Headset: XVR
Manufacturer: VPL Research Inc
Resolution: Color LCD, 442238 elements
Weight: 2.5 lbs
Field of view: 108H x 76V, custom optics
Video in: NTSC
Cost: $58,000 (£42,531)
Launch Date: February 1992
Estimated Value: $4-6,000
Other Features: Complete redesign of HMD. Part of VPL’s Microcosm system.
In 1992 the MicroCosm virtual reality system won a gold award in the equipment category of the I.D. Annual Design Review. The Microcosm was composed of a standing control Unit tower, the VPL Research XVR head-mounted display and the DataGlove XVR. Its design was praised for successfully uniting complex subsystems and forms to provide a virtual three-dimensional world of sound and images. This is considered a major breakthrough in new technology. The design was made by IDEO Product Development for VPL Research of Redwood City, CA.
Photo by Douglas Satzger – Sadly the detacable handle is not shown here that had haptic surfaces that you could hold up to the headset itself. It was not cheap at all, but the price included a Quadra 900, the EyePhone XVR for viewing virtual worlds, the DataGlove XVR for manipulating objects in those worlds and software to design your own virtual worlds.