MO SADEK
Staff Writer
In the past two years, tech news outlets and game tastemakers have raved about the coming of the Oculus Rift, a virtual reality headset that would allow gamers to take part in their games from the inside. Then came Playstation’s Project Morpheus, a VR experience that would take place exclusively on the Playstation 4. Most recently, Valve and HTC have joined the battle with the HTC Vive, a VR headset that detects objects in the surrounding environment, allowing players to actually walk around their games in the real world.
The landscape around the field of video games is rapidly evolving. Within the past decade, gamers have witnessed polygons and pixels transformed into hyper-realistic images in high definition quality and the creation of new consoles that dwarfed their predecessors. Despite these large strides gaming has taken, players are still ultimately unsatisfied by the ability of video games to create immersion, or a person’s ability to be completely emerged in a game. Developers have attempted to remedy this dilemma by creating more in-depth worlds, using innovative gameplay mechanics and clever stories to engage players and capture their attention, but full immersion was never something that could be achieved with the level of technology available to developers.
It doesn’t mean they didn’t try.
With all great inventions came even greater failures, and in the field of virtual reality, saying these attempts were failures would be a severe understatement.
Power Glove-1989
From consoles with two screens to intuitive motion controls, Nintendo has created a name for itself as a bold company that looks to create change in the industry. Of course, you don’t get to the top without failing a few times.
Nintendo’s Power Glove was meant to be a device that would provide players with unprecedented control over their games by using their hand as the controller. Through a variety of finger motions and hand movements, players would be able to perform various actions in their game, allowing them to become a part of the game. In theory, the Power Glove would have been a game changer for the industry; however, its many flaws and uncomfortable user experience made the product difficult to use.
Virtual Boy-1995
Its failure with the Power Glove wouldn’t stop Nintendo from going on. Coming off of a high from the worldwide success of the Game Boy in 1989, Nintendo decided to try its hand in the VR market again with the Virtual Boy.
The Virtual Boy was anticipated to be the most immersive gaming experience of the time and was treated as such. The console consisted of two parts, the headgear and a controller. Players would put on the head gear that presented games using two mirrors and various red LED lights to create the facade of dimension, giving games depth.
Being a new concept, Nintendo had to find a way to introduce the world to its revolutionary invention to ease the transition from traditional gaming to VR, so they rented out the console for a low price. However, this proved to be a great way to show the world that VR wasn’t that impressive. The experience was made awkward by the stand used to support the console, and, despite using powerful hardware, the Virtual Boy was unable to compete with the same quality of games that competitors like the Playstation were able to produce. Rather than make a purchase, consumers would return the console disappointed and unsatisfied.
VFX-1 and 90s Headwear
Nintendo’s Virtual Boy wasn’t the only attempt at VR headwear during the 90s. Many companies began developing similar headsets that advertised immersive qualities and high performance. For the most part, these headsets were for military use, as they would provide simulation training for soldiers. However, the technology was eventually leaked out into the consumer market. One of the first headsets produced for consumer use was the VFX-
1.
The headset was not a complete flop, but it was far from a success. The device could track head motions and even worked natively with some applications. On the other hand, it wasn’t very consumer friendly. To use the headset, you had to have a certain level of technical prowess, as they required specific drivers, or special software packages, to help to computer recognize the device. In addition to that, the controls were a little strange to deal with. Users were provided with a small, circular controller with three buttons. The controller could be tilted and rotated to move and look around the environment while the three buttons could simulate different mouse actions. Since some games were not compatible with this control scheme, many people had to reconfigure games to work with the headset, which was a hassle. Despite its downsides, the VFX-1 was able to provide a minimal VR experience for the technology available at the time — and that’s not saying much.
As Sir Isaac Newton once said, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on ye shoulders of giants.” Similarly, virtual reality wouldn’t be where it is today without the monumental failures and mishaps of gaming past.