Mega Visor Display

Mega Visor Display
Manufacturer: Sega AM3, Virtuality

The Mega Visor Display (メガバイザーディスプレイ), commonly abbreviated to MVD, is a virtual reality headset developed by Sega AM3 and Virtuality. Used in the Sega theme park attraction VR-1 and the arcade game Sega Net Merc, it has been recognized as one of the most advanced headsets of the 1990s, and one of the company’s most successful forays into virtual reality.

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

Hardware

The Mega Visor Display was primarily designed for use in Sega's high-end simulation equipment deployed in entertainment centres, amusement arcades, and indoor theme parks, such as the Joypolis venues, providing much of the basis for the futuristic themes the company intended to push in them.

History

Development

Since its formation in 1985, UK-based development company Virtuality Group had been exploring the commercial use of virtual reality, and had already seen a great deal of success with its 1000CS and 1000SD systems in the early 1990s. Though the games were often primitive, Virtuality machines were an enticing prospect for arcade venues, and were generally well received by the general public, who until this point had largely been unaware of the concept. The company was one of the driving forces behind the early 90s VR craze, likely even inspiring Sega of America's own VR attempt with the failed Sega VR in 1993.

However, despite acceptance from the public at the time, the 1000 series was restricted by its technology, being powered by Amiga 3000 computers and running, on average, at about 20FPS with a low screen resolution. While the 1000 series was able to convey a virtual world, the world was small, consisting of flat shaded polygons and simple geometry. The 2000 series was able to address some of these concerns by switching to Intel 486 IBM PC compatibles in 1994 (followed by the lesser-known Pentium-based 3000 series). Additionally, earlier head mounted displays used were not ergonomically ideal, causing neck strain and raising hygiene concerns.

Meanwhile, Sega, at the forefront of advancements in consumer technology used for video games and arcade machines, were interested in the possibilities of VR. Experiences utilising it were intended to be a key aspect used in attractions for the indoor theme parks the company planned to create and roll out across the world, as part of wider aspirations to become a rival to Disney. While Sega of America embarked on creating the Sega VR project for the Sega Mega Drive, Sega of Japan sought outside help, and by 1993 had entered an extensive agreement with Virtuality to collaborate on future projects intended for the company's entertainment venues.

Development was undertaken in Sega AM3's offices, with two programmers (Andy Reece and Stephen Northcott, a former programmer at Incentive Software) and two artists from Virtuality in the UK collaborating with the likes of Masao Yoshimoto, in charge of development on the headset, and Shingo Yasumaru. The two parties shared patented technology, unique displays, and optics designs, working towards the creation of a headset that would outclass all other examples up to that point of time, both ergonomically and technologically, and be used efficiently in theme park attractions and coin-operated arcade machines.

After several early iterations, some of which based on the advanced Visette headset, the Mega Visor Display was created, representing the culmination of years of research and development in perfecting the design of head mounted displays.

Release

The Mega Visor Display became publicly available for the first time in the VR-1 attraction designed by Sega AM5, debuting at Yokohama Joypolis, the first Joypolis indoor theme park, on its opening day in July 1994. Initially running the on rails shooter Space Mission, VR-1 combined the headset with eight-seater pods fixed to hydraulic motion bases, originally pioneered by AM5 in earlier motion simulation attractions like the AS-1, for full immersion. The attraction became one of the well-received aspects of the park, utilising the most advanced technology that could be found within it.

In the years that followed, copies were manufactured and deployed at several other indoor theme park venues opened by Sega under the Amusement Theme Park concept in Japan, as well as the overseas SegaWorld London and Sega World Sydney. One software update, 1995's Planet Adventure, was developed before the attraction was phased out, with it often either removed and replaced or disappearing with the venues themselves - several were closed permanently in the late 1990s and early 2000s, leading to the eventual collapse of the Amusement Theme Park concept.

The headset saw further use with the 1994 showcasing and 1995 release of the Sega Net Merc coin-operated arcade machine, running Dennou Senki Net Merc, originally entitled TecWar, on Sega Model 1 hardware. Already showing their age, the graphics produced by the Model 1 were far outclassed and compared unfavourably to the capabilities of its successor, the Sega Model 2; this is thought to have been one of the reasons for the swift discontinuation of the Net Merc project, with only 70 machines produced and one game developed for it. Sega and Virtuality are not thought to have collaborated on any work since.

Legacy

Though sometimes criticised for the still-rudimentary graphics it outputted and retrospectively confused with the separate Sega VR project, the Mega Visor Display has been acknowledged as one of the most advanced head mounted displays of its generation, and is not thought to have been truly surpassed in performance until the late 2010s. The design of the headset eliminated major problems associated with earlier iterations, including ergonomics and comfortability, and was the end result of extensive research and development undertaken by both Virtuality and Sega.

The Mega Visor Display was subsequently adopted for use in the designs of the Virtuaroids of the Virtual-On series, with the original game, Cyber Troopers Virtual-On, rumoured to have utilised them in early stages of development.

In the 2012 announcement of the Oculus Rift, the Mega Visor Display was cited as an influence in the upcoming headset’s design.

Preservation

In spite of its significant achievements, few Mega Visor Display headsets are thought to remain in existence today, with no VR-1 attractions still in operation, and a likely small number of Sega Net Merc machines preserved. Consequently, all three games compatible with it are also unpreserved. At least one headset is kept by Sega, as well as a promotional booklet detailing the development of the VR-1 attraction.

Supported games

• Space Mission (1994)
• Planet Adventure (1995)
• Dennou Senki Net Merc (1995)