Many companies already had their first steps with virtual reality in the 90s. Just think of the often derided Virtual Boy from Nintendo. But last week another treasure from the history of technology came to light: the Sega VR headset.
If you now think that these are just some drawings of a prototype, you are far from it. Sega VR is completely playable and inspires a team of virtual reality enthusiasts to breathe modern spirit into the game available at that time.
Unreleased Sega VR Headset Emulated On HTC Vive! (Source: The Video Game History Foundation)
It all started with an article on the website of the so-called Video Game History Foundation. They described a previously unpublished ROM discovery that belonged to a 1993 Sega-VR headset. The game bears the sonorous name: Nuclear Rush and is one of four games available for the Sega Virtual Reality experience. At CES 1993, the game company that brought us Sonic announced that they would offer VR headsets for their then Genesis and Mega Drive consoles to take the gaming experience to the next level.
However, similar to what happened to Nintendo, the great potential did not turn into a great success. The players quickly complained of headaches and dizziness. Today known as an effect due to the irritation of the sense of balance, VR often simulates impressions of movement while the body is still. But in the days of Sega VR headsets, a KO criterion for the motivated player.
The Video Game History Foundation wants to overcome these problems and reissue the game Nuclear Rush for the Oculus Quest, HTC Vive and Valve and is currently struggling to convert the 15 Hz game to modern standards that lie somewhere between 72 Hz and 90 Hz. Despite all this, as you can see in the video above, there is already good progress to master the transfer of nearly 30 years of technology development. It’s not an easy task, but a mission worth accomplishing to make a piece of gaming history tangible for the new generation.
Post picture: SEGA
