Sega VR
From Sega Retro
Sega VR |
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Manufacturer: Sega |
Sega VR is an unreleased Sega Mega Drive virtual reality peripheral developed by Sega. Announced in 1991, it languished in development for years, and was quietly cancelled around late 1994.[1]
The hardware is unrelated to the similarly-named VR-1.
Contents
Hardware
Sega VR is a Sega Mega Drive peripheral based on an IDEO virtual reality headset with LCD screens in the visor. Inertial sensors allowed the headset to track and react to head movements - one of the first headsets to do so. Unlike other headsets of the time, the Sega VR was designed to be lightweight, and not hurt after prolonged wear.
The inertial sensors monitors head movements at a rate of 100 Hz (100 times per second). This ensures that visuals update rapidly and in sync with the player's head movements. It also uses stereoscopic 3D technology to add three-dimensional depth to the visuals, and built-in stereo headphones to further enhance the virtual-reality experience.[2]
History
Sega VR was featured in the 1995 movie Clockers (with a fictional game called "Gangsta"), and can be seen in a 1992 American Alpha-Bits cereal commercial.
Development
After a decade of rapid growth and development, the early 1990s saw computer graphics reach a stage in which large numbers of 3D polygons could be rendered on a screen in real-time. As these 3D "virtual worlds" expanded, so did the desire to create technology which could experience engaging with them first hand; so-called "virtual reality". While the term can be dated back to 1958, prior attempts at inserting the user into a virtual world were purely mechanical and far more primitive.
From a early 90s video game perspective, virtual reality was seen by many as the next step forward following the move into 3D graphics and gameplay, however numerous economical factors slowed the process, namely the equipment to render a believable 3D scene was very expensive, and means to interact with the virtual world had not yet been explored. As research and development costs rose, the virtual reality bubble burst, and the companies which invested were forced to cut their losses.
In the end, virtual reality in the home was considered unfeasible, and it would be the best part of two decades before another meaningful push in this area was made.
Both Sega and rivals Nintendo had dabbled in various forms of very basic virtual reality during the late 1980s and early 90s - the Sega Master System's 3D Glasses and the Nintendo Entertainment System's Power Glove showed promise, but ultimately failed to capture the public's imagination.
Sega VR was revealed to the public at Summer CES 1993 with a proposed price tag of around $200[3] (£130). It was originally scheduled to launch in December 1993, followed by a UK launch in 1994.[4] Four games were supposedly in development for the system, each using 16Mb cartridges that were to be bundled with the headset: Nuclear Rush, Iron Hammer, Matrix Runner and Outlaw Racing. Reports also suggest a port of the hit arcade racer Virtua Racing was also planned for the system.[5]
But the Summer CES showing was very low key, with screenings of a "ropey" prototype only occuring behind closed doors.[6] UK journalists were turned away as the system was not set for release in that region until at least the fourth quarter of 1994[6], however as it transpired, the US release would miss its Christmas 1993 launch window and be delayed until to August 1994[7].
Reportedly Sega had issues converting the device to work on PAL machines[8], so the assumption was always that European and Australian releases would arrive some time after its US debut.
The Independent on Sunday reported in 1993 that Sega's VR project could cause eye damage, which caught the attention of Sega's lawyers. The newspaper issued an apology on 3rd October, as the Sega VR was still in a prototype stage and not available on the market.[9] There have also been reports of testers developing headaches and motion sickness. Mark Pesce (the technology used in Sega VR is based on a Patent, which was licensed to Sega, for a Sourceless Orientation Sensor[10] invented by Ono-Sendai Corporation, a first-generation virtual reality startup, founded in 1991 by Mark Pesce, with the aim to create inexpensive, home-based networked VR systems, which back then could cost over a quarter million dollars[11]), who worked on the Sega VR project, claimed the Stanford Research Institute warned Sega of the 'hazards' of prolonged use.[12]
After its initial buzz, the Sega VR system was pulled from the schedules in 1994 and has not been seen since. Sega has claimed the project was stopped because, as the VR was so "real", users would try to move while wearing the headset and injure themselves, however the limited processing power of the system makes this claim less likely. In an October 1994 interview with Tom Kalinske, it was claimed a VR headset was still in the works, but that the Sega VR shown at Summer CES "didn't deliver the VR experience"[13]. Sega of America were confident they would be able to produce something for less than $225 USD for the Sega 32X or Sega Saturn[13], but neither materialised (though by late 1996 the company was still suggesting a VR headset was in development, just that "it may be a long way off"[14]).
Legacy
At around the same time, Sega of Japan collaborated with United Kingdom-based Virtuality on the critically acclaimed Mega Visor Display, used in the advanced VR-1 attraction at Sega's indoor theme park venues during the mid 1990s.[15]
A similar virtual reality perhipheral for the Sega Saturn was reported on and mentioned, but never seen physically.
Patents
Videos
Sega VR at 1993 CES
Alan Hunter Press Conference
Alpha-Bits and Sega VR
Photo gallery
Magazine articles
- Main article: Sega VR/Magazine articles.
Interviews
External Links
- Sega VR: Great Idea or Wishful Thinking? article by Ken Horowitz of Sega-16
References
- ↑ http://sega-16.com/feature_page.php?id=5&title=Sega%20VR%3A%20Great%20Idea%20or%20Wishful%20Thinking%3F (Wayback Machine: 2010-01-14 19:13)
- ↑ Sega Visions, "August/September 1993" (US; 1993-xx-xx), page 94
- ↑ Sega Force Mega, "August 1993" (UK; 1993-06-24), page 6
- ↑ Computer & Video Games, "August 1993" (UK; 1993-07-15), page 15
- ↑ File:EGM US PreviewGuide 1993.pdf, page 5
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Sega Force Mega, "September 1993" (UK; 1993-07-22), page 9
- ↑ Sega Magazine, "March 1994" (UK; 1994-02-15), page 11
- ↑ Megazone, "November 1993" (AU; 1993-11-03), page 11
- ↑ Edge, "December 1993" (UK; 1993-10-28), page 13
- ↑ File:Patent US5526022.pdf, page 1
- ↑ https://medium.com/ghvr/tc-shanghai-2016-8ad6c097262d
- ↑ http://www.audioholics.com/news/editorials/warning-3d-video-hazardous-to-your-health
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Electronic Gaming Monthly, "December 1994" (US; 1994-xx-xx), page 193
- ↑ GamePro, "November 1996" (US; 1996-xx-xx), page 24
- ↑ https://www.vrfocus.com/2020/07/the-virtual-arena-blast-from-the-past-the-vr-1/
Sega VR | |
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Topics | Technical specifications | Magazine articles | Promotional material | Ono-Sendai Corporation |
Games | Iron Hammer | Matrix Runner | Nuclear Rush | Outlaw Racing |