Also, it may cost money or rep to use a vat and other costs and expanses. But you do not need help with the implant. Sure it is slower, but if you have such a thing then you plan to do it more then once and so in the end it is far, far cheaper.

@ OP You do seem to be correct. With a healing vat, you can change your gender far quicker than what you could do with a sex switch suite. However, the drawback to using a healing vats are, unless you somehow own it or can control it, you may run into problems of availability and rent. Chances are, such cosmetic changes would be considered a lower priority than those who are suffering injury or are at risk of dying. Likewise, the people who control the said vat might not like you, or don't like the idea of people switching their genders. As for rent, the core rule book doesn't seem to list prices. The sex switch suite however is always with you and requires no rent. If you feel the need to change genders, for any reason, you may do so.

Ok, thanks. Having gender changes cost 250 credits sounds reasonable. Doing a quick comparison to the cosmetic mods section (p. 309), the cost of body sculpting is the same. However, if you change gender frequently, you may wish to invest in a gender switch suite. Its cost is [moderate] or 1000 credits on average. If you plan on changing genders more than 4 times, the gender switch suite would be the cost efficient solution, having paid for itself on the 4th use.

Geonis wrote:

Now that I have seen this, I agree, the 1 week time makes it a terrible alternative to a healing vat. I would also assume renting a healing vat would be about 250 from that as well. Taking a week what a level 2 favor, or 250 credits, can handle in 12 hours, I believe it is an oversight.

But you also have to take that into context. What is really more valuable: one sex change for 250 credits (give or take), or an infinite number of sex changes for 1000 credits (again, give or take). Sure, the week waiting time is a bit much, but you'll make your money back in 5 gender shifts. The latter is definitely more economical, even if it takes 14 times as long to finish. Then, there's the availability of a healing vat. What if the region your in doesn't have any? What if the only real options are traditional surgical methods? The sex switch goes wherever your body goes, and can be used whenever you like. The waiting time is a miniscule cost when that's all factored in.

Lorsa wrote:

It's not really a miniscule waiting time if you are in the sex trade business. Although I actually don't know what they are being paid, loosing a week's work doesn't seem all that good. So my point is probably this; the usefulness for a pleasure pod having a sex switch seems very tiny. Assuming there already are plenty availible in all different configurations taking one out for a week seems not like something you do very often. And if you notice your demand is much higher for one than the other do you really want to wait a full week? Maybe I shouldn't think too much about it - it's not like it's going to affect (m)any story(ies). I just found it rather odd that something that is meant to be useful for a sex worker doesn't quite seem to be.

I don't imagine many sex workers change their gender very often. A pleasure pod brothel likely makes sure that they have a proper ratio of male, female, hermaphrodite and neuter pods at any given time based on their usual clientèle demands. Pleasure pods probably only switch genders in such a business when that ratio needs to change; so for instance, if a brothel notices that male pleasure pods become more popular during the summer months, they might start sex-switching some of those pods early on in June, to prep for the coming surge of tourists looking for dude-love. And to be honest, even a 12-hour sex change isn't that handy for sex workers. Really put that into context. Imagine someone going into a brothel with this exchange happening: Brothel Worker: "Hey, welcome to Madame Sexy's House o' Hos! How may I help you?" Customer: "Yeah, I'd like a night with your finest woman." Brothel Worker: "Sure thing. Sit here, I'll be back in a bit." Customer: ಠ_ಠ (waits 5 minutes, then leaves) (brothel worker returns 12 hours later) Brothel Worker: "Where'd he go?" The most likely people who would want the sex switch implant would be people with a flexible sense of gender identity. Someone who enjoys being able to experience being a man, woman, both or neither… and wants to experience them all in the same body. Maybe they want to go hermaphro- and impregnate themselves. Maybe they want to get rid of their genitals and troll people that think they're hot (now that I mention it, I kinda want to do that). Whatever the case, there will be people out there that aren't satisfied with being stuck in one gender all the time, and the sex switch implant caters to their needs in a convenient manner.

Lorsa wrote:

"Are you a bi- or even multi-sexual? By a sex switch implant for your mate! Now complete with remote control access for YOUR benefit!" And thanks, I guess that makes a lot of sense. Now the question is, how much change does a sex switch really impact on your body? Will you have rather feminine-like people with male genitalia or does it also alter your general appearance? How much alike will a body look after such a simple thing as using a sex switch?

For the cost and time involved, I imagine it's fairly extreme. It probably doesn't change bone structure too much, though, requiring those wanting to 'pass' as either gender to get morphs with fairly androgynous frames.

Decivre wrote:

Eh, I don't think it requires an androgynous frame, you'll just have to accept that you either look like a futanari or an extremely butch woman. That might be in the taste of the person that gets the implant.

I said to pass reliably as either gender. Being an extremely butch woman in Eclipse Phase isn't a matter of circumstance so much as a statement, and will stand out in most places.