Is smellovision the future of VR gaming?: ‘Projectile vomiting as your headset psychically projects the scent of yeast-infected rotting fish from the pregnant fox OC on the other side of the room’
A PC Gamer article explores the concept of “smellovision” technology in VR gaming, questioning whether adding realistic scent capabilities to virtual reality experiences is actually desirable. The piece opens with the principle that “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should,” using it as a framework to examine whether incorporating accurate odors into VR games would genuinely enhance gameplay or prove impractical and unpleasant.
The article, presented with satirical humor, challenges the industry’s constant pursuit of ever-more-realistic virtual experiences by asking whether gamers would actually want their headsets to simulate smells—particularly unpleasant ones. The title’s tongue-in-cheek reference to “projectile vomiting” and bizarre scenarios underscores the author’s skepticism about sensory VR technology.
The piece raises fundamental questions about the direction of VR development: whether technological capability should automatically translate into implementation, and whether realism across all sensory dimensions is truly the goal consumers should be chasing in gaming.