I wrote this up to kind of give my thoughts on some stuff you can buy/make to enhance your VaM experience and posted it to the VAMScenes subreddit a while back, but thought I should post it here. It is pretty lacking in detail and not all encompassing, but I just wanted to get my thoughts out there to see what others think before I might make a more full guide detailing the VaM communities' overall opinion on what newcomers could look into getting to get a better experience in VaM. Also, I am interested in seeing how others use VaM.
What people use VaM for
Screenshot/video creation
It is quite simple to create the porn of your dreams with VaM, especially screenshots. You can find a model you like, dress them how you want, and put them in any sort of situation you like for easy creation of porn. This also applies to video as well.
2D consumption
Scenes can be interactive on the desktop, allowing basic interaction. From simple stuff like visual novels, to more complex interactions and actions.
VR consumption
Scenes can be even more immersive with VR, as you are able to basically experience them from your own perspective. This also enables interacting with the VR controllers
Sex simulation
A lot of what I personally enjoy, and detailed further below. Basically I feel like VaM is the closest thing to a full on sex simulator if you configure it correctly.
Now onto my list of stuff you can buy:
Stuff to buy/Make
VR headsets ($300-$1000)
Quite simply having VR and using VaM with it can really give you an immersive experience and a new look at all the content in the game. It is hard to fully detail the benefits of VR if you have never been able to use it yourself, but if you do you likely will have little interest in using VaM in desktop mode outside of creating scenes from that point on. Note that you will need a sufficiently good PC to take advantage of this, but honestly if you are into video gaming or interested in other VR tech this is worth it even without VaM in my mind.
Fleshlight/Onaholes/male masturbators and other sex toys ($20-$100)
This is a fairly obvious thing to buy even without VaM if you are open to it. First I want to say that I am not a Fleshlight shill or anything, as you will see several of their products listed below, it is just a brand I've come to like over the years that is easily accessible in the region I live in. As an alternative you can look at other online sex shops (Including Japanese ones for Onaholes and other products I'll mention later) or Amazon. If you are into it other sex toys would also easily fit in this category, like dildos and what not. Essentially with a bit of messing around you can enhance your experience while using VaM with sex toys. This will go from just better stimulation to full on sex simulation that I will go into further detail later.
Fleshlight Launch/robot strokers ($150-$250)
So I have used the Fleshight Launch to a decent extent as it was the first sort of robot stroker I owned. It is neat, but can be a bit of a pain to use. It has both a manual mode and a Bluetooth sync mode that can work well once you get it set up, but its movement is mediocre as it can only go up and down at a variety of speeds. Regardless, taking control out of your hands and handing it over to a well crafted VaM scene is quite a nice experience compared to doing it yourself. The original model with Bluetooth connectivity no longer seems to be manufactured, but you can look into other robot strokers that can sync up with buttplug.io through the VaMLaunch plugin. However if you are looking for a higher degree of motion with a greater set of enhancements I would look into the OSR2 that I will detail next.
OSR2 (Variable depending on what you have access to and what you build, and you will have to pay for the plans ($8) to get a full bill of materials. For me this was approximately $250 total, as I could print parts myself)
I built mine myself as I have access to a 3D printer, but you can potentially get someone else to make one for you for an additional price, or at least get all the 3D printer components printed for you. Basically almost everything about the Fleshlight Launch and other strokers is intensified with this open source stroker. It can handle multi-axis movement, suction, twisting, lubrication application, heating, and eventually even more in the future. However, I will admit that with the improved stimulation comes increased complexity that you will have to deal with when building or using it. The wider range of movement can make it a bit difficult to stay inserted, when compared to something more basic. Additionally, something the Fleshlight Launch and other robotic strokers have that the OSR2 does not is a wireless experience that is easy to move around. For example, if I want to use the OSR2 I have to mount it to my desk or a bit of plywood if I want to use it in a bed. This is a much more clunky experience compared to being able to pick up and move around in whatever orientation you need to be in order to more realistically mimic what is happening in your VaM scene. Ultimately this is a neat robot to build, use, and toy with, but ultimately depending on your patience you may not come to enjoy it to its fullest extant.
