Finally, a device that will let you smell anime

YouTube YouTube
Watch On

Sometimes at CES, you discover someone who's doing the Lord's work, providing answers to questions we've all had at some point in our lives such as: "Why are we here? Why do bad things happen to good people? How would this anime smell like?" Japan-based startup Aromajoin's mission is to answer the latter query with the AromaPlayer and the Aroma Shooter Wearable.

According to the company, the AromaPlayer is the "world's first scented video platform" that works in concert with Aromajoin's Aroma Shooter, an aroma diffuser that will shoot smells into your face to match what's on screen. Instead of liquids or gas, like a typical aroma diffuser, the Aroma Shooter uses "solid-state" cartridges which Aromajoin claims provide a better, longer smell. AromaPlayer lets you load a clip and engage different smells whenever appropriate for complete smell immersion. 

From the teaser, you can see a shot of the Aroma Shooter Wearable which I can only describe as a smell collar (or "stinky tech necklace" as our Katie Wickens described it). 

The wireless collar sucks in air which then "passes through the scent particles released from a cartridge" to create the scent which then is fired towards your nose. 

There are over 100 different smells to choose, ranging from "coffee" to "ocean," and judging from the clip it looks like you can equip at least six of them on the wearable.

Now, you'd think to showcase this advanced olfactory technology you'd show off clips of bouquets of flowers, or freshly baked cookies. Aromajoin took a different route. 

Virtual reality

(Image credit: Valve)

Best VR headset: which kit should you choose?
Best graphics card: you need serious GPU power for VR
Best gaming laptop: don't get tied to your desktop in VR

It decided to showcase the potential of the Aroma Shooter with borderline NSFW anime, including Cyberpunk Edgerunners. I don't really know what smells to associate with busty anime ladies, but if I had to guess, it'd be a combination of lilac, vanilla, and shame.

You can check out the trial version of the AromaPlayer right now, though of course you can only read about the smells without a smell-producing device. There are already tons of user-created smell clips featuring one of the Resident Evil 4 remake trailers, with smells like "wet earth" and "Spanish sage."

The company will be soon launching a crowd-funding campaign for the Aroma Shooter Wearable for VR/AR. You also can buy an Aroma Shooter 2 and six cartridges for $998 straight from the Aromajoin. Cartridges can also be bought separately for $54 a pop.

Jorge Jimenez
Hardware writer, Human Pop-Tart

Jorge is a hardware writer from the enchanted lands of New Jersey. When he's not filling the office with the smell of Pop-Tarts, he's reviewing all sorts of gaming hardware, from laptops with the latest mobile GPUs to gaming chairs with built-in back massagers. He's been covering games and tech for over ten years and has written for Dualshockers, WCCFtech, Tom's Guide, and a bunch of other places on the world wide web. 

Read more
Asus Fragrance mouse frozen in a block of ice on blue background near flower.
Asus' new 'Fragrance Mouse' can be filled with oil to make your desk less stinky, but there has to be a better way
An anime character imprisoned within the confines of the Code27 Character Livehouse.
Tiny anime girl cyberprison shown at CES
kingdom come: deliverance 2
Ugh! Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has a body-odour 'broadcasting' system where your stink can alert nearby NPCs
A mug with a trigger
New beverage technology unlocked: this gaming controller mug keeps your drink warm and has a trigger so you can sip and shoot at the same time
A robot having its face pulled off
If you're trying to convince me your 'companionship' robot is 'lifelike', maybe don't rip her face off in the demo video
A TV with immersive lighting showing a ghost from Phasmophobia on screen.
Terrifying horror nopefest Phasmophobia combined with immersive room lighting looks like an easy way to give yourself a chronic case of the brown trousers
Latest in VR Hardware
Varjo Aero
Varjo Aero VR headsets seem to be not working on RTX 5090s, and its community is opting for strange solutions while waiting for an Nvidia driver release to fix it
A still from a YouTube video showing The Swedish Maker cutting a piece of wood with power tools while wearing a Meta Quest 3 VR headset.
YouTuber The Swedish Maker wears a Meta Quest 3 VR headset for his entire woodworking project and miraculously emerges with all fingers intact
The HTC Vive XR Elite front three quarter angle
Google is bulk buying HTC Vive engineers to help Android XR become a platform that can rival Meta's VR/AR dominance
Meta Horizon OS on a box.
The upcoming Asus VR project is rumoured to have eye and face tracking, yet the thing I'm most excited about is its OS
An image of a Meta Quest 3S VR headset and two hand controllers against a teal background and a white border
Be the Batman in your bedroom with this Meta Quest 3S deal, saving $50 on the 256 GB model
Pimax Dream Air VR headset on a grey background
This upcoming Micro-OLED VR headset has absolutely everything and weighs less than 200 grams but of course it costs nearly 4x the Quest 3
Latest in News
Will Poulter holding a CD ROM
'What are most games about? Killing': Black Mirror Season 7 includes a follow-up to 2018 interactive film Bandersnatch
Casper Van Dien in Starship Troopers
Sony, which is making a Helldivers 2 movie, is also making a new Starship Troopers movie, but it's not based on the Starship Troopers movie we already have
Assassin's Creed meets PUBG
Ubisoft is reportedly talking to Tencent about creating a new business entity to manage Assassin's Creed and other big games
Resident Evil Village - Lady Dimitrescu
'It really truly changed my life in every possible way': Lady Dimitrescu actor says her Resident Evil Village role was just as transformative for her as it was for roughly half the internet in 2021
Storm trooper hero
Another live service shooter is getting shut down, this time before it even launched on Steam
Possibility Space concept art.
Possibility Space owners sue NetEase for $900 million over allegations it spread 'false and defamatory rumors' of fraud at the studio that ultimately forced it to close