Virtual Reality
What a world we could’ve lived in
Virtual Reality; the next big thing. It’s here to revolutionise gaming and immerse us in worlds and experiences we previously couldn't dream of being in. It’s the trendy technology that industry and consumer alike are chomping at the bit to play with (we at RetroFuzz certainly are). Facebook’s Oculus Rift, HTC’s Vive, Sony’s Morpheus, Google Cardboard; VR platforms with huge ambition from technology’s biggest and brightest.
But I’m not talking about any of those; I’m looking back at the fuss that surrounded VR in the early 90s.
That was the time when consumer-led VR first reared its expensive, nausea-inducing, visor-adorned head. Thrust into the public consciousness by a handful of industrious gaming and technology companies (sound familiar?), each of these attempts failed but — crucially — not for a lack of perseverance or creativity.
And that’s why I’d prefer to look back and not forward in this article. Oculus, Sony and the like are innovating at an alarming rate, having successfully learned from everyone else’s mistakes. The intrepid teams 20 years ago didn’t have that collective insight and I feel there’s much to be admired about how they embraced the unknown and dared to be brave (of course the allure of a pot of gold at the end of the VR rainbow probably factored in too). It’s an attitude that I think’s crucial in a creative agency to get the best from ourselves and the people we craft things for; a dash of foolhardiness and daring can often create something special. Or at least a weird-looking headset.
So come, let’s take a peek into the wonderful history of Virtual Reality and see what could’ve been.
Sega VR
No, you’re not looking at an early prototype of RoboCop. This is Sega’s vision of a VR headset.
Introduced at the 1993 Consumer Electronics Show, Sega VR never actually made it to the public as the project was soon cancelled. Devised as a peripheral to their hugely successful Mega Drive console, the device was technically impressive, featuring internal LCD screens and stereo headphones, and the ability to respond to the wearer’s head movements. Granted, it looks cheesy today, but 20 years ago it personified the cool, confident style of Sega rather well and it laid the seeds for what we’d see in devices such as the Oculus Rift today.
However it also reportedly offered a number of unintended features — one of which was attributed to the device’s cancellation:
- Fairly unresponsive games.
- Occasional motion sickness in players.
- A sense of immersion so realistic, it could potentially cause injury to children who played it.
One of those responses came from Sega. Can you guess which?
Virtuality
Two years prior to Sega’s ill-fated CES showing, Virtual Reality was already inhabiting video arcades thanks to Virtuality, a series of VR gaming machines. Apparently these were quite well received and offered a handful of fun, multiplayer games in stand-up and sit-down variants. It’s impressive that these went to market especially with a wallet-bursting $55,000 price tag, but that’s likely what stunted any further success. Virtual reality in the 90s was just too expensive a playground to creatively play in.
A few years later Virtuality would collaborate with Atari on its Jaguar VR headset, but much like Sega VR it would sadly never adorn a gamer’s head.
Virtual Boy
History’s most infamous attempt at VR came from the innovative gaming powerhouse that is Nintendo. Launching in 1995, the Virtual Boy was billed as the first portable games console to offer true 3D graphics (and the first ‘portable’ games console that required a stand to hold it in place).
Thanks to a huge marketing spend and the simple fact that the Nintendo logo was imprinted on it, I imagine anticipation for this thing was huge. But gamers were quick to criticise its lack of true ‘virtual reality’ — as it featured no head tracking — and its signature searing red display.
Crucially it just wasn’t comfortable to play, with some players apparently experiencing neck pain, nausea and headaches due to the display and its awkward viewing angle. Coupled with a steep, unattractive launch price the system just didn’t sell enough. Nintendo discontinued the platform less than a year later, before it even reached European shores.
The Virtual Boy is remarkable as to this day it’s still Nintendo’s only true commercial failure, but it’s also a product that epitomises the pioneering attitude of the company. Despite being the market leaders Nintendo didn’t play it safe; they took a huge risk in creating something that players had never seen before — and actually delivered it to them. Yes it failed, but I’m confident that this weird little device is the fork in the road that took Nintendo toward the path of further innovation and incredible success.
Ahead of its time
Be it price, headaches or un-fetching plastic headsets, Virtual Reality just wasn’t to be in the ‘90s. It truly was a concept that technology simply couldn’t deliver properly at the time. And it’s a shame, as reflecting back on these products and prototypes reveals an era unashamed to embrace the unusual and hungry to explore the impossible. If it wasn’t for this kind of brazen behaviour who knows what technological, creative treats we’d be missing out on today.
So be like 90s Nintendo; be bold, be brave, be a little bit reckless. Strap on that headset and take a risk.
Image credits:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Virtuality_marketing_page.jpg
http://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2014/11/the-sega-vr-headset-that-never-was/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd98RGxad0U
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Virtuality_Marketing_Page.jpg
http://tomodachi.wikia.com/wiki/Virtual_Boy
