This week, David Hayward recalls the first time VR took off
Since the technology world is awaiting the arrival of the new generation of virtual reality systems, I thought we’d have a quick look back at the first time VR was launched to the public, with the Virtuality 1000-series gaming pods.
The 1000CS was the first time I’d ever used a VR unit, with its large and quite heavy headset visor and backpack, which saw you standing inside an enclosed ‘pod’. There was a large ring surrounding you, placed on the pod itself, which contained a magnetic tracking system that would follow the handheld ‘space joystick’ as you, the gamer, would move around the virtual environment.
It was quite an impressive piece of technology, which weighed around 120kg and cost roughly £30,000 when first released. The machine was powered by a customised Amiga 3000, which had been converted using early LCD technology. The unit was networkable, so you could hook up another 1000CS and play a selections of the games available in either co-op or versus mode.
The unit I got to play on was lovingly restored by Simon Marston and presented at the 2013 Revival event in Wolverhampton. We got to play on Dactyl Nightmare, in which you have to shoot other enemies with a grenade launcher, while occasionally avoiding or shooting the giant pterodactyl that swoops in over the game world. I actually managed to shoot it, by the way – the first person to do so in the entire Revival weekend! Not that I’m bragging; it’s just nice to actually beat a teenager in a computer game for once.
Its History
The Virtuality Group was formed by Dr Jonathan Waldren in 1985, experimenting with and eventually producing virtual reality headsets, graphics, trackers and the kit needed to interact with a virtual world.
By 1990, the company was releasing a collection of VR setups in arcades around the world. Starting with the 1000SU, SU for Stand Up, this Amiga-3000-based machine boasted a 68030 processor, 4MB of memory and a pair of TMS34082AGC-32 and TMS34020GBL-32 graphics cards. It cost around £25,000 when it first launched and looked like a futuristic hover vehicle.
The company then followed with the 1000CS, with more games, slightly better technology and a higher price. The 2000 came next, sometime in 1994, and was powered by the cheaper Intel 486 DX-33 processor, a massive 8MB of memory and a customised PIX1000 16MB graphics card. Again, the VR tracking technology was improved, only this time it was sold at a cheaper £10,000.
After that, the company was involved in various VR-based projects on a smaller scale. Sadly, though, the company was broken apart in 1997, and the various rights and technologies were sold off to different parties. However, if you’re lucky, you may come across an old Virtuality machine on eBay or at The Retro Computer Museum.
The Good
Proper VR in an enclosed headset and system, with some excellent games and superb controls.
The Bad
Extraordinarily expensive, difficult to get parts for and from what we’ve heard in the past, a little finicky to get running at times.
Conclusion
The next time you’re wearing a modern VR headset, remember those pioneers who tried the first time around to get VR to the masses. And spare a thought for those who keep the dream alive through their hard work and patience.
Did You Know?
• As well as Dactyl Nightmare, other games included Grid Busters, Ghost Train, Pac-Man and Missile Command.
• One of the company’s first products was the iGlasses, a VR headset with tracking built in.
• Forte Technologies’ VFX-1 VR headset was a direct competitor to Virtuality and a cheaper unit too at just £600.
• Philips bought some of the technology from Virtuality, which eventually became the Philips Scuba Visor.