Virtuality - reminiscing, and trying to track down some screenshots.

[Prometheus]

So, I've been feeling a bit nostalgic lately for the old Virtuality cabinets (well, I say "cabinets", but they were more like a pod that you stood in, with a helmet and spatial gauntlet/tool/joystick-thing that you held onto with one hand) that some arcades used to have during the 1990s. Accordingly, I've been trying to track down some screenshots, particularly from the earliest crop of games that were apparently powered by an Amiga 3000 - does anybody know if there are any out there, anywhere?


See, way back in 1999, I played the game "Hero" (there's a possibility that it *may* have been "Dactyl Nightmare" instead, but I recall the game I played having no combat and having a time-limit, which suggests to me that it was indeed Hero), and in spite of the fact that the graphics looked a bit dated by then (Hero was released in 1991, so it was pretty old by the time I played it), the effect was completely convincing. It's really rather surreal to have memories that, in effect, appear to be from looking into another world (even if it was a virtual one ) - it's completely different compared to remembering playing a game on a regular screen. I wonder if anyone else who's ever tried these games feels the same way? Brilliantly, it didn't make me feel queasy or disorientated at all - that was another plus for the whole experience. I really wish I could play it again.


Unfortunately, I only got to play Hero once, and it wasn't too long after that the place I played it at shut down, so I never got to try it again. Did anyone else here ever get to play any of the games for the various models of the Virtuality cabinets? If so, what game(s) did you play, and what did you think of it?

 

[WizardStan]

I do remember Dactyl Nightmare, at least from the description that's what it was, long long ago at an amusement park. I remember regretting spending the $10 it cost to play for the few minutes you got.

 

[Prometheus]

Haha, that was my gripe as well, although I didn't regret it - I just wished that Hero gave you more than four minutes to complete your goal. :lol:

 

[Sugar_Kane]

I remember these being all over the tv in the 90s. There was Cyber Zone with Craig Charles, which I think died after one series. And I remember a comedy crime drama that had a VR murder episode. Never played the machines though. The local arcades had a sit down flight sim game, and one of the stand up machines, but i was too self conscious to don the helmet.


Anyway, found a few things of interest:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/-QiKnHxX7CY?feature=oembed <-I'm thinking of modelling myself on this guy 'YO DUDES!'

http://www.arcade-history.com/?n=legend-quest&page=detail&id=12501 <- really wanted to play legend quest after seeing it on Bad Influence.

 

[Prometheus]

Oh, cool, thanks very much for those, Sugar_Kane. The first one, in particular, sure brings back some memories of how television used to be. :blink: Fantastic cheesy special effects on everyone that they could apply them to, and those bits of text news at the end, where you had to record it and play it back in slow motion (or using the pause button) on your VCR!


90s-guy in the second video is great, too. :lol: Interesting to see footage of Dactyl Nightmare - I definitely didn't play that, but I'm pretty sure that an episode of Freakazoid spoofed it.


Thanks again.

 

[milkshake]

I think the data blast (when you needed to get slow the credits in slow mo to read the data) was on a citv programed called bad influence! with violet berlin I used to love that show as a kid oooh the memories.

 

[Prometheus]

^ That's right, yep. I loved Bad Influence. Going on Sugar_Kane's video, it was also present on a BBC programmed called "The Net", as well, although I can't say I'd heard of that one until seeing the video.

 

[Fzero]

I used to play these at the Trocadero, had a few of them, big red paded ring that you stood in, was brand new at time so was rip off credits or the time, and I remember it drew crowds that would watch the monitors showing what you see in game.


Then came that hologram cabinet with the dome and it's one game, a run and jump objects game that was a skank of your overcharged credit again as it was seriously delayed - took about a tenner to figure out how to work with it's lag.


The VR were ok at the time though, just too much money


it wasn't these ones when I used to go there, I guess these were there a bit later on, car ones..


http://www.sciencephoto.com/images/imagePopUpDetails.html?pop=1&id=844900112&pviewid=&country=67&search=&matchtype=FUZZY

 

[Prometheus]

^ I gather that the sit-down units were launched at the same time as the original stand-up pods, and were a bit cheaper. I wonder if they weren't picked up as soon due to the number of games available for them? I know that the pod variety seemingly had the most titles available.


Incidentally, I guess they never stopped charging a ton to play on VR cabinets. When I played Hero, it was far from new, and still cost me a few pounds!

 

[Fzero]

Check the SU-2000 down on this page, that's most like the ones we had there back in the day, was the only ones too, now they got all sorts.


There's some screenshots of te VR in game on this site too


http://www.virtualsimtech.com/uprightsimulators.htm


I can't remember if it was £3 or £5 for one cred, but this must be 15 years or more ago, new street fighter wouldve been 30p probably


you remember the hologram one? I played in the David loyds center, was a white unit, stand up, a mirror type half dome on top that the hologram was projected into ...it was too early for that, and do it soon died and was never seen again


[edit] looking at some of those VR I see that hologram may have been a SEGA one, they made one and it had a white cabinet.

 

[Prometheus]

I've never heard of the hologram one, I must admit!


The VST-2200 at the top of that page is a bit sleeker-looking than the one I played, but the SU2000 seems to be about the same.


I think Hero cost me about £3 or £5, as well, come to think of it, but that was in 1999. Remember how I mentioned the place I played it at closed down not long afterwards? It was said to be partly due to how overpriced everything was there. :lol:

 

[Fzero]

That's a change though, most get closed down due to crime.


Check this page, at bottom there is a YouTube clip showing a fair bit of in game screens, it's at Trocadero but it ain't the one I played, I think the one I played may have been Dactyl as I read that was first in Troc in 91.


Watch clip at bottom http://www.vrtifacts.com/hmds/all-brawn-virtuality-1000cs-hmd/


The sega one is rubbish anyway, but it's this I think, game looks a bit dif to what I remember but I didn't get very far as it was so lame with response to your moves, but the cabinet looks like the one and there can't have been many [any] others


Time Traveller, on this page second one


http://www.gearfuse.com/8-unconventional-arcade-games/

 

[Prometheus]

That clip was fab. And that guy in it looked vaguely like Nicholas Cage. :lol: The game footage was brilliant to see, too - thanks very much. I wish I could have played that one.

 

[Fzero]

Can't the Pandora emulate SU-2000?