Archives for March, 2010

Number 5 in PC World’s “Ugliest Products in Tech History” – VIRTUAL BOY

Nintendo’s 1995 Virtual Boy was a whole cartridge based game system inside a desktop-mounted-head stereoscopic immersive display. Designed by Gunpei Yokoi of Gameboy fame, and offered for $180 retail, the market was less than kind. It was withdrawn from the market in less than a year and now can still be found late in the [...] Related posts:

  1. Virtual Boy – Another Perspective…
  2. Take Flight in the Virtual World
  3. 10 Reasons Why Virtual Reality Did Not Become a Standard

0 Comments. Posted by Tone on Monday, March 29, 2010 at 4:50 pm.

Filed under 1995, Helmet, HMD, Nintendo, Reflection Technology, Virtual Boy.

AT&T Shows Us Somebody Else’s Future

This final segment from AT&T’s 1993 Vision of the Future isn’t too far from what’s happenin’ here in 2010, but 17 years later, AT&T is still not a player. Part1 and Part2 are almost as much fun. [Translate] Related posts:

  1. The City and the Stars – VR a Billion Years From Now!
  2. Regis Takes a Spin
  3. Liquid Image MRG2.2 Disassembly and Potential Upgrades

0 Comments. Posted by Tone on Sunday, March 14, 2010 at 6:14 pm.

Filed under 1993, AT&T, Helmet, HMD, TV.

Jaron Lanier Explains Why There’s Still Not A VR Bubble

Jaron walks us through all eleven reasons, from Gates Envy to Movie Projectors. Strangely enough I agree! The Top Eleven Reasons VR Has Not Yet Become Commonplace [Translate] Related posts:

  1. What to do with the Cable? – Dynamic Visions
  2. Myron Kruger Takes a Spin in the Flight Helmet
  3. Tearing Out the Guts of a Virtual Research VR-4 Helmet

0 Comments. Posted by Tone on Sunday, March 14, 2010 at 5:58 pm.

Filed under Jaron Lanier, VPL Research.

Siggraph ’92 Wrap

The media drops in on Siggraph ’92 in Chicago: Definitely a show that I outsmarted myself on. Had an exhibitor’s badge from a friend (thanks Marilyn!), and while touring the exhibits before opening I found a booth where the exhibitor had bailed… it was empty. Grabbed my PhotoVR computer gear and Flight Helmet out of [...] Related posts:

  1. Myron Kruger Takes a Spin in the Flight Helmet
  2. Nothing New Under the Sun!
  3. “Clearly In The Development Stage”

0 Comments. Posted by Tone on Sunday, March 14, 2010 at 5:41 pm.

Filed under 1992, CNN, Flight Helmet, Helmet, PhotoVR, Siggraph, StrayLight, Trade Show, TV, Virtual Research.

So Serious – 1980′s Virtual Reality from NASA

[Translate] Related posts:

  1. CAVE® – A Virtual Reality Theater – 1993
  2. 10 Reasons Why Virtual Reality Did Not Become a Standard
  3. Nothing New Under the Sun!

0 Comments. Posted by Tone on Saturday, March 13, 2010 at 3:09 pm.

Filed under 1980's, Helmet, HMD, NASA, Reality, Video, Virtual.

CAVE® – A Virtual Reality Theater – 1993

In 1991, EVL produced its first CAVE® (CAVE Automatic Virtual Environment) prototype, a two screen stereo projection system with single-user tracking and navigation. In late 1991 – early 1992, a 4 screen (3 walls/floor) CAVE® system – now including surround-sound – was completed and premiered at the annual SIGGRAPH Conference. This video provides an overview [...] Related posts:

  1. So Serious – 1980′s Virtual Reality from NASA
  2. 10 Reasons Why Virtual Reality Did Not Become a Standard
  3. Is VR the New Wasteland? (from 1993….)

5 Comments. Posted by Tone on Saturday, March 13, 2010 at 2:08 pm.

Filed under 1993, CAVE®, Reality, Theater, Virtual.

1995 Virtual IO I-Glasses

1995 Video of Virtual io’s I-Glasses. Virtual reality Head Mounted Display with headtracking. This was the first i-glasses version released and had much lower resolution than the i-glasses they sell today. Back in 1995 this was one of the first affordable home VR headsets along with the Victormaxx cybermaxx and the fortevr VFX-1. The small [...] Related posts:

  1. How To Buy LCDs (in 1995)
  2. 10 Reasons Why Virtual Reality Did Not Become a Standard
  3. Virtual Boy – Another Perspective…

0 Comments. Posted by Tone on Monday, March 8, 2010 at 3:40 am.

Filed under 1995, IGlasses, Virtual, Virtual IO.

Tearing Out the Guts of a Virtual Research VR-4 Helmet

Last week I shredded a Liquid Image MRG2.2. This week we go for the classic Virtual Research VR-4 stereoscopic head mounted display. There’s a lot to love about the VR-4: wide field of view optics, adjustable interpupilary distance, coated aspheric lenses, excellent fit to different heads, and provision for eyeglasses. The optics are timeless; used [...] Related posts:

  1. Myron Kruger Takes a Spin in the Flight Helmet
  2. Nothing New Under the Sun!
  3. Take Flight in the Virtual World

2 Comments. Posted by Tone on Thursday, March 4, 2010 at 6:07 pm.

Filed under Helmet, HMD, Virtual Research, VR-4.

Navi Sex In The Lawnmower Man?

Anyone else see the resemblance between this 18 year old Lawnmower Man copulating couple and their doppelgangers in Avatar? [Translate] No related posts.

0 Comments. Posted by Tone on Monday, March 1, 2010 at 12:59 pm.

Filed under Avatar, Cybersex, Lawnmower, Lawnmower Man, Navi, scene.