Man’s journey into the realm of adult content is nothing new. Nor is the foray into virtual reality (VR). But what happens when a developer releases a tool allowing others to create adult VR games? That’s the position in which we find Virt-a-mate.
Before diving deeper, we must clarify that the adult VR gaming scene has existed for ages. The adult video game timeline is dotted with classic, groundbreaking titles like Softporn and Leisure Suit Larry.
However, this is our first time hearing of a game engine specifically for adult VR games.
What is Virt-a-mate?
Virt-a-mate wasn’t initially conceived as a game engine. It was meant to be a sandbox-style adult VR game, similar to many others already on the market. However, everything has a beginning, and for games, it often starts with developing a game engine.
Initially released in 2017, Virt-a-mate emerged with a similar concept to Steam early access. The devs built a game engine that could be used to create scenes within a VR game. Meanwhile, players can provide feedback and thus guide future development.
The main difference is that while some devs try to charge a mint for early access, Virt-a-mate is primarily funded through Patreon and Redditors. Their Patreon tiers are virtually (no pun intended) dirt cheap, ranging from $2 to $8 monthly.
How Virt-a-mate Works
If you’ve ever played dungeon builder-style games, you’ll be familiar with the backdrop. Virt-a-mate players start with a blank slate. You can load elements like chairs, tables, backgrounds, and other stuff from there.
Here’s where it gets interesting, though. Once the scene is set, players can control almost every aspect of any person in the game. And it’s not just “walk here, say this” stuff. You can manage everything from hand controls to specific movement paths.
It’s like controlling a mannequin, if that makes any sense.
Even more interesting is that Virt-a-mate can be run on a desktop PC. However, like most VR stuff, the requirements are relatively high (according to 2017 standards). For VR to work, you’ll need a decent CPU with a 1080Ti graphics card or equivalent.
The Virt-a-Mate Interface
The builder’s interface for Virt-a-mate is a real blast from the past. It reminds us of the good old days when Windows elements still looked chunky. However, the scenes are something altogether and seem like very high-res adult image replicas.
Unfortunately, we can’t show most of them here, but you can browse through some ready-created scenes and people on the Virtamate hub.
However, handling Virt-a-mate isn’t going to be easy, nor is it something fappable. Instead, it will require a basic understanding of graphical elements and settings, plus an overwhelming dose of creativity.
Desktop Mode vs VR Mode
The combination desktop-VR capability likely stems from Virt-a-mate’s current status. Since you can “build” scenes, doing this via a desktop interface makes more sense. Once that’s done, you can preview it via VR with your desktop or simply shift to a VR platform.
As you may expect, Desktop Mode offers the precision of mouse and keyboard controls. It allows for an intricate arrangement of elements within a scene, offering a comprehensive overview and easier manipulation of objects and characters.
VR Mode elevates the sensory journey to new heights. Strapping on a VR headset, you step directly into the scene you’ve personally sculpted. It’s not a seamless journey, but you can fully experience everything this adult platform offers.
From Then to Now: What’s Changed?
As a live-developed product, Virt-a-mate has undergone a continuous transformation. This evolutionary path, however, has its complexities. Any long-term development always requires balancing progress and legacy systems.
Legacy systems within Virt-a-mate are remnants of earlier development stages, each serving a crucial function at their inception. As the platform evolved, newer, more sophisticated systems replaced some older components.
Building a Cult Following
However, these changes are mostly development-related. The more significant observation is that Virt-a-mate users have built massive content for the game, adding hundreds of characters and scenes.
These range from introducing new models to short cutscenes and minor cosmetics such as foreskin textures. The creativity and attention to detail are mind-boggling.
It’s evident that Virt-a-mate’s impact has gone far beyond an adult VR game. It seems to have attracted many genuine enthusiasts who are more focused on the “how” than the “what.” These people will drive the development of Virt-a-mate onwards, despite the many years of development.
How to Get Virt-a-mate
Mesed VR, the creators of Virt-a-mate, used to offer the initial game download for free. However, that was pretty limited, and it could only load a few demos—just enough to let newcomers get a feel for things.
That seems to have disappeared now, and you’ll need to subscribe to one of their Patron tiers for access. Once you’ve subscribed and have access, installation is your next challenge.
Here’s an overview of how the process works:
1. Download the Installation File
Download the installer and unzip it into a directory on your computer. This process will provide access to the Virt-a-mate updater.
2. Run the Updater
Run the updater file (you may need to provide access if it gets blocked by your firewall or antivirus apps). The updater file is a 2-in-1. If it doesn’t find any files already on your system, you can use it to download the complete installation package.
The download may take some time since the complete package is around 15GB. Remember that this is just the base game. Expect the size of your Virt-a-mate folder to grow significantly as you add more stuff like community content.
3. Starting Virt-a-Mate
Running Virt-a-mate is less user-friendly than most modern games. You don’t get a quick launch icon, so open the Virt-a-mate installation folder. The file to run will depend on what mode you want to use.
There are two batch files, one for Desktop Mode and another for OpenVR mode. From here, you can start experimenting. Run the creator, load some demos and community content, and see where that takes you.
Final Thoughts
Virt-a-mate surprised us. At first, the chunkiness and outdated imagery turned us off. However, as we explored the concept further, it struck us that what we witnessed was something else altogether. This project has gone beyond the scope of a game.
It’s built a genuine fan following that’s helped move a small indie developer forward along a rather unusual path. While it may seem old and outdated, it hasn’t stayed in the past and is continually being improved.
And in the process, it’s fulfilling many players’ dreams. That dream is to be part of an engaging development fuelled not just by feedback but by everything they create. And they’re not being charged a fortune to do so.