is a

virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a Simulation, simulated experience that employs 3D near-eye displays and pose tracking to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video gam ...

(VR)

eroge An ''eroge'' (, ''eroge'', or , ''erogē'', ), also called an H-game, is a Japanese genre of erotic video game. The term encompasses a wide variety of Japanese games containing erotic content across multiple genres. The first ''eroge'' were crea ...

social simulation video game Social simulation games are a subgenre of life simulation games that explore social interactions between multiple artificial lives. Some examples include ''The Sims'' and ''Animal Crossing'' series. History Influences and origins When ''The Sim ...

made by

Illusion An illusion is a distortion of the senses, which can reveal how the mind normally organizes and interprets sensory stimulation. Although illusions distort the human perception of reality, they are generally shared by most people. Illusions may ...

, released in February 2017 for the

HTC Vive HTC Vive is a line of Virtual reality, virtual and mixed reality Virtual reality headset, headsets produced by HTC, HTC Corporation. The brand currently encompasses headsets designed for use with Personal computer, personal computers as well a ...

and

Oculus Rift Oculus Rift is a discontinued line of virtual reality headsets, virtual reality headsets developed and manufactured by Oculus VR, a virtual reality company founded by Palmer Luckey that is widely credited with reviving the virtual reality indust ...

Microsoft Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

PCs. ''VR Kanojo'' is the successor to Illusion's 2010 game ''REAL Kanojo'', and follows a similar premise where the player is allowed to interact with a virtual girlfriend. It has been described as similar to

Bandai Namco (commonly known as and formerly Namco Bandai until 2015, also known as Bandai Namco Group,) is a Japanese mass media and entertainment Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 2005 by the merger of Namco and Bandai. The company specia ...

's '' Summer Lesson.''

Gameplay

''VR Kanojo'' gives the player a virtual girlfriend and several scenarios with which to spend time with her. The player interacts with Sakura Yuuhi – a young

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese girl – in her bedroom. The game is played through a

virtual reality headset A virtual reality headset (or VR headset) is a Head-mounted display, head-mounted device that uses 3D near-eye displays and positional tracking to provide a virtual reality environment for the user. VR headsets are widely used with Virtual reali ...

, with VR controllers simulating the player's hands in-game. The player can answer questions by nodding or shaking their head. The player can customize the girl's appearance with various outfits, can touch the girl and can engage in

virtual sex Virtual sex is Human sexual activity, sexual activity where two or more people (or one person and a Virtual actor, virtual character) gather together via some form of communications equipment to arouse each other, often by the means of transmitting ...

through explicit sexual scenarios, including

handjob A handjob (also spelled hand job) is a manual sex act involving a person stimulating the penis or scrotum of another by using the hand. This is done to induce an erection for sexual pleasure, sexual arousal and may result in orgasm and ejaculat ...

s, blowjobs and

vaginal intercourse In mammals and other animals, the vagina (: vaginas or vaginae) is the elastic, muscular reproductive organ of the female genital tract. In humans, it extends from the vulval vestibule to the cervix (neck of the uterus). The vaginal introit ...

. The rendering in this work is structured across five levels, with the highest level, "high quality," offering detailed mapping, including the texture of Sakura's skin.

Collaborations

In May 2018, Illusion adapted ''VR Kanojo'' to work with ANTVR's "MIX" headset, to provide an

augmented reality Augmented reality (AR), also known as mixed reality (MR), is a technology that overlays real-time 3D computer graphics, 3D-rendered computer graphics onto a portion of the real world through a display, such as a handheld device or head-mounted ...

experience. Illusion and

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

-based

startup A startup or start-up is a company or project undertaken by an entrepreneur to seek, develop, and validate a scalable business model. While entrepreneurship includes all new businesses including self-employment and businesses that do not intend to ...

Vaqso collaborated at Unite 2017 to allow ''VR Kanojo'' players to use the

odor An odor (American English) or odour ( Commonwealth English; see spelling differences) is a smell or a scent caused by one or more volatilized chemical compounds generally found in low concentrations that humans and many animals can perceive ...

emitting "Vaqso VR" attachment to smell the game character's stockings.

Reception

In a review for ''

Kotaku ''Kotaku'' is a video game website and blog that was originally launched in 2004 as part of the Gawker Media network. Notable former contributors to the site include Luke Smith, Cecilia D'Anastasio, Tim Rogers, and Jason Schreier. History ...

'', Kate Gray writes: "And ''VR Kanojo'' gives you what you want: full-blown sex, slightly pixelated but still realistic. But it gives you more than that: it gives you a feeling of

intimacy An intimate relationship is an interpersonal relationship that involves emotional or physical closeness between people and may include sexual intimacy and feelings of romance or love. Intimate relationships are interdependent, and the member ...

. ..Perhaps it's possible to virtually replicate intimacy ''and'' love. When I'm lying in a virtual bed with a virtual girlfriend, maybe I can believe that."

Successor

In September 2024, Illumination Inc. started

crowdfunding Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and Alternative Finance, alternative finance, to fund projects "withou ...

for a new game building on ''VR Kanojo''.

References

External links

* {{Official website, steam.vrkanojo.com
English manual

''VR Kanojo''
on

Steam Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...