VFX1 Headgear: Difference between revisions

VFX1 Headgear
	Forte VFX1 Headgear
Developer	Forte Technologies, Inc.
Release date	1995
Introductory price	US$995 (equivalent to $1,990 in 2023)
Display	Dual 263 × 230 color LCD displays
Platform	IBM-compatible PC, ISA bus, MS-DOS
Mass	2.5 lb (1.1 kg)
Successor	VFX3D

Browse history interactively

← Previous edit Next edit →

Content deleted Content added

VisualWikitext

Inline

Revision as of 14:56, 12 June 2023

The Forte VFX1 Headgear was a consumer-level virtual reality headset marketed during the mid-1990s. It comprises a helmet, a handheld controller, and an ISA interface board, and offers head tracking, stereoscopic 3D, and stereo audio.^[1]

History

The VFX1 was developed in the early 1990s by Forte Technologies, Inc. of Rochester, New York. It was released in 1995 with an MSRP of US$695 and an average retail price of $599, and was sold in the US in retail stores including CompUSA and Babbage's. It was superseded by Interactive Imaging Systems' VFX3D in 2000.

Features

Visual: The helmet features dual 0.7" 263 × 230 active matrix LCD displays from Kopin capable of 256 colors.^[2] Optics comprise dual lenses with adjustable focus and interpupillary distance. Field of view is 45 degrees diagonally.

Auditory: The helmet includes built-in stereo speakers and a condenser microphone. Audio signals are routed to the sound card's line in/out jacks.

Tracking: Head movements are tracked with internal sensors for pitch (70 degrees), roll (70 degrees), and yaw (360 degrees). A hand-held controller called the CyberPuck offers three buttons and internal sensors for pitch and roll. It can emulate a mouse and is connected to the helmet by an ACCESS.bus interface cable.

Interface: Audio, video, and tracking information is transmitted through the VFX1 Headgear Interface Protocol (VIP) board, a 16-bit ISA card that receives video input from the video card's 26-pin VESA feature connector and routes audio signals to the sound card's line in/out through external 1/8" audio jacks. Audio, video, and tracking data is exchanged with the headset over a single proprietary 8-foot cable, which can be daisy-chained for improved mobility.

System requirements

IBM-Compatible PC with 386 CPU^[3]
VGA video card with 26-pin VESA feature connector
16-bit ISA expansion slot for VIP board
MS-DOS 5.0 or later
500 KB free hard-drive space for drivers and utilities
20 KB conventional memory for drivers
Optional: stereo sound card

References

^ "Forte VFX1". VRWiki. Archived from the original on 25 June 2016.
^ "Venture Funding". October 28, 1994.
^ "VFX1 Specifications".

External links

[1] "Forte VFX1". VRWiki. Archived from the original on 25 June 2016.

[2] "Venture Funding". October 28, 1994.

[3] "VFX1 Specifications".

[1]

[2]

[3]

@@ Line 24: / Line 24: @@
 [[File:Forte_VFX1_Cyberpuck_Controller.jpg|thumb|right|CyberPuck handheld controller]]
-'''Visual:''' The helmet features dual 0.7" 263 × 230 LCD displays capable of 256 colors. Optics comprise dual lenses with adjustable focus and [[interpupillary distance]]. [[Field of view]] is 45 degrees diagonally.
+'''Visual:''' The helmet features dual 0.7" 263 × 230 active matrix LCD displays from [[Kopin Corporation|Kopin]] capable of 256 colors.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://techmonitor.ai/technology/venture_funding_265 |date=October 28, 1994 |title=Venture Funding}}</ref> Optics comprise dual lenses with adjustable focus and [[interpupillary distance]]. [[Field of view]] is 45 degrees diagonally.
 '''Auditory:''' The helmet includes built-in stereo speakers and a condenser microphone. Audio signals are routed to the sound card's line in/out jacks.