Mark Zuckerberg Rejects Joe Rogan’s Major VR Gaming Proposal

Joe Rogan recently put forth an intriguing VR gaming proposition to Mark Zuckerberg during their engaging podcast discussion. However, Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, ultimately dismissed Rogan’s idea for an important reason.

On January 10, Zuckerberg made an unexpected guest appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, where they delved into Meta’s new policies on free speech and touched on various other topics.

As the conversation shifted towards virtual reality gaming, Rogan revealed his growing obsession with the zombie-themed game, Deadwood Mansion. He then posed a thought-provoking question: “How long before you guys develop some sort of a haptic feedback suit that covers the whole body? Is that possible?”

Assessing the Feasibility of a Full-Body Haptic Suit

Zuckerberg responded positively, indicating the concept is technically achievable; however, he emphasized that there are more pressing priorities to focus on. He identified significant challenges associated with creating such a suit, which contributed to his skepticism about its practicality.

According to Zuckerberg, the primary goal of current VR technology is to enhance the player’s sense of presence in a virtual environment. Yet, he noted that no existing technology can satisfactorily replicate the feeling of physically engaging with another individual.

In discussing the haptic suit’s functionality, Zuckerberg indicated that while it could be effective in certain gaming scenarios—specifically, in boxing or kickboxing games where players receive non-lethal impacts—its limitations remain significant. He stated, “You can probably simulate something like that a little. It’s not going to be able to deliver that much force, so I mean I guess that’s maybe a good thing because no one wants to get punched in the stomach that hard. But it’s not going to be able to deliver enough force.”

Additionally, he commented on the challenges of single-player VR experiences with a haptic suit, clarifying that “there’s not going to be anything that you can do as a single person playing VR with a haptic suit that like makes it so that you’re going to be able to kick someone who’s not there physically and actually be able to do that.”

While Zuckerberg is a strong advocate for the Meta Quest 3, he mentioned that more complex interactions, such as jiu-jitsu, would take considerably longer to develop in the VR space due to the necessary physical momentum involved.

On a positive note, he did highlight potential applications for haptic suits in scenarios like simulated impacts from gunshots or sword fighting, suggesting there could be promising developments in these areas.

Mark Zuckerberg and Joe Rogan on the Joe Rogan Experience — Instagram/joerogan

Zuckerberg further envisioned a future where immersive VR experiences could be achieved through specialized environments, almost akin to theme parks. He elaborated on this concept, stating, “You can like just feel it on your body, but I don’t know. I think what’s basically going to end up happening is you’re going to have like a home setup for these things and then you’re going to have these location-based services where it’s almost like a theme park.”

However, he clarified that simply donning a vest for haptic feedback wouldn’t suffice; the surrounding environment would need to incorporate multimedia elements like smoke and sound to create a truly immersive experience. “I think that it still is going to be a while before you can just create all those sensations, so I think a lot of those really rich experiences are going to be in these very constructed environments,” Zuckerberg concluded.

While Rogan’s enthusiastic vision for advanced zombie apocalypse games may not have received the endorsement he hoped for, it’s clear that he is energized by the future possibilities for enhancing gaming realism.

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