Level 3 Gameplay footage of Missile Command with Jaguar VR

[Clint Thompson]

Searching my archive DVDs I ran across some raw footage of when I recorded playing Missile Command VR with the Jaguar VR headset and thought I would also share it here for those interested since I know many aren't on Facebook. Everyone wants to claim that VR wasn't ready for the masses in 1995 and while the calibration feature wasn't present to adjust the headset for optimal tracking, this still shows just how fast, precise and in my opinion, how amazing the Jaguar with the Jaguar VR truly is. I start out kind of rough and shaky but it gets better.

 

The game really shines with the Jaguar VR, hopefully someday sooner than later we'll be able to get it working with current headsets that are now available and out on the market.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb-MD8P0c6U

[Rick Dangerous]

This looks awesome. I'm surprised no one else pursued VR sooner (Saturn, PS1 or even the DC) after this proof of concept by Atari.

[Zerosquare]

The JagVR prototype is kind of neat, but it clearly showed that home VR in the mid-nineties was a blind alley.

 

The video doesn't show how bulky and heavy that thing is, how imperfect the tracking is, and how expensive it would have been to manufacture. And it's not even real 3D since the picture is the same for both eyes.

 

It would have been a complete commercial failure, potentially worse than the Virtual Boy.

Edited October 24, 2016 by Zerosquare

[+save2600]

Can't speak to the "3D" aspects, but I love the zoomed out perspective so that you can see more of the playfield at any given time!

[Clint Thompson]

The JagVR prototype is kind of neat, but it clearly showed that home VR in the mid-nineties was a blind alley.

 

The video doesn't show how bulky and heavy that thing is, how imperfect the tracking is, and how expensive it would have been to manufacture. And it's not even real 3D since the picture is the same for both eyes.

 

It would have been a complete commercial failure, potentially worse than the Virtual Boy.

As mentioned, there's not a way to calibrate the tracking with the beta software available so it's kind of unfair to say how imperfect the tracking is based on rough prototypes... did you see how quickly and precise the head movements were once I got into the groove of it? Plus, it was basically manufactured so I'm unsure at how expense comes into play here. I'll assume you're aware of the Philips Scuba and Takara Dynovisor variants that were sold.

 

3D or not, at least the Jaguar VR actually tracked your head movement as VR is intended to do and is in color, whereas the Virtual Boy was anything but. Commercial failure is easy to say. The Sega Dreamcast is considered a commercial failure and it sold how many millions? But you're right, it would have been considered a commercial failure. It was for a dying platform developed by dying companies with no real 3rd party software involvement.

 

Close but no cheap cigar?

[Zerosquare]

I did try out the JagVR many years ago (long before the VR renewal craze). It was the first VR device I did experiment, so I wasn't spoiled by later technology. And I found it pretty underwhelming, to be honest.

 

I mean, sure, at the time it was released, it was innovative. Maybe the tracking could have been improved with better software, I'll grant you that. But there are plenty of things that make me say it would have flopped hard:

 

- Ergonomy. It's bulky, heavy and tends to fall off your head all the time. For prolonged use, that's a real problem.

 

- Motion sickness. Even with today's technologies, which are immensely more powerful than those that existed back then, it hasn't been completely solved. The lower framerate and poorer tracking (when compared to, say, an Occulus Rift) would have made things worse.

 

- Lack of depth perception. Sure, it tracks your head, and you do get some depth perception that way, but a VR system without stereo displays is disappointing - that's something you expect when you hear "VR".

 

- Price. Yes, it was manufactured... but how many units were made, and how much did they cost? Mass production is entirely different ; and at the time, LCD screens and IR trackers weren't cheap.

 

It's something you have to try at least once, and it must have been awesome as a demo at the time, but that doesn't mean people would have bought it. Had it been released, it would most likely have been an expensive gimmick, with the novelty wearing off quickly. It was just too early for home VR technology to be viable.

[litoskin]

i don't know what jag VR headset you have tested, probably not the last version,Blue helmet . The hi resolution headset ,believe me have a really good and fast tracking ,unbelievable good for that time...the weight is high but non so much and you can play without problem for 20/30 minutes...Probably i must thanks god for giving me a big nose so i can play with the VR headset without falling it off...

the big problem was the lack of software ready for launch and the high cost of production but the technology was really ahead for the time...

[Zerosquare]

It was definitely the blue model, I took a picture of it:

 

I remember the tracking was jittery, but it's possible there was something wrong with this particular unit ; now that I think about it, I vaguely remember Gaztee (who owned it at the time) saying something about it not working as well as it should have. But I'm not sure, that was 9 years ago...

Edited October 27, 2016 by Zerosquare

[Clint Thompson]

It was definitely the blue model, I took a picture of it:

 

I remember the tracking was jittery, but it's possible there was something wrong with this particular unit ; now that I think about it, I vaguely remember Gaztee (who owned it at the time) saying something about it not working as well as it should have. But I'm not sure, that was 9 years ago...

 

That's what happened when I took it to JagFest in 2001. Dozens of people handling it and smearing the IR lens with sweaty hands and if you're not in front of the IR tracker, it'll definitely cause it to act weird. I remember when Carl Forhan had put it on at the end of the day and it was a mess, literally jumping everywhere... but that's not normal and after cleaning it up it typically returns to normal. I'm sure the excessive lighting probably doesn't help matters.