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Video game play gets frisky at CES gadget gala / Photo: Ian Maule - AFP
Video game play gets frisky at CES gadget gala
Video game play met romantic intimacy in a corner of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) on Thursday -- but it hasn't always been smooth sailing for sex toys at the Las Vegas gadget extravaganza.
In 2019, CES was marred in controversy after stripping an award from a sex toy called the Ose personal massager for being "immoral," "obscene" and "profane."
After an uproar, the award was restored and a year later, sex technology was on full display.
This year, US-based Motorbunny unveiled a "Fluffer" app designed to help video game fanatics and their romantic partners get satisfaction.
The software wirelessly syncs video game play with the controls of any Bluetooth-enabled sex toy -- on the CES show floor, that was a saddle-style vibrator -- so both the player and partner can have fun.
"There's a multitasking generation and you want to accomplish as much personal pleasure however you can," said Craig Mewbourne of Motorbunny.
"There's a big Venn diagram between the serotonin, dopamine and endorphins that happen in gaming and when you are engaging in intimacy."
Motorbunny social media master Katie Whitt played a car racing game on a PlayStation 5 console at the company's booth, the rumbling of an adjacent saddle accelerating or decelerating, keeping up with the on-screen action.
"My boyfriend's a gamer; I'm more of a rider," Whitt said with a smile.
"We've had many fights about him being on the PlayStation till five in the morning; this definitely could have saved us a few arguments."
Whitt quipped that she might start encouraging her boyfriend to push on to more challenging video game levels.
Fluffer is a universal app for syncing game controllers with Bluetooth-enabled toys, whether small or saddle-sized, according to Mewbourne.
"There are pretty strong implications for Twitch streamers," Mewbourne said, referring to a popular online venue for streaming live video game play.
"Your audience can be a lot more connected to the gaming experience."
It took Motorbunny a couple of years of petitioning to get onto the CES show floor, and limits were set when it came to displaying saddle attachments, according to the company.
"The reception by attendees has been amazing," Mewbourne said.
"People here are serious about understanding the technology behind it and not walking around to gawk."
T.Murray--SMC
