View source for Sega VR

{{short description|Video console peripheral}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Infobox information appliance
| name = Sega VR
| title = 
| aka = 
| logo = 
| image =
| caption = Official press image
| developer = 
| manufacturer = [[Sega]]
| family = 
| type = [[Video game accessory]]
| generation = [[Fourth generation of video game consoles|Fourth generation]]
| release date = Cancelled
| website = <!--{{URL|example.org}}-->
}}
The  '''Sega VR''' is an unreleased [[virtual reality headset]] developed by [[Sega]] in the early 1990s. Planned as an add-on peripheral for the [[Sega Genesis]] and only publicly showcased at a number of trade shows and expositions, its release was postponed and later cancelled outright after Sega ran into development issues. At least four in-progress games for the hardware were in development before its cancellation.

The project was largely driven by Sega of America; a more successful, separate, and officially released attempt at a virtual reality headset, the Mega Visor Display, was overseen by Sega's Japanese amusement divisions and United Kingdom-based collaborators [[Virtuality (product)|Virtuality]], and would be used in the [[VR-1]] theme park ride and the ''Dennou Senki Net Merc'' arcade game. The similarly titled VR-1 is not to be confused with the Sega VR.<ref name="VR Focus">{{cite web|publisher=VR Focus|title=The Virtual Arena – Blast From The Past: The VR-1|author=Kevin Williams|url=https://www.vrfocus.com/2020/07/the-virtual-arena-blast-from-the-past-the-vr-1/}}</ref>

==Features==
The Sega VR's design was based on an [[IDEO]] [[virtual reality]] [[head-mounted display]] containing [[Liquid crystal display|LCD]] screens in the visor and stereo headphones.<ref name="Horowitz" /> The headset tracking solution was developed by a small electronics company called Ono-Sendai that had been experimenting with VR headsets. The method employed was only capable of tracking two degrees of freedom but was very inexpensive, costing only around $1 per unit, making it affordable for the consumer market.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Story of Sega VR: Sega's Failed Virtual Reality Headset |url=https://www.designnews.com/testing-measurement/the-story-of-sega-vr-sega-s-failed-virtual-reality-headset |access-date=2023-11-09 |website=www.designnews.com |language=en}}</ref> The device used a magnetometer to detect azimuth relative to the Earth's magnetic field and an optical sensor measuring the refraction of light at the boundary of a gas and fluid to detect tilt.<ref>{{Cite patent|number=US5526022A|title=Sourceless orientation sensor|gdate=1996-06-11|invent1=Donahue|invent2=Pesce|invent3=Groot|invent4=Perry|inventor1-first=Michael J.|inventor2-first=Mark D.|inventor3-first=Marc de|inventor4-first=Michael A.|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US5526022A/en}}</ref>

==Development==
Sega of America, flush with funds from the success of its [[Sega Genesis|Mega Drive/Genesis]], announced the peripheral in 1991.<ref name="Horowitz">{{cite web|last=Horowitz|first=Ken|title=Sega VR: Great Idea or Wishful Thinking?|url=http://www.sega-16.com/feature_page.php?id=5&title=Sega%20VR:%20Great%20Idea%20or%20Wishful%20Thinking?|publisher=Sega-16|date=December 28, 2004|access-date=August 21, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100114191355/http://sega-16.com/feature_page.php?id=5&title=Sega%20VR%3A%20Great%20Idea%20or%20Wishful%20Thinking%3F|archive-date=January 14, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> It was later seen in [[1993 in video gaming|1993]] at the [[Consumer Electronics Show]] (CES) in Chicago, where it was demonstrated by [[Alan Hunter (VJ)|Alan Hunter]] and appeared close to a finished product.<ref>{{Citation |title=Sega V.R. U.S. Debut @ 1993 Summer CES in Chicago |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwY-EaUQ_Yc |access-date=2023-11-08 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=SegaVR |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd98RGxad0U |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/yd98RGxad0U |archive-date=2021-12-11 |access-date=December 30, 2013 |publisher=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The event stated that the headset was planned to use the Genesis hardware and would be released in late 1993 at {{US$|200|1993|round=-1}} with four confirmed [[launch game]]s and the possibility of a port of [[arcade game]] ''[[Virtua Racing]]''.<ref name="egm_wces93">''[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]'', [https://retrocdn.net/images/9/96/EGM_US_Supplement_037_1993VideoGamePreviewGuide.pdf Video Game Preview Guide], 1993</ref> Sega later announced release was slated for early 1994, according to ''[[Electronic Games]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/Electronic-Games-1994-01/Electronic+Games+1994-01#page/n33/mode/2up|title=Electronic Games 1994 01|website=archive.org}}</ref>

The Sega VR headset was never released to the general public and it vanished from release schedules in 1994. There are conflicting reports as to why the product was cancelled. Sega officially claimed to have terminated the project because the virtual reality effect was "too realistic", so users might move while wearing the headset and injure themselves.<ref name="Horowitz" /> However, [[Tom Kalinske]], then president and CEO of Sega of America, stated that the system would not be released due to reports of it inducing motion sickness and severe headaches in users.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Vinciguerra|first1=Robert|title=Tom Kalinske Talks About His Time Overseeing Sega As Its CEO in the 90s; Reveals That Sega Passed on Virtual Boy Technology, Considered Releasing 3DO|url=http://revrob.com/sci-tech/264-tom-kalinske-talks-about-his-time-overseeing-sega-as-its-ceo-in-the-90s-reveals-that-sega-passed-on-virtual-boy-technology-considered-releasing-3do|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924024256/http://revrob.com/sci-tech/264-tom-kalinske-talks-about-his-time-overseeing-sega-as-its-ceo-in-the-90s-reveals-that-sega-passed-on-virtual-boy-technology-considered-releasing-3do|archive-date=September 24, 2015|access-date=September 21, 2015|website=The Rev. Rob Times}}</ref><ref name="Horowitz" /> [[Mark Pesce]], who worked on the Sega VR project, says a [[SRI International]] conducted research on the product and warned Sega of the "hazards of prolonged use".<ref>{{cite web |last=Robson |first=Wayde |title=WARNING: 3D Video Hazardous to Your Health |url=http://www.audioholics.com/news/editorials/warning-3d-video-hazardous-to-your-health/ |access-date=July 14, 2010 |publisher=Audioholics}}</ref>

