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This VR headset can kill user if they die in game, founder claims

Dubbed Sword Art Online, the headset is inspired by a novel series of the same name

Published: Wed 9 Nov 2022, 6:03 PM

Updated: Wed 9 Nov 2022, 6:06 PM

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Things just got real? This is probably the time to shine for all the 'Soulsborne' veterans who look down on us avid gamers with their 'git gud' commentary.

Win, or die trying just got a new meaning in the form of a virtual reality (VR) headset which has been developed. The founder claims, the headset will kill the wearer if they die in a video game. Literally.

According to Game Rant, the project is the first example of the popular science fiction and horror trope of technology killing users if they fail in the virtual world.

Dubbed Sword Art Online, the VR experience was unveiled by Palmer Luckey, the founder of Virtual reality company Oculus, and the joint creator of the Oculus Rift. His latest work is influenced by the Sword Art Online universe, a novel series by Reki Kawahara in which VR gamers are trapped inside a death game that can only be escaped by surviving 100 dungeon levels. If the wearer dies in game, or forcibly remove the headset without finishing the game, they die in the real world.

As per Palmer's official blog, the Sword Art Online headset features three explosive charges above the screen, ready to detonate if it registers an in game death.

But don't worry, you will not get a chance to try it out as the headset is not being mass-produced or sold to the public. "At this point, it is just a piece of office art, a thought-provoking reminder of unexplored avenues in game design. It is also, as far as I know, the first non-fiction example of a VR device that can actually kill the user. It won’t be the last," Palmer said. husain@khaleejtimes.com



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