frantone
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Virtual Reality In 1996 - The VR Surfer!
🕑 Added 2020-01-20 02:17:38 +0000 UTC*This had to be edited and re-uploaded due to a copyright strike, so comments on the original version have been deleted with that first edit video on YouTube.*
Get your popcorn and sit back for a packed feature length adventure into the exciting future of Virtual Reality right in your own home! It's 1996 and the VR Surfer is taking you on a voyage through the Third Dimension! Okay... let's see how far I can get in actually getting this system to run on the oldest PC I have, and checking out the hardware and all the literature describing the amazing future that YOU will be having into the late '90's with your own VR Surfer! This one is packed end to end with stuff, so stay tuned for the official VR Surfer video after the credits for an extended treat. And good luck to you all - hope so see you on the other side of Y2K! ☺
Comments
Fran Blanche
I'll probably do an update on this video since I actually got an email form a former VREX employee with some tech info on the system.
Love your work. Please, never stop. 😊
Brendan Meteer
I only got part way through this one before I had to return my attention to something else... Please let us know when you've got a version that won't trip up the copyright trolls. ETA: I just looked at youtube. You've already got it sorted out. :)
Ewen McNeill
As an observation, some other YouTubers upload that sort of “extra copy of thing for your reference” (ie the last 30 minutes) in a separate video, and ideally on a second channel, so when the copyright claims come (to music, most likely, as that’s most actively automatically policed), there’s much less at stake / to re-upload. And ideally the comments are only on the “safe” main video and thus don’t disappear. Ewen
Joseph Retzer
What copyright did they ding you on?
Maarten Daalder
I'll wait for the YT notification to hit my inbox to watch this one. Why can't the algorithm not have a special case for Fran???
Neat to see the kit. It would have been quite interesting to see if you got this to install if it would have worked on an LCD as they often depended on some aspect of CRTs, although I'm not sure what that was. I remember Sega released some shutter glasses for the Master System some time in the 80s which I always wanted but never had.
Fran Blanche
Update - Two more copyright strikes on 2nd edit - so third edit and compiling now, this will take another 3 hours or so to get on YT. Sorry everyone! The googlebot is all over this one.
Fran Blanche
Note - I had to edit and reupload this video, so any comments on YouTube would have been deleted with the older version. Lets see if this one sticks....
Fran Blanche
I'll try that... if I have the nerve to get back into VR!
Hey Fran, I haven't used Windows for a good few years, especially pre XP versions! I think the error is saying you need to add your VRbios to your autoexec.bat file. This should be in C:\autoexec.bat and is run during boot up to load the driver. It's possible the installer added this automatically, but maybe you did not reboot? Cool video though! Would love to know if it works after a reboot or after adding the "VRbios" line to the autoexec file.
veritanuda
Was that really the first VR system for consumers I have somewhere a VFX1 from way back when. It sorta worked but was incredibly heavy and low res. But they did have a 'cyberpuck' which I thought was a brilliant controller and fitted my hand perfectly and acted like a 3d joystick. oh happy days. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VFX1_Headgear
William Alsing
I love retro computing! I have that same Sony laptop but it runs Linux now and runs some electronic and software experiments of mine.
