VR-1

n/a

VR-1

System(s): Medium-scale attraction

Publisher: Sega

Developer: Sega AM3^[1], Sega AM5^[2]

Release

Date

RRP

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The VR-1 or Virtual Reality-1 is an interactive virtual reality motion simulator attraction developed by Sega AM3 and Sega AM5. Released in July 1994, it was frequently installed in the company’s flagship arcade venues such as Joypolis and SegaWorld.

The hardware is unrelated to the similarly-named Sega VR.

History

Development

The simulator’s Mega Visor Display, created by Sega AM3 alongside UK-based Virtuality, would see later use in 1995’s Sega Net Merc hardware.

Two games were released for the attraction, 1994's Space Mission and 1995's Planet Adventure,^[3] before it was later retired in favor of newer simulators.

Locations

VR-1 was first installed at Yokohama Joypolis, starring as one of the park’s feature attractions at it’s July 1994 opening.

No VR-1 units are known to remain in operation.

Preservation

After the subsequent downsizing and closures of the venues that housed it during the late 1990s and early 2000s, there remain no known locations where the attraction remains in operation, and both its games are additionally unpreserved.

Legacy

The VR-1, and specifically it’s Mega Visor Display, has been recognized as one of the most advanced head-mounted displays of its generation. It subsequently inspired the designs of several other examples, ensured Sega's reputation as an early virtual reality pioneer, and set a benchmark not thought to have been surpassed until the late 2010s.^[4]