Chris M
It’s looking like 2021 is going to be the year of the virtual companion.
You may recall, earlier in the year, we told you about Hybri, a ‘sexually capable’ and fully personalized AI companion, which exists in VR, either on your phone or a headset.
The app is still in pre-launch stealth mode, but we’re already beginning to see new features being added that could make this something really special.
At the more banal level, there’s now access to the weather forecast. Not very sexy, but kinda useful.
The more interesting addition is a ‘time machine’ feature, which can use your photos and videos to immerse you and your virtual pal in moments in your history. It sounds a bit corny, and it probably is, but we’re here for this idea, purely because it has all the hallmarks of an early blueprint for the future of VR, the way that science fiction has been imagining it for years.
Also on the way is an Anime edition of Hybri, which will allow you to create your dream animated companion. Hybri says “the progress is going very well. A lot of demand arrived from you guys, we are delivering”.
Hybri is still being a little coy about a launch date, but we’d suspect that the second half of 2021 seems likely. The Kickstarter is deliverable by August, and crowdfunders usually take a bit longer than planned. The team has confirmed, however, that the plan is to release the app for PC, HTC Vive, Oculus Quest, Nreal and Magic Leap.
We’re hoping that won’t all be on day one, because developing for all those different platforms is going to inevitably run into some problems, which could put back the launch for everyone.
READ MORE: Hybri is a mainstream holographic companion that also knows over 50 sexual poses
