

[Mockup1974]

Big potential use case for PORN

[Oglethorpe]

I doubt there'd be much demand, outside of some specific fetishes. A porn set smells like a mix of 80% unventilated gym and 20% unventilated toilet.

[Anonymous Coward]

I'll take that on your authority.

[Anonymous Coward]

Ransomware

"Ooh no, once you've had StinkyBear in, you'll never get the smell out, all new kit I think!"

[imanidiot]

Out of all the stuff one could come up with for VR and VR accessories, Smell-o-vision would be the absolute bottom of the list for me. The last thing I'd need while using VR is to SMELL the unwashed nerd on the other end of the connection.

[sarusa]

Not what I want in China

I've been to Taiwan and Mainland China... Taiwan was fine, and Mainland China had much delicious food that smells great. But Mainland China was also unspeakably foul much of the time. Transportation in particular reeked with the smells of urine and/or feces. Industrial cities like Guangzhou smelled of cancerous death (tons of people wearing masks, pre-covid, just to keep from getting black lung). And god forbid you get anywhere near a stand selling Stinky Tofu (also a potential hazard in Taiwan).

This is not just Mainland China, I wouldn't want VR Odor in San Francisco either.