Fleshlight mounts/inserts ($100-$250)
So I have the Liberator: Top Dog and Liberator: On A Mission Fleshlight mounts. Essentially what these are are leather covered foam blocks with a cutout that is able to fit a Fleshlight. Alternatively you can look into getting something like the Meiki Plush Hip/Doll/EVO for a more full bodied experience, or just a sex doll all together. This, like the robot strokers I detailed above, will really allow you to experience the closest thing to a cyberpunk sex robot of the future. As robotics and material science have not yet advanced, as well as a general public market interest in sex robots, this is the closest thing you can get to a full on sex simulation. By taking advantage of VaM's plugins, scripting, VR, and motion capture of your movements, you will be able to get incredibly realistic experiences of whatever you might fantasize of. You likely can find a model of your fantasy video game/actress/original character, rip voice lines from videos or games, and then using VaM create a interactive and realistic experience far beyond anything else I know of. This is currently one of my favorite ways to interact with VaM. With something like the Top Dog mount you can get a similar experience by just stuffing your Fleshlight in between your mattress and bed frame, and the On A Mission mount can be mimic'd with a Fleshlight inserted into a wrapped up pillow or a shoe, but the mounts themselves are just better experiences overall. Again, you can also look at more anatomically correct mounts and sex dolls for a better experience.
Additionally, though I have not done this yet, I have tentative plans to try it. I might get a sex doll and enough Vive Trackers to mount onto it (Neck, arms, legs, hips, and maybe more to get full body capture). The end result when I get it all synced up would be a sex doll that I can move around in the real world, which would then in turn move the VaM model around. This would give me all the benefits of VR/VaM by being able to see a live model with audio, animations, and effects, while also being able to feel them in the real world. Because of the cost I have not yet gotten around to trying this though.
VR full body tracking ($300-$700)
Now you don't necessarily need something like the Vive tracking pucks to do a more immersive type of simulation. In my case, for example, I can get a pretty decent experience by just using a single tracker (Either a controller or Vive tracker on a belt attached to my hips) synced to a dildo or a male's hips in game and then a Fleshlight mounted in such a way that it aligns with the female VR model. Then using other plugins and what not I can then have the female model moan or otherwise animate in reaction to me thrusting the VR male's hips or dildo. This give a pretty compelling effect similar to what I detailed above.
Now getting more elaborate body tracking tech can let you more realistically interact with the VaM world, but its prime benefit would be creating your own VR mocaps. This way you can more easily create animations that appeal to you, as opposed to doing keyframe style animation manually. Personally my favorite scenes are those like CG Studio's dance/strip/sex sequences, as they are the closest thing to a VR strip club experience.
Ultraleap Leap Motion controller ($110) This is a super neat bit of tech, and its integration with VaM is excellent, but ultimately I do not find it to be a worthwhile investment unless you have money burning a hole in your pocket. Really it is a neat gimmick to fondle imaginary breasts or otherwise interact with a VR model, but the lack of haptics really sets it back in my mind. I've considering getting a doll or a paizuri style masturbator to give more realistic feeling to what I can see in VR, but ultimately it isn't that fantastic of an addition to my VaM experience.
What people use VaM for
Screenshot/video creation
It is quite simple to create the porn of your dreams with VaM, especially screenshots. You can find a model you like, dress them how you want, and put them in any sort of situation you like for easy creation of porn. This also applies to video as well.
2D consumption
Scenes can be interactive on the desktop, allowing basic interaction. From simple stuff like visual novels, to more complex interactions and actions.
VR consumption
Scenes can be even more immersive with VR, as you are able to basically experience them from your own perspective. This also enables interacting with the VR controllers
Sex simulation
A lot of what I personally enjoy, and detailed further below. Basically I feel like VaM is the closest thing to a full on sex simulator if you configure it correctly.
Now onto my list of stuff you can buy:
Stuff to buy/Make
VR headsets ($300-$1000)
Quite simply having VR and using VaM with it can really give you an immersive experience and a new look at all the content in the game. It is hard to fully detail the benefits of VR if you have never been able to use it yourself, but if you do you likely will have little interest in using VaM in desktop mode outside of creating scenes from that point on. Note that you will need a sufficiently good PC to take advantage of this, but honestly if you are into video gaming or interested in other VR tech this is worth it even without VaM in my mind.
Fleshlight/Onaholes/male masturbators and other sex toys ($20-$100)
This is a fairly obvious thing to buy even without VaM if you are open to it. First I want to say that I am not a Fleshlight shill or anything, as you will see several of their products listed below, it is just a brand I've come to like over the years that is easily accessible in the region I live in. As an alternative you can look at other online sex shops (Including Japanese ones for Onaholes and other products I'll mention later) or Amazon. If you are into it other sex toys would also easily fit in this category, like dildos and what not. Essentially with a bit of messing around you can enhance your experience while using VaM with sex toys. This will go from just better stimulation to full on sex simulation that I will go into further detail later.