==Games==
Only four original games are known to have been in development.<ref>{{cite web|last=Vinciguerra|first=Robert|title=Sega VR Console: To Obscurity and Beyond|url=http://www.revrob.com/sci-a-tech-topmenu-52/43-sega-vr-console-to-obscurity-and-beyond|publisher=The Rev. Rob Times|access-date=December 30, 2013}}</ref>

* ''Nuclear Rush'':  A simulation in which users pilot a hovercraft in a futuristic war.<ref>{{Citation |title=Sega-Nuclear-Rush |date=2023-05-31 |url=https://github.com/OldSkoolCode/Sega-Nuclear-Rush |access-date=2023-11-08 |publisher=OldSkoolCode}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Unreleased Sega VR Headset Emulated On HTC Vive! |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gxewa9C4Yc |access-date=2023-11-08 |language=en}}</ref>
* ''Iron Hammer'':  In this helicopter simulation, gamers pilot a flying gunship as in EA's popular ''Strike'' series.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2008-06-16 |title=Iron Hammer [SEGA VR - Unreleased] - Unseen64 |url=https://www.unseen64.net/2008/06/16/iron-hammer-sega-vr-unreleased/ |access-date=2023-11-08 |website=Unseen64: Beta, Cancelled & Unseen Videogames! |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Iron Hammer @ VGH2K8 [SEGA VR (MD/Genesis) - UNRELEASED!] |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQG0tZqaKUg |access-date=2023-11-08 |language=en}}</ref>
* ''Matrix Runner'': Reported to be a [[cyberpunk]] [[adventure game]] inspired by [[Hideo Kojima]]'s ''[[Snatcher (video game)|Snatcher]]''.
* ''Outlaw Racing'': A vehicle racing and combat game.

Sega also announced a [[Porting|port]] of [[Sega AM2]]'s hit [[1992 in video gaming|1992]] [[arcade game]] ''[[Virtua Racing]]'' as a launch game for the device, though it is not known how far this reached in development.<ref name="egm_wces93"/>

==Legacy==
Following the cancellation of the Sega VR, a few further attempts were made by Sega to develop virtual reality technology. A similar peripheral was reportedly made, but never seen, for the [[Sega Saturn|Saturn]].<ref name="Horowitz" /><ref>''[https://retrocdn.net/images/d/d6/EGM_US_070.pdf Gaming Gossip]''. [[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]. Issue 70. p. 54. May 1995.</ref>

While Sega of America undertook development on the Sega VR, Sega of Japan endeavoured to create their own virtual reality project. Sega entered into an agreement to collaborate with the pioneering [[Virtuality (product)|Virtuality Group]] on a VR arcade project in 1993.<ref name="GM VR1">{{cite magazine |title=Sega Teams Up With W. Industries For Its VR Game |url=https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19880701p.pdf |access-date=May 23, 2021 |magazine=Game Machine |issue=445 |publisher=Amusement Press |date=August 15, 1993 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200523232841/https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19930815p.pdf |archive-date=May 23, 2020 |location=Japan}}</ref> Following this the two companies entered into negotiations to build a new headset by combining their previous development assets in the field of VR.<ref name="VR Focus" />

The result of the agreement was the Mega Visor Display, publicly released for the first time in July 1994 as part of the [[VR-1]] attraction installed at Sega's flagship [[Joypolis]] indoor theme parks in Japan, as well as [[SegaWorld London]] and [[Sega World Sydney]].<ref name="VR Focus" /> Alongside the attraction, the MVD was praised in reviews at the time for its advancements in ergonomic design and graphical output, and was supposedly not fully matched in performance until the 2010s.<ref name="VR Focus" />

A second project to utilize the Mega Visor Display, the ''Dennou Senki Net Merc'' arcade game, was later demonstrated at Japan's 1995 AOU (Amusement Operators Union) show, using the [[Sega Model 1]] [[arcade system board]] to produce its 3D graphics.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Netmerc, Arcade Video game by SEGA Enterprises, Ltd. (1994) |url=https://www.arcade-history.com/?n=netmerc&page=detail&id=3737 |access-date=2023-11-08 |website=www.arcade-history.com}}</ref> ''Net Merc'' subsequently received much more muted reception, with the game's [[Flat shading|flat-shaded]] graphics compared unfavourably to the [[Sega Model 2]]'s [[Texture filtering|textured-filtered]] graphics when showcased.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/nextgen-issue-006|title=NEXT Generation Issue #June 6, 1995|date=June 26, 1995|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Virtual Boy]]
* [[VR-1]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://gamehistory.org/segavr/ Source code] at Video Game History Foundation

{{Sega hardware}}
{{Mixed reality}}
{{Fourth generation game consoles}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sega Vr}}
[[Category:Sega consoles|VR]]
[[Category:Sega hardware|VR]]
[[Category:Vaporware video game consoles]]
[[Category:Virtual reality headsets]]
[[Category:Fourth-generation video game consoles]]