VirtuaDyne made half a billion on their Virtual Dating platform inits first six months on the market, in turn, the arcades, like Jason’s, that purchased the machines, made a lot of money renting access by the half hour.

Interest, and in turn, business, however, was starting to taper off. It had been over three months since I had gone on a Virtual Date. After the novelty wore off, I quickly grew bored of the 2D dates in the 3D world.

“When do you think the upgrades to the Virtual Date system will arrive?” I asked excitedly. Despite how quickly I grew bored with the Virtual Date system, I was happy to give it another chance.

“A tech from 'dyne is supposed to be here Monday to change out the hardware and update the software.” Jason said as he reached below the counter and brought out a box. “Here, I got these in yesterday.”

The box he handed me, a little bigger than a deck of cards emblazoned with the VirtualDate logo, and the words “DateStore” along the bottom. On one side it had a regular USB plug, to hook it up to a computer. The other had a strange connector that would presumably match up to a socket on the VDate system.

“Awesome. I downloaded the date development kit and started designing my perfect woman when they released it a week ago. They have a lot more options and ways to customize her AI.”

The waiting was even worse than the first time around. It was like waiting for Christmas when I was a kid. I spent most of Saturday fine tuning the options on my virtual girl. They claimed that the update would not only give virtual companions persistence between sessions, but would give them the ability to learn. They also included a never-ending questionnaire that made it to where your virtual companion knew stuff about you. The more time you spent answering questions, the better he or she knew you. It was a lot like those surveys you filled out on dating sites so they could find you the “perfect” match or your money back.

A little after two on Monday, I received a message from Jason. All it said was “They're done.”

I made sure the latest changes I made to my virtual companion were saved to the DateStore, before heading for the arcade.

“As usual, you get to be first to try it out. Let me know what you think.” Jason shakes his head. For an arcade owner, he never really took to the VR experience.

“Will do. Thanks man.”

I headed for the rooms in the back. Not much bigger than an office cubical, with a comfortable lounge chair, and the VR console. For privacy, there was a sliding door.

The VR console changed since the upgrade. For one, there was now a port for the DateStore. They also did away with the bathing cap. Now you just put on what looks like a visor. It had contacts over each temple.

The other change was the addition of ear bud speakers. One of the biggest complaints for the first generation system was the sound. It turns out that outside sounds were intruding in peoples sessions.

After plugging my DateStore into the console, I laid back and put the visor on.

There was the familiar countdown, followed by the customary “Enjoy your experience.”

The first change about the experience is it no longer booted directly to your experience. You started out in what was referred to as the lobby. Think of it like the place your order counter at a fast food place.

Since I had a DateStore plugged in, it loaded my virtual companion. She wouldn't have looked out of place on any college campus. 5'8” tall, 160lbs, red shoulder length hair, green eyes, and glasses. She was wearing a knee length black skirt, with black stockings and a dark green sleeveless top that accentuated her curves.

If I didn't have a DS, it would have taken me through the companion selection process. In the air next to my companion, it displayed her information. Everything from her name and age (Emily, 25), to her physical characteristics.

Here, I could change what she was wearing, make modifications to her physical appearance, or make adjustments to her personality. I could also plan a date scenario, if I didn't already have one planned. The best thing about the VR system is, everything was at the speed of thought. I didn't have to spend hours changing things to my liking. If I wanted her change her looks, I would just tell the computer the modify appearance or clothing, and then think about what I wanted her to look like or wear.

Since I was happy with her as she was, I gave the computer the mental command to begin the program. Instantly, the scenery changed. The lobby disappeared, and was replaced by a park next to a lake. Emily was still there, it took a moment for the computer to load her personality. Then, with a visible shudder, she came to life.

“Hi David! So this is what you wanted to show me?” She asked with a smile.

“Sure is Em. I thought you might like the scenery.” I gathered her into my arms and kissed her passionately.

We spent the next hour walking along the park trails, hand in hand. We talked about everything from current events to philosophy to favorite authors and books. If I hadn't been looking for flaws in her AI, it would have been easy to convince myself that she was real.

As tends to happen when I'm enjoying something, it was over all too soon. I gave Emily another passionate kiss, before telling the computer to end the experience.

Coming out of a VR session used to be disconcerting. The common reactions were feeling like something was missing, and a continuous shudder. Now it was more like waking up from a nap.

After sitting up and removing the headset, I had to wait for a moment for my session to save before I could eject the DateStore.

“How was it?” Jason asked as I came out of the cave.

“Amazing. She was a lot more lifelike than the old companions. Her AI is impressive, we talked about current events and books. I still couldn't get past first base though. Someone at VirtuaDyne is a prude.”