Fleshlight Launch/robot strokers ($150-$250)
So I have used the Fleshight Launch to a decent extent as it was the first sort of robot stroker I owned. It is neat, but can be a bit of a pain to use. It has both a manual mode and a Bluetooth sync mode that can work well once you get it set up, but its movement is mediocre as it can only go up and down at a variety of speeds. Regardless, taking control out of your hands and handing it over to a well crafted VaM scene is quite a nice experience compared to doing it yourself. The original model with Bluetooth connectivity no longer seems to be manufactured, but you can look into other robot strokers that can sync up with buttplug.io through the VaMLaunch plugin. However if you are looking for a higher degree of motion with a greater set of enhancements I would look into the OSR2 that I will detail next.
OSR2 (Variable depending on what you have access to and what you build, and you will have to pay for the plans ($8) to get a full bill of materials. For me this was approximately $250 total, as I could print parts myself)
I built mine myself as I have access to a 3D printer, but you can potentially get someone else to make one for you for an additional price, or at least get all the 3D printer components printed for you. Basically almost everything about the Fleshlight Launch and other strokers is intensified with this open source stroker. It can handle multi-axis movement, suction, twisting, lubrication application, heating, and eventually even more in the future. However, I will admit that with the improved stimulation comes increased complexity that you will have to deal with when building or using it. The wider range of movement can make it a bit difficult to stay inserted, when compared to something more basic. Additionally, something the Fleshlight Launch and other robotic strokers have that the OSR2 does not is a wireless experience that is easy to move around. For example, if I want to use the OSR2 I have to mount it to my desk or a bit of plywood if I want to use it in a bed. This is a much more clunky experience compared to being able to pick up and move around in whatever orientation you need to be in order to more realistically mimic what is happening in your VaM scene. Ultimately this is a neat robot to build, use, and toy with, but ultimately depending on your patience you may not come to enjoy it to its fullest extant.
Fleshlight mounts/inserts ($100-$250)
So I have the Liberator: Top Dog and Liberator: On A Mission Fleshlight mounts. Essentially what these are are leather covered foam blocks with a cutout that is able to fit a Fleshlight. Alternatively you can look into getting something like the Meiki Plush Hip/Doll/EVO for a more full bodied experience, or just a sex doll all together. This, like the robot strokers I detailed above, will really allow you to experience the closest thing to a cyberpunk sex robot of the future. As robotics and material science have not yet advanced, as well as a general public market interest in sex robots, this is the closest thing you can get to a full on sex simulation. By taking advantage of VaM's plugins, scripting, VR, and motion capture of your movements, you will be able to get incredibly realistic experiences of whatever you might fantasize of. You likely can find a model of your fantasy video game/actress/original character, rip voice lines from videos or games, and then using VaM create a interactive and realistic experience far beyond anything else I know of. This is currently one of my favorite ways to interact with VaM. With something like the Top Dog mount you can get a similar experience by just stuffing your Fleshlight in between your mattress and bed frame, and the On A Mission mount can be mimic'd with a Fleshlight inserted into a wrapped up pillow or a shoe, but the mounts themselves are just better experiences overall. Again, you can also look at more anatomically correct mounts and sex dolls for a better experience.
Additionally, though I have not done this yet, I have tentative plans to try it. I might get a sex doll and enough Vive Trackers to mount onto it (Neck, arms, legs, hips, and maybe more to get full body capture). The end result when I get it all synced up would be a sex doll that I can move around in the real world, which would then in turn move the VaM model around. This would give me all the benefits of VR/VaM by being able to see a live model with audio, animations, and effects, while also being able to feel them in the real world. Because of the cost I have not yet gotten around to trying this though.
VR full body tracking ($300-$700)
Now you don't necessarily need something like the Vive tracking pucks to do a more immersive type of simulation. In my case, for example, I can get a pretty decent experience by just using a single tracker (Either a controller or Vive tracker on a belt attached to my hips) synced to a dildo or a male's hips in game and then a Fleshlight mounted in such a way that it aligns with the female VR model. Then using other plugins and what not I can then have the female model moan or otherwise animate in reaction to me thrusting the VR male's hips or dildo. This give a pretty compelling effect similar to what I detailed above.
Now getting more elaborate body tracking tech can let you more realistically interact with the VaM world, but its prime benefit would be creating your own VR mocaps. This way you can more easily create animations that appeal to you, as opposed to doing keyframe style animation manually. Personally my favorite scenes are those like CG Studio's dance/strip/sex sequences, as they are the closest thing to a VR strip club experience.
Ultraleap Leap Motion controller ($110) This is a super neat bit of tech, and its integration with VaM is excellent, but ultimately I do not find it to be a worthwhile investment unless you have money burning a hole in your pocket. Really it is a neat gimmick to fondle imaginary breasts or otherwise interact with a VR model, but the lack of haptics really sets it back in my mind. I've considering getting a doll or a paizuri style masturbator to give more realistic feeling to what I can see in VR, but ultimately it isn't that fantastic of an addition to my VaM experience.
