Oculus founder makes Sword Art Online VR headset designed to kill you

Palmer Luckey, one of the original founders of Oculus, has revealed that he has made a Sword Art Online headset, inspired by the hit anime that can kill you.

On November 6, 2022, Palmer Luckey, the original founder of Oculus wrote about his love for Sword Art Online in a blog post, commemorating the anniversary of an event in the show. Oculus and Sword Art Online have an entangled past, the post explains. The Kickstarter for the DK1 VR headset went live as one of the early episodes of Sword Art Online went live.

Sword Art Online is an anime TV show set in a world where players are trapped inside VR headsets. Luckey claims that the anime significantly impacted the current VR industry in its early years. Luckey goes on for several more paragraphs, talking about Sword Art Online and meeting people involved in the production. But, the post turns dark as Luckey reveals that he’s been working on a VR headset that can kill its user.

Palmer Luckey’s new headset is designed to kill

Feeling inspired by Sword Art Online’s killer headset. Luckey set out on designing one of his own. But, instead of being able to fully interact with the world with a perfect VR simulation, Luckey’s headset only kills you.

In the anime, a microwave emitter hidden within the Nervegear headset can kill its user. However, Luckey seeks to “raise the stakes” by having a life-or-death element added to a headset in real life. This transgressive idea feels like more of an art project, rather than a commercial opportunity.

Luckey’s headset is equipped with three explosive charge modules. You can see this in the image, which appear to be sticking out of the front of the headset. The charge modules are triggered using a narrow-band photo sensor that is able to detect the color red. This can be used for a game-over screen. After that gets displayed. the charges fire. This instantly destroys the brain of its user.