This VR headset can 'kill' you in real life if you die in a video game

The founder of a virtual reality (VR) firm has claimed that he has made a headset that can kill you in real life if you die in a game. Palmer Luckey, the founder of VR firm Oculus Rift, said the device was inspired by Sword Art Online, the Japanese novel series-turned-anime, wherein players are trapped in an online role-playing game where death in the game means death in real-life because of the killer 'NerveGear' headset.

The headset has three explosive charges attached to it. These are programmed and ready to blast if your character gets killed in the game.  

"To commemorate the Sword Art Online Incident of November 6th 2022, I made the OQPNVG, the first virtual reality device capable of killing the user - if you die in the game, you die in real life," he said in a tweet.

This might be a game, but it is not something you play.

To commemorate the Sword Art Online Incident of November 6th 2022, I made the OQPNVG, the first virtual reality device capable of killing the user  if you die in the game, you die in real life.https://t.co/F3nkP5EU61

— Palmer Luckey (@PalmerLuckey) November 6, 2022

“The idea of tying your real life to your virtual avatar has always fascinated me – you instantly raise the stakes to the maximum level and force people to fundamentally rethink how they interact with the virtual world and the players inside it,” Luckey wrote in a blog post.

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Luckey explained the device is connected to three explosive charge modules that are tied to a “narrow-band photosensor that can detect when the screen flashes red at a specific frequency”.

“When an appropriate game-over screen is displayed, the charges fire, instantly destroying the brain of the user,” he said.