Why didnt "virtual reality" make it big?

[wildojinx]

Does anyone remember the virtual reality craze of the mid-90s, when VR was going to be the next big thing for video games and mass media for that matter? They even did an episode of Batman: The Animated Series about it. Anyone know why it never really took off? My theory is that the virtual boy (the first mass-marketed VR system essentially) was such a failure that they decided not to pursue something that would be so expensive if the first attempt was DOA.

[Paul]

It was too gimmicky and limiting in the game play options.

[Jay Peas 42]

Because it was pretty expensive. VB was just an attempt to lower it to the consumer market. Now, it did take. Online Chat Rooms, MMRPGs, the Sims, The Matrix and the Wii are pretty much proof of that. It's just evolved beyond Googles and gloves.

[DiBiase is Good]

Honestly, because it pretty much sucked. The only good stuff was too expensive.

[bamblink]

its cost to much money

[Jason Todd Grisham]

It was nothing like this:

[Paul]

I blame Lawnmower Man 2.

[Cranjis McBasketball]

Because real reality isn't much fun either. Also, it was majorly oversold, and porn found no use for it.

[Orange]

Too expensive, but I really wish it would've caught on as it could've been amazing today, especially with first person shooters and sports games. Maybe someday if they can find a way to make it affordable, but until then the closest thing we have is the Wii I guess (in terms of mimmicking actions to make it happen onscreen).

[Sir Woodrow]

Mar 27, 2010 11:32:22 GMT -5 Paul said:

I blame Lawnmower Man 2.

A day doesn't go by where I don't blame Lawnmower Man 2 for something going wrong, mainly for ruining Matt Frewer's "career"

[-Lithium-]

Because its not anywhere what people expect when they hear that name...

[Father Dougal McGuire]

I think it was a complex idea implemented too soon, but we still see the side effects of VR today, in the form of motion controls for video game systems and 3D movies. It is only a matter of time before the two are combined.

[Brain Of F'n J]

You had to wear a football helmet with sunglasses in it, move with a joystick (which went against a person's basic nature when surrounded in all directions by a reality), looking at graphics that were pushing the technological envelope when Dire Straits' "Money For Nothing" video came out (i.e., 10 years prior) ... and for this, the price tag was a mere five digits long. Yup, can't see why it didn't catch on.

Jed Shaffer
~That being said ... where's my Sega Genesis VR helmet, Sega? STILL WAITING!!!

[Jason Todd Grisham]

Mar 28, 2010 9:05:54 GMT -5 Brain Of F'n J said:

You had to wear a football helmet with sunglasses in it, move with a joystick (which went against a person's basic nature when surrounded in all directions by a reality), looking at graphics that were pushing the technological envelope when Dire Straits' "Money For Nothing" video came out (i.e., 10 years prior) ... and for this, the price tag was a mere five digits long. Yup, can't see why it didn't catch on.

And even then, the games sucked.

I played virtual reality once, and all I did was walk around a kitchen. Screw you Museum of Science and Industry!

[i.Sarita.com]

I remember way back in the day, the local mall around here had an entire "arcade?" of VR booths. I never got to actually go and play them, but to my little kid mind it was like the shangri la...and when I got old enough I was going to play one of those games!


And....then it went out of business before I ever grew up.

[AriadosMan]

I think the 90s VR was rather primitive, and it took decades and huge amounts of money to actually cross the uncanny valley enough to make people take seriously (basically Avatar and onwards). Even as recently as Polar Express people were still complaining that mocap beings looked like zombies and the technology was unmarketable.

[Brain Of F'n J]

Mar 28, 2010 10:19:41 GMT -5 Jason Todd Grisham said:

Mar 28, 2010 9:05:54 GMT -5 Brain Of F'n J said:

You had to wear a football helmet with sunglasses in it, move with a joystick (which went against a person's basic nature when surrounded in all directions by a reality), looking at graphics that were pushing the technological envelope when Dire Straits' "Money For Nothing" video came out (i.e., 10 years prior) ... and for this, the price tag was a mere five digits long. Yup, can't see why it didn't catch on.

And even then, the games sucked.

I played virtual reality once, and all I did was walk around a kitchen. Screw you Museum of Science and Industry!

The I played was if you were playing tag, with a gun, in a landscape designed by Salvador Dali. There was a central platform, floating in midair. Four smaller platforms were connected to it by stairways, going N, S, E and W. There were obstacles you could hide behind (pillars, boxes, etc), and the object was to shoot the other person with a gun that lobbed (not shot, but LOBBED) something that looked like a gray caramel apple. And, for no reason explained to us, there was a pterodactyl flying overhead.

Jed Shaffer
~F5 hurricanes don't blow as much as what I just described.

[Sickfit, King Of The Fits]

From what I remember of the Virtual Boy, my eyes freaking hurt after I played Wario for five minutes.

[Throwback]

cause it sucked. I used this big Virtual reality game at crystal palace years ago. It was a helicopter that you sat in and controlled while you wore a helmet that went over your face to see everything. I couldn't see a thing. And everytime I moved the helmet so I could kinda see what was going on. The staff worker would come over and move the helmet back so I couldn't see.
I eventually just said "screw this" and took the helmet off. I then told the staff "Every time I moved the helmet so I could see, You moved it back" I then requested my money back (It cost $15 to "play" this thing) When they refused to give my money back I said "Well it MIGHT have been fun if your staff wasn't such an ass" I explained the situation. They gave me my money back, Took that guy off the floor and I never attempted to play anything virtual again.

[Dragonfly]

Mar 28, 2010 14:03:21 GMT -5 Brain Of F'n J said:

The I played was if you were playing tag, with a gun, in a landscape designed by Salvador Dali. There was a central platform, floating in midair. Four smaller platforms were connected to it by stairways, going N, S, E and W. There were obstacles you could hide behind (pillars, boxes, etc), and the object was to shoot the other person with a gun that lobbed (not shot, but LOBBED) something that looked like a gray caramel apple. And, for no reason explained to us, there was a pterodactyl flying overhead.

So that's what Freakazoid was making fun of! It's nice to know these things. (For those unaware, there's an episode of Freakazoid where Freakazoid and Cosgrove "trade places" with two characters from the game. Said characters end up aligning with The Lobe, who wanted nothing more than to show off his new hat